great teacher; high Buddhist master
Honorific title for a buddha, bodhisattva, or eminent monk, especially Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai). Used in Buddhist contexts.
Kōbō Daishi is the founder of the Shingon sect.
A statue of the great teacher is enshrined in this temple.
From Chinese 大師 (dàshī), literally 'great teacher'. In Japanese Buddhism, it became a posthumous honorific title for eminent monks, most famously Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai).