founder Tōkai Gieki. It is said that when Gieki had was about to establish what would become Myōgon-ji, an old man carrying a small pot or cauldron (kama) appeared before him and offered his services. The old man went on to work at Gieki's temple, using his pot to cook meals for the monks. To the surprise of many, the pot was seemingly magical, in that it continually provided an endless supply of food enough to satisfy tens and even hundreds of people. When asked how he was capable of performing such miraculous feats, the man replied that he had three hundred and one servants at his bidding. The old man stayed by Gieki's side until the latter's death, at which he vanished without a trace, leaving only his pot behind. People then came to revere the old man, dubbed 'Heihachirō' (平八郎), as a servant or avatar of Dakiniten, a fox spirit (kitsune) who assumed human form. Cultural Properties Most of the temple was rebuilt in the Meiji period or later; however, the Sanmon dates from 1536 and is the oldest existent building in the complex. The Main Hall was reconstructed in the Tempo period (1830-1843), and several other buildings also date from the Edo period. In terms of registered cultural properties, the temple has a wooden Kamakura period statue of Jizō Bosatsu which is a National Important Cultural Property. Tōkai Hundred Kannon The Toyokawa Inari combines with the Mino Thirty-three Kannon in Gifu Prefecture, the Owari Thirty-three Kannon in western Aichi Prefecture, and the Mikawa Thirty-three Kannon (三河三十三観音) in eastern Aichi Prefecture to form a pilgrimage route known as the Tōkai Hundred Kannon. See also Dakini Inari Shrine Tōkai Hundred Kannon Mino Thirty-three Kannon Owari Thirty-three Kannon Glossary of Japanese Buddhism Glossary of Shinto References Bibliography Smyers, Karen Ann. The fox and the jewel: shared and private meanings in contemporary Japanese. University of Hawaii Press (1998). External links Toyokawa Inari Official Website (in Japanese) Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin Official Website Gyokuhō-ji (Toyokawa Inari Sapporo Betsuin) Official Website (in Japanese) Religious organizations established in the 15th century Buddhist temples in Aichi Prefecture Soto temples Mikawa Province Toyokawa, Aichi Inari temples