Kaian-ji Temple was famous during the Edo period as the finest place for viewing momiji (maple leaves). During late autumn, it would appear as if the whole of the temple garden was covered with embroidered brocade, and so none of the visitors failed to be enthralled by the sheer beauty of the spectacle. Legend has it that the principal image of Kaian-ji Temple was a Kannon (goddess of mercy) that came from the belly of a shark swimming in the sea off Shinagawa, and this is how Samezu in Shinagawa Ward got its name.