Kinpusenji Temple located in Yoshinoyama, Yoshino-cho, Nara Pref. is the headquarters of the Shugendo temples. The temple is said to have been founded in the late 7th century by En no Gyoja, the founder of Shugendo. The principal image of worship is the statue of Zao Gongen, which is said to have been brought here by the Buddhist priest Rigen Taishi in the Heian period (794-1192).
The statue is placed in the main hall, Zaodo, which is the second largest wooden structure after Daibutsuden Hall at Todaiji Temple. Besides the statue of Zao Gongen, many other designated National Treasures such as the standing statues of Doji and the statues of Prince Shotoku, En no Gyoja and Zen-Go Ki (a pair of ogres) are stored in this Hinoki-bark roofed hall, 9 m in width, 10,8 m in depth and 34 m in height. Kinpusenji Temple is the place that symbolizes the hard training of Shugendo.