Mount Ahiko Daisho Kannonji Temple, commonly known as Abiko Kannon, is Japan's oldest temple dedicated to the Bodhisattva Kannon. Long ago, the family of Yosami no Abiko, who lived in this area, received a statue of Kannon Bodhisattva measuring 1.8 inches (approximately 8 cm) in height as a gift from King Seong of Baekje, and founded the temple in the 7th year of the reign of Emperor Kinmei (546). It is said that Prince Shotoku later received a revelation from the Bodhisattva Kannon, and built Mount Ahiko Kannonji Temple. During the Edo period, the temple flourished, with 36 branch temples within its grounds, but was destroyed in a fire in 1881, along with many of its treasures. It was later rebuilt in 1890 (Meiji 23). Every year on February 3rd, during the Setsubun Great Ceremony to ward off evil spirits, the Shokannon statue is unveiled and the temple is crowded with people praying for protection from evil spirits, good health, and the fulfillment of wishes.