The Kanzeon-ji in Dazaifu was begun by Emperor Tenji in 663 AD, but not completed until 746. It was dedicated to the memory of his mother and predecessor, Empress Saimei. Kanzeonji was the most important temple in Kyushu during the Nara and Heian periods, when Dazaifu was the administrative center of Kyushu. The temple's original buildings have long disappeared; the present ones date to the 17th century.