More than 700 years ago in the Kamakura era, when Hojo Tokiyori (the fifth regent of the Kamakura shogunate in Japan) went on a trip to Oshu, he was fascinated by Mt. Nakui and then opened Hokoji Temple at the foot. This temple is one of the most famous ones of the Soto sect in the northeast. Inside the temple stands the tallest three-story pagoda in Japan, the Joyoto Pagoda. Zazen (Zen meditation) is also available here.