Rakanji is the generic name for temples which worship Rakan (Arhat or a spiritual practitioner). Rakanji Temple at Hon-Yabakei-machi in Nakatsu City, Oita Pref. is the headquarter (Sohonzan) of all Rakanji temples in the country. This Sodo sect temple has a long and distinguished history. It is said that the Indian monk Hodo Sennin (the immortal Taoist) brought the image of Buddha made of gold coated copper to this place and established a temple here. The temple stands on the mountainside of Mt. Rakan, the rocky cliff of which has countless mouths of caves. The main gate and the main hall stand directly in the rocky cliff. As many as 3,777 stone statues of Buddha are placed in the cave. Among them the most famous are 500 Rakans in Murodo Cave supposedly carved by the monk Shogaku and Gyakuryu Kenjun as well as 1,000 Jizo statues and Juoson (a judge of the hell) supposedly carved by the Zen monk Fukaku in the Muromach period (1336-1573). The temple was established in 1337, but it was destroyed by fire in 1943. The present main hall was reconstructed in 1969.