Tochoji Temple, founded by Kobo Daishi (Kukai) in 806, is Japan's oldest esoteric Buddhist temple and a prominent Fukuoka landmark. The centerpiece is the wooden Fukuoka Daibutsu statue - at 10.8 meters tall, it's one of Japan's largest seated wooden Buddha statues. Behind it sit 5,000 smaller Buddha statues. Beneath the pedestal lies a free 'Hell and Paradise Passage' - if you touch Buddha's wheel in complete darkness, it's said you'll reach paradise. Other highlights include a 26-meter five-story pagoda and a standing wooden Senju Kannon statue designated as a National Important Cultural Property.