Kurama-dera

Kurama-dera (鞍馬寺) is a temple in the far north of Kyoto, Japan. It was a member of the Tendai sect and subordinate to Shōren-in from the 12th century until 1949 when it founded its own religious body. The object of worship is esoteric and unique to the temple. It is said to have been founded by a disciple of Jianzhen. Mt. Kurama is considered to be a mystical place because of the appearance of what are called Tengu, long-nosed legendary creatures found in Japanese folk stories that represented to ancient people the mysterious power of mountains. Mt. Kurama is believed to be the birthplace of reiki, a type of “energy therapy”.