Hase-dera (Kamakura)

October 13, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Hase-dera is a beautiful temple built on the hillside of Kamakura, and it is considered one of the most important temples in Kamakura let alone Japan. Within its main hall, Hase-dera houses a 30 foot gilt wood statue of the Compassion Bodhisattva, Kannon. The story goes that in the 8th century, a famous monk of the time was walking through the woods looking for a proper tree to make a statue of Kannon out of. He came across a tree so big that he would be able to commission two statues. The first statue was made of the lower half of the tree (the smaller of the two) and was kept in Hase-dera in Nara (about an hour and a half south of Kyoto), while the second statue from the upper half was tossed into the sea with a prayer that it would return to shore where and when the people needed its help most. Several decades later, the second statue washed up on shore not far from Kamakura, radiating light. And so, a second Hase-dera was constructed to house the second of these sacred Kannon statues.

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

Hase-dera is a temple of delights. Bamboo groves, a small cave to Benzaiten, koi ponds, and a hillside trail full of flowers, Hase-dera is a visual wonderland. The statue of Kannon is awe inspiring and the view of the ocean matches the status of the temple. Though often crowded with tourists, it is a great place to spend time and enjoy the beauty of land and of buildings.

"KAMAKURA HASEDERA." KAMAKURA HASEDERA. Accessed October 12, 2015. http://www.hasedera.jp/en/about/.

Jojuin

October 12, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Jojuin is a temple to Fudo Myô which sits atop a mountain pass connecting Gokurakuji to the city of Kamakura.

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

The selling point of this temple is the view with a remarkable view of the Kamarkura coastline. Be sure to check out the view even if you are not interested in the temple. To get there, take the local train to the Gokurakuji station and then follow the street up the hill towards Kamakura. On the right side of the street will be a path going up the hill. This path will take you to the temple before beginning to drop in elevation to give the best view of the coastline.

Gokurakuji

October 12, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Gokurakuji is a small temple in the mountains just outside of Kamakura proper. It is famous for being the residence of retired Hôjô Deputy Regent Lord, Shigetoki. While he was there, Shigetoki worked to find enlightenment at the temple while leaving behind valuable information to his descendants. He wrote two letters, the more notable being the Gokurakuji Letter which is one of the earliest written examples of bushidô, or the Way of the Warrior, as it pertains to how warriors should act in positions of authority.

For the casual: 4. For the educated: 7.

Gokurakuji is not a looker. It is small with a linear orientation. Though the grounds are tended to beautifully, the temple cannot afford the landscaping to really distinguish it as a lavish location. Gokurakuji's importance stems from the high ranking warrior who lived there. At a first glace, it’s clear that the temple was built specifically for a less than extravagant lifestyle but was still close enough to the city that Shigetoki could make his way back incase he was needed.

Rinnôji

October 08, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Rinnôji is a major temple complex in Nikko, a town in the mountains a few hours to the north of Tokyo. As I mentioned in the Introduction to Temples page, Rinnôji is home to the Buddhist embodiments of the local deities of Nikko (be sure to see Nikko Futarasan Jinja for the local deities). In this case, the local deities of Nikko are the three great mountains which surround the area and are enshrined not too far away. Rinnôji is home to several different halls to various Buddhist figures including Amida Buddha, Fudo Myô, Shakyamuni Buddha (the Historical Buddha), and several others. Though these halls are spread throughout the greater Nikko Tôshôgû complex, I will be focusing this post on the main buildings on the south side of the shrine. If you're interested in collecting Goshuin, many of these halls have their own seals for collecting.

For the casual: 9. To the educated: 9.

Rinnôji is spread out around Nikko Tôshôgû which can make it a little confusing from time to time as to which hall is part of the temple and which is part of the shrine. The reason for this confusion has to do with the larger history of both belief systems in Japan sharing the same buildings and complexes, but the Meiji Restoration in 1868 made a great many changes including the separation of Buddhism and Shinto causing many of the larger complexes to split into individual halls. The center of the temple is the the Sanbutsudo, a massive red building housing the three Budhist incarnations I mentioned above. The Sanbutsudo is the heart of the temple complex is where visitors will be able to see not only the three main Buddhas, but also the venerated images of past monks and divine beings. A hallway near the exit has a series of small statues, each one is the divine guardian based on the Chinese zodiac. For example, if you’re like me and born in the year of the rooster, your guardian deity is the fiercesome Fudo Myô. This is an amazing temple complex, and make sure to go to the Fudo Myô Hall behind the Sanbutsudo to see priests perform a goma, rituals with a bonfire.

Other halls that are apart of this complex are the Hall of the Roaring Dragon, also called the Yakushido, in the Tôshôgû complex, and Taiyûinbyô to the west.