Hasedera Temple, Peonies

The information about Hasedera Temple is presented here. Hasedera Temple is a famous place for flowers and has been called “Hana-no-Mitera (Flower Temple)” since ancient times, and is mentioned in “Makura no Soshi (by Sei Shonagon)”, “Genji Monogatari (by Murasaki Shikibu)”, and “Sarashina Nikki (by Sugawara Takanashi)” . Hasedera Temple is well known as a famous place for peonies (botan) among flowers, and about 7,000 peonies of 150 species are usually at their best from late April to early May. By the way, Hasedera Temple is also called “Hase-no-Botan” or “Botan-no-Hasedera”.

• Temple Location Map ＆ Directions
• Temple History
• Temple Highlights

【Hasedera Temple Location Map ＆ Directions】

Address: 731-1 Hatsuse, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture, Japan
Access (How to get there): Kinteysu Hasedera Station (about 15 minutes on foot)

【Opening Hours ＆ Closed (confirmation required)】

Opening Hours: 8:30-17:00 (April-September), 9:00～17:00 (October-November, March), 9:00-16:30 (December-February)
Closed: open year round

【Entrance Fees ＆ Tickets (confirmation required)】

Individual: Adults, High School and Junior High School Students 500 yen, Elementary School Students 250 yen

【Hasedera Temple History】

Hasedera Temple is said to have been founded in 686 when the monk Domyo enshrined the bronze plate of the Doban Hokke Seso-zu (Senbutsu Taho Buto) of the 40th Emperor Tenmu in the Nishi-no-oka (Hon Hasedera Temple). It is said that Domyo cast the bronze plate of the Doban Hokke Seso-zu for Emperor Tenmu to recover from his illness. The bronze plate of the Doban Hokke Seso-zu is 83.3 cm long and 74.2 cm wide, and depicts the scene of Hokkekyo Kenhotohon, where Sanjyu-no-To (three-story pagoda) springs from the ground and a thousand Buddhas gather like clouds to praise the teachings of Shaka, the founder of Buddhism. In 727, by order of the 45th Emperor Shomu, the monk Tokudo carved an 8.6-meter-high statue of Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon) from holy wood flown from Takashima in Omi (Shiga) and housed it on the Higashi-no-oka (present-day Hondo) for the benefit of sentient beings.
Tokudo is said to have founded Saigoku Sanjusansho Kannon Reijo in 718 after receiving a message from Enma Daio. Initially, Hasedera Temple was originally a branch temple of Todai-ji Temple, the main temple of the Kegon sect. In 847, Hasedera Temple was listed as a Jogakuji temple, and in 858, the Sango, a priesthood of Joza, Jishu, and Tsuina, was established to oversee the monks. In 870, it was decreed that Betto and Sango would be subject to the appointment and dismissal of the Dajokan and would be placed under the control of the Imperial Court (Dajokan). It is said that Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon) and other objects were destroyed by fire in 944. It is said that Fujiwara no Michinaga, visited Hasedera Temple in 1024. It is said that Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon) was destroyed by fire in 1052, and Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon) and other statues were rebuilt and the temple complex was rebuilt in 1054. It is said to have been destroyed by fire in 1094 and rebuilt in 1131. After the middle of the Heian period (794-1185), it was worshipped as one of Saigoku Sanjusansho Kannon Reijo. After the middle of the Heian period, it became the branch temple of Kofuku-ji Temple, the main temple of the Hosso sect. It is said that Hasedera Temple was destroyed by fire in 1219 and rebuilt in 1226. It is said that Hasedera Temple was destroyed by fire in 1280 and rebuilt in 1281. In 1495, Hasedera Temple was destroyed by fire by the members of the Kofuku-ji Temple, and was rebuilt in 1498. Hasedera Temple was destroyed by fire in 1536 and rebuilt in 1538.
Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon) was burned down seven times by 1536, and in 1538, Jisei Ryokaku, the Buddhist sculptor of Todai-ji Temple’s Bussho-in Temple, carved the current (8th generation) statue of Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon), which is over 10 meters tall. In 1588, Hondo was rebuilt with the help of Toyotomi Hidenaga, the younger brother of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Around this time, Senyo, the head of Negoro-dera Temple, who had been expelled from Negoro-dera Temple by Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Negoro-zeme, entered Hase-dera Temple at the invitation of Toyotomi Hidenaga, and became the Buzan School of the Shingon sect. In 1650, Hondo was rebuilt by a donation from Tokugawa Iemitsu, the 3rd shogun of the Edo Shogunate, and in 1667, Honbo was built with a donation from Tokugawa Ietsuna, the 4th shogun of the Edo Shogunate. In 1911, Honbo was destroyed by fire, leaving only Omote-mon gate, and Honbo was rebuilt in 1924.
*reference・・・Hasedera Temple website

