Hase-dera (Kamakura)
The Hase-dera ( Japanese 長 谷 寺 ), formerly called Kaikōzan Jishōin Hase-dera ( Japanese 海 光山 慈 照 院長 谷 寺 ), is one of the great Buddhist temples in Kamakura . The temple is known for its solid wood Kannon statue called the Rabbit Kannon ( 長 谷 観 音 ) and the temple is also portrayed. In the traditional counting, it is the 4th of the 33 temples on the Bandō Sanjūsankasho pilgrimage route , which is dedicated to Kannon , the goddess of mercy. Originally it belonged to Tendai-shū , but is now a temple of Jōdo-shū .
Kannon statue
The Kannon statue of Hase-dera is the largest wooden Kannon statue in Japan with a height of 9.18 m. It was carved from solid camphor wood and decorated with gold plating. The 11 heads represent the different stages in the search for enlightenment. The statue is also known as the Hase-Kannon.
The statue is unique in that it holds a metal stick in its right hand and a vase with a lotus flower in its left hand.
According to legend, this Kannon is one of two statues carved by a monk named Tokudo in 721. The tree trunk is said to have been so big that it was decided to make two statues out of it. A statue was placed in the Hase-dera in Nara , in what was then the province of Yamato . The other was allowed to drift into the open sea. She should find a place on her own with which her karma was connected. The statue was washed up on June 18, in the 8th year Tempyō (736) in Nagai on the Miura Peninsula near Kamakura. The statue was recovered and brought to Kamakura. This is where the Hase-dera temple was built and the statue was embedded.
In the first year of Koei (1342) Ashikaga Takauji is said to have added the gold applications. In the third year of Meitoku (1392) Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is said to have added the saint wreath.
Temple grounds
The Hase-dera is built on a mountain slope. The buildings are on two levels on the slope. From the upper level there is a good view over the bay of Kamakura.
On the lowest level is the entrance, the wooden gate ( Sanmon ) of which is adorned by a huge lantern. Immediately behind the entrance is a pond, behind which the stairs to the second level start. To the right of the pond is the Benten-kutsu grotto and the Benten-dō . Both are dedicated to the deity Benzaiten (Benten), the goddess of the sea and the only female deity in the canon of the seven gods of luck from Japanese mythology. In the grotto there are many small figures of the Benten as offerings.
There is an Inari shrine on the way up to the second level . Here you can also find the Jizō-dō and hundreds of small Jizō statues. In the past, they were set up by parents. Jizō is the protective deity of children. He should watch over the offspring. Nowadays the statues are of parents who have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Jizō is supposed to watch over the souls of the deceased children. The statues remain in place for a year. They are then buried or cremated to make way for new statues. Over 50,000 figures have been erected since World War II.
The main building of the temple, the Kannon- do, is on the upper level . The statue of Kannon is also located here. To the right of it is the Amida-dō , a hall in which there is an Amida statue. The hall was built by Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–99) on his forty-second birthday (the year is considered the unlucky year for men). To the left of the Kannon- do is the Hōmotsukan , a museum. Here finds can be viewed that were found during the restoration of the temple. A little to the left of it you will find a small bamboo grove and the Kyōzō . It is a rotating wooden shelf (called a rinzo) in which the sutras of the temple are kept. It is said that turning the kyōzō has the same effect as reading the sutras.
Right next to it is a small restaurant with a terrace, the Chōon-tei , from which you have a good view over the Bay of Kamakura. A small tour of the mountainside starts from the top level. Hydrangeas bloom here in June and July.
Place of pilgrimage
The Hase-dera of Kamakura belongs to the Bandō Sanjūsankasho, a pilgrimage dedicated to the goddess Kannon. The pilgrimage consists of 33 temples. The Hasedera is the 4th temple in the list.
photos
Kannon-do for the cherry blossom
Jizō statues
Plaques in Hasedera
View over Kamakura Bay
Location and accessibility
Hasedera is located in the southwest of Kamakura near the Hase train station on the Enoshima-Dentetsu line . It is about 500 meters from the Kōtoku-in temple , where the Daibutsu (the great Buddha statue) of Kamakura can be found.
The address is: 3-11-2 Hase, Kamakura-shi, Kanagawa-ken, 248-0018, Japan.
The temple grounds are open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (from October to February only until 4:30 p.m.).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c English tourist information from Hasedera
- ↑ http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/kamakura-hasedera
- ↑ http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/kannon-pilgrim-kamakura.shtml
Coordinates: 35 ° 18 '44.9 " N , 139 ° 31' 58.8" E