It is said that Myotsuji was founded in 806 by the great general Sakanoue Tamuramaro (758–811) after he had a revelation in a dream on the way back to Kyoto from a military campaign in the north. It belongs to the Shingon school of Buddhism, and once stood in the center of the Matsunaga agricultural estate administered by the Fushimi no Miya branch of the imperial family. The main hall and the three-story pagoda on the temple precincts were built in the thirteenth century and are designated National Treasures.
The principal object of worship at Myotsuji is a wooden seated statue of Yakushi Buddha, the deity of medicine, which is said to have been carved from an ancient yuzuriha (Daphniphyllum macropodum) tree. This statue is flanked by wooden standing statues of the Wisdom King Gozanze Myo-o and the guardian deity Jinsha Taisho. Jinsha Taisho is most well-known for appearing in the Chinese classic Journey to the West to protect the Buddhist priest Xuanzang on his quest for sacred texts from India. Though they can be found more commonly in mainland Asia, statues of Jinsha Taisho are quite rare in Japan. The Yakushi Buddha, Gozanze Myo-o, and Jinsha Taisho statues were carved in the late Heian period (794–1185) and are all nationally designated Important Cultural Properties. A wooden standing statue of the Wisdom King Fudo Myo-o in the temple’s Guest Hall is also a designated Important Cultural Property.
A picture scroll with illustrations from ancient Japanese mythology has been kept at Myotsuji Temple for centuries. It contains tales of Hikohohodemi no Mikoto, the deity worshipped at nearby Wakasahiko Jinja Shrine, and his brother Umisachihiko no Mikoto. This valuable scroll is a designated Important Cultural Property of Fukui Prefecture.