【Hasedera Temple Highlights (May be undisclosed)】

★Hondo (Main Hall, 本堂, National Treasure) was rebuilt in 1650 with a donation from Tokugawa Iemitsu, the 3rd shogun of the Edo shogunate. Hondo is divided into Shodo, Ai-no-ma, and Raido, and Shodo houses the statue of the Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon), which is over 10 meters tall. Hondo is located on a mountainside and is said to be either kake-zukuri or butai-zukuri in architectural style.
★Nio-mon (Nio-mon Gate, 仁王門, Important Cultural Property) was rebuilt in 1894. Nio-mon houses the statue of Nio (Kongorikishi) on both sides, and the statues of Shaka Sanson and Juroka Rakan on the upper part.
★Noboriro (登廊, Important Cultural Property) is divided into Shimo-Noboriro, Naka-Noboriro, and Kami-Noboriro, with Tsunagiya connecting Shimo-Noboriro and Naka-Noboriro, and Zaodo connecting Naka-Noboriro and Kami-Noboriro. Noboriro was rebuilt in 1650. In 1882, Shimo-Noboriro, Tsunagiya and Naka-Noboriro were destroyed by fire, and were rebuilt in 1894.
長谷寺見どころ (Hasedera Temple Highlights)

【Events (confirmation required)】

★Dadaoshi (だだおし) is held every year on February 14th. Dadaoshi is the final event of the Shuni-e. At Dadaoshi, taiko (drum) and horagai (conch shell) are sounded, and red, blue, and green demons accompanied by oh-taimatsu (giant torch) go on a rampage, and the monk drives them away with horiki (the power of Buddhism) and goofuda. By the way, oh-taimatsu (giant torch) is said to be about 4.5 meters long and weigh about 120 kilograms. At Hasedera Temple, Shuni-e, keka-hoyou (memorial service) for Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon), is held every year for seven days from February 8th to February 14th.
★Setsubun-e and Daikokuten-sai (節分会・大黒天祭) are held every year on Setsubun (the day before Risshun). At Setsubun-e, a Buddhist memorial service is held to pray for good health and to ward off bad luck. At Setsubun-e, mame-maki (bean throwing) is held in Hondo by fuku-musume (lucky girl) and fuku-otoko (lucky man). At Daikokuten-sai, a memorial service is held for Daikokuten, who gives wealth to people equally.

【Flower Calendar (cherry blossoms, etc )】

★The best time to see cherry blossoms (桜) is from late March to mid-April. About 1,000 cherry trees are planted, including Somei Yoshino, Yama-zakura, weeping cherry, red weeping cherry, Kanpi-zakura, Oshima-zakura, Kawadu-zakura and Hatsuse-zakura, and the scenery of the cherry trees, Hondo and other temple buildings is said to be beautiful. Visitors can view the cherry trees from the stage of Hondo.
★The best time to see peonies (牡丹) is from late April to early May. About 7,000 peonies of about 150 species bloom around Noboriro leading from Nio-mon Gate to Hondo, and the scenery of peonies and Noboriro is said to be beautiful. Botan-matsuri (Peony Festival) is held when the peonies are at their best, and events such as a Botan-kenkasai (Botan Flower Offering Ceremony), Botan-chakai (Botan Tea Ceremony), and others are held.
★The best time to see hydrangeas (紫陽花) is from mid-June to mid-July. About 3,000 hydrangeas of 10 species are planted along the stone steps of Arashi-no-saka (slope) leading from Nio-mon Gate, along the stone steps from Hondo to Kaizando, and around the Gojyu-no-to (Five-story Pagoda), blooming with purple and pink flowers.
★The best time to see autumn leaves (紅葉) is from mid-November to early December. Maple trees, ginkgo, cherry trees and other trees are distributed, and the scenery of autumn leaves, Hondo and Gojyu-no-to (Five-story Pagoda) is said to be beautiful. From the stage of Hondo