Hase-dera (Nara)

Founded in the late 7th century in Nara Prefecture, Hase Dera is one of the premier temples devoted to Kannon, the Bodisattva of Compassion. It is a temple devoted to the Shingon sect of Buddhism and is the head temple to the Bunzan school of Shingon. It is home to one of the largest wooden Buddhist statues in Japan, a 12 meter tall (about 40 feet) statue of Kannon. Legend has it that a monk came across an exceptionally large tree in the woods and had enough wood not only to make the venerated statue at Hase-dera in Nara, but had enough to carve a second statue wich was tossed into the sea with a prayer for it to resurface where it was needed most. After 15 years, it washed up in Kanagawa Prefecture, just south of Tokyo. A temple, also named Hase-dera, was constructed in the city of Kamakura to house the statue where it resides today.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 9.

I love this temple. Ok, now I feel even better. Hase-dera is temple eye candy for anyone interested in the concept of a hidden beauty. Not too far of a train ride from Abe Monjuin in the city of Sakurai, Hase-dera is a bit of a different beast. For one, it has grandeur. Hase-dera has a full build up as you walk from the station over to the temple. From the station, visitors climb down the fights of stairs through traditonal housing until the creek. From there you follow the creek upstream into a maze of very old town houses and stores that fill your senses with fresh baked treats, incense, and ceremonial trinkets. Before long, you can see the base of the temple and that’s when the beauty of it all finally begins to sink in. Unlike most temples or sites of worship, Hase-dera is not on one level of elevation, rather the entirety of the temple, apart from the main gate, is stretched up and across the hillside, connected only by a series of covered stairways which resemble a great tree with its branches baring the fruit of beautiful temple halls.

Trust me when I say I could go on and on about how visually striking this temple is. But that’s also the thing, the architecture of this temple isn’t anything particularly special or extraordinary, rather it’s all about how the temple moves through the mountainous terrain and embraces its surroundings to become something even more. The view from the main hall’s balcony alone warrants the trip into this countryside town. For greater visual stimulation, please consider visiting in autumn or spring for the cherry blossoms or the changing of colors.

I’ll leave you with this story from the time I was there. I was at Hase-dera just following New Years and the weather was perfect. The air was cold and crisp, the sky was crystal clear, and the smell of wood and incense was intoxicating. I was with my best friend and we were both going on and on about how this temple and its sister temple in Kamakura were able to use elevation to enhance the complex and its deity beyond conventional temple design to elicit a stronger spiritual sense. As we decended the steps to the town below, a perfect light mist of snow began to fall desipite the fairly clear skies above. It was like a moment from a dream or a story which defines a moment of serene bliss. I have been counting the days until I can go back.

 

Honpukuji

Built in 1991, this temple is very different from the vast majority of other entries I have written about so far. The draw for this temple is not the history, the treasures, or even the location really, it's for the architecture. There are many architects that have built inspiring structures around the world, and in Japan arguably the most influential and well known architect is none other than Tadao Ando. This is certainly one of his more curious projects considering what and where this building is. I couldn't find any concrete information as to why Ando-san took on this project, but we are all the more grateful for it. What I did find was that Ando is a Kansai native and many of the projects he works on are in the Kansai area. Considering where the temple is located and what you can see from the hill crest it stands on, it's possible that he worked on this temple because of the view and because he had worked on other projects on Awaji Island. The temple is not the easiest to get to simply because the public transportation to get there is a little clunky, but if you have a car it's very easy to get to. Honpukuji is in the city of Awaji on the Island of Awaji which is just south of Kobe. The temple itself is close to another one of Ando's awe inspiring designs, the Awaji Westin Hotel. The temple is a small part of a slightly larger complex belonging to the Shingon sect.

For the casual: 7. For the educated: 1

Temple? check. Goshuin? check. Great view? check. Designed by world renowned architect Tadao Ando? Wait that's a check too? HOLY COW THAT'S AMAZING!!! That's right folks, for just 400 yen you too can walk inside this amazing modern temple just south of the Westin Awaji Hotel on Awaji Island. And as a bonus, the temple is built underneath a lotus pond which funnels light from the sun into the temple to create a natural halo of light behind the effigies inside! Think it can't get any better? You're wrong! Walk out of the temple and you're faced with a breath-taking view of Osaka Bay!

Ok, to be honest, I love this temple and I love how it is an amazingly beautiful retreat from the world, but I do need to say that it's not a place that I can see many tourists visiting, not because they wouldn't be interested or that the temple has anything less to offer than an inspiring experience, but simply because this temple is not in or really near a major city. Although visitors can see Kobe from the small parking lot, I've been one to experience how painfully isolating Awaji Island can be. The island is not connected by train, the bus system is infrequent on the island since most inhabitants have cars, and the cost to cross the bridge is enough to deter anyone that is only casually curious to visit. So unless the visitor has more than a mild curiousity, then the temple is simply not a practical place to visit. But here's the thing, it is a place to visit. It's an incredible place to visit. Make Honpukuji one of several stops on your trip around Awaji Island. Stop in some resorts for spa relaxation, spend the night or just explore the Awaji Westin Hotel, and visit the farming communities of the island which are home to some of the nicest people I have ever met in my life. So go to Honpukuji and enjoy a beautiful day full of hidden surprises because it's worth crossing that bridge.

