Halls & Treasures
Within the Kondo and Hondo (the Main Hall and Buddha Hall) of Mii-dera, there are at least six statues of the Buddha, sacred personal possessions of various Emperors, including Emperor Tenji, which are hidden away and shown only on rare, special occasions, as well as one large statue of the Miroku, or Maitreya, Buddha in the center of the Hall. The Kondo was built in 1599, and is a replacement for the original, built in 672 and destroyed by the Taiko Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Mii-dera also has a Kannon-do, built in 1072, a hall dedicated to Kannon, Bodhisattva of Compassion. Mii-dera is the fourteenth temple in a Pilgrimage of 33 Temples devoted to Kannon in the Kansai area.
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