Hasedera (Hase Temple; the kanji character 寺 has two pronunciations, -dera/tera and -ji. Both mean the same thing, temple), is a temple of the Jodō-shū or Pure Land sect of Buddhism. The temple is believed to have been founded as between 729 and 749 A.D. during the Tenpyō Era. The temple came into prominence during the Minamoto Shogunate and Hojo Regency (1192 - 1333 A.D.)
According to the temple history, the foundation of temple is actually found in the city of Nara, where in 721 A.D. a Buddhist monk carved a statue of Kannon, the Japanese Bodhisattva of Mercy. The statue (with 11 heads, representing the 11 phases of enlightenment) was carved from a camphor tree and even at its length of 9.18 m/30.1 ft, there was still enough wood in the tree to carve a second statue. One statue, gilded with gold, was kept at Hasedera in Nara; the other was put out to sea.
As it happened, the second statue washed up at nearby Miura beach, where it was taken by the locals. The Hasedera was founded to enshrine the statue.
The temples is said to be known for its hydrangeas, which bloom in June and July.
Such a beautiful place.
ReplyDeleteEd, we visited four major temples during our day in Kamakura. This was one of my two favorites; certainly the most colourful.
DeleteAh, running water.....nice to hear, temple grounds are so well organized TB. And more not-brown colors!!
ReplyDeleteNylon12, water can often play much more of a role than I often expect in traditional Japanese gardens.
DeleteTraditionally - as laid out in the Sakuteiki, the 10th Century manual on Japanese gardens (and the earliest such text in Japan), gardens are meant to be small reminders of larger landscapes: thus the ponds become lakes or seas, the streams become rivers.