 

Mitaki-dera

Nestled in a mountain ravine just west of Hiroshima, Mitaki-dera meaning the Temple of Three Waterfalls, is a temple of the Shingon sect of Buddhism which dates back to the turn of the 9th century C.E. As its name suggests, the temple is built around three small waterfalls which cascade from the mountain tops, through the temple grounds, and make their way into the river system which divides the multiple islands of Hiroshima. The water from these falls are presented in offering during the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony on August 6th to honor those killed in the atomic bombing of the city. The temple is also one of the few buildings in the area to have survived the atomic blast. A two-story pagoda on the temple grounds was donated by a shrine in Wakayama Prefecture and was taken apart piece by piece and reassembled on site in 1951 to honor the souls of those lost in the atomic blast. 

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 10.

There are many reasons to visit this temple but none can really compare to the one reason I love this location over so many others: atmosphere. Getting to the temple from Hiroshima Station is very easy and even the short hike up the hill to the temple from Mitaki station is rather pleasant apart from the incline. As of when I have posted this, I have been to the temple twice, once in late summer/early autumn, and the second shortly following New Years. Both times I have visited I have been swept off my feet with the serenity with which I was embraced. The first time was in the morning after a rather warm weekend. Mitaki-dera is not a temple of buildings, and really I cannot recall how many, what size, and what style of architecture was used in the various small halls of the temple, but what I do remember are the surreal surroundings I found myself in. The temple was cool and damp, the moss covered trees and stones were dripping with the morning, and the soft rush of the falls calmed the mind like waves on a beach. The walls of the ravine close in as you climb, but there is always this wondrous sense of breath about the space. The temple grounds are filled with a variety of effigies from statues newly erected to carvings on the faces of great boulders which are barely distinguished from the encroaching moss. The second time I visited was also in the morning following a rain, but a thick fog refused to leave the valley. These statues took on a new and arcane life of their own as they slipped into and out of sight in the passing mist. My friend and I were greeted with the sudden ringing of the temple bell as another unseen visitor announced their arrival just up ahead. All in all, the temple was something out of a book, a fantasy novel where despite being only meters away from houses and busy streets, we had stumbled on something completely divided. It carried the years in plain sight but it never seemed like it was burdened with it, but rather had let the years shape it and mold it into something amazing. If what I've written doesn't inspire you to visit then nothing else will, but I can say that although each experience is unique, each one will take you to a different world that is not necessarily that of the divine, but more like one which translates an intersection where ripples of humanity and nature are the most harmonious. 

 

Abe Monjuin

Abe Monjuin is a temple at the southern end of Nara prefecture before the mountains of Wakayama prefecture. Founded in the 7th century, it is claimed to be one of the oldest temples in Japan. The temple is home to Monju Bosatsu, the Buddha of Wisdom, which is depicted as a wooden carving of the Buddha sitting atop the back of a great lion. With a sword in hand, Monju cuts through the ignorance in the world.

In addition to the temple's natural prominance as a premier temple of ancient Japan, Abe Monjuin is also the birthplace of famed figure Abe no Seimei, an onmyoji of the Imperial Court. Onmyoji were spiritual advisers that interpreted divinations, advised in spiritual counceling, and used wards and enchantments to ward off evil spirits. Abe no Seimei was exceedingly skilled in his duties that his family, the Abe, would be tasked with the Bureau of Onmyo until it was disbanded in the Meiji Restoration of the 19th century. Abe no Seimei quickly became a legend following his death and many of his deeds were embellished with spiritual overtones. For example, it was said that his affinity for divination was due to his mother, a fox whom his father had saved from a hunt and in tern she turned into a human and bore him a son. This means that Seimei was part yokai, or part mystic beast if you will, and therefore was also skilled at controling other yokai to do his bidding. Likely none of this is true, but the niche that Abe no Seimei occupies is the legends of Japan means that Abe Monjuin is a temple of divine and auspicious association.

For the casual: 4. For the educated: 8.

Abe Monjuin is a beautiful temple in southern Nara, but that's not why I rated this temple lowly for casual visitors. The temple takes some time to get to considering how far you need to travel if you're planning on visiting from somewhere like Osaka or Kyoto. With all that distance traveled, the temple really needs to have a serious visual draw to make it worth it all, but it doesn't. Abe Monjuin is far more suited to those that want to tap into the auspicious luck that the temple draws, or those who are familiar with the legends that surround the temple itself.

That being said, I don't want to snub the beauty of the temple or the images inside. The temple is small, but a hexagonal pavilion in the middle of a pond offers visitors a fairly beautiful sight. The pavilion is meant to be a center for divination, dividing the universe into its auspicious directions and the like. Inside the pavilion are some treasures of the temple on display as well as an altar to Abe no Seimei. The Hondo hall of the temple is home to the massive statue of Monju that I mentioned earlier. It was taller than I had expected and also far more beautiful. Photos of the statues are available online, but photographs indoors are prohibited. I do recommend visiting this temple for anyone who is willing to make the trip or is in the area, regardless of how I ranked the temple.

Hexagonal Pavilion in the lake.

Happy Year of the Dog with the complex in the background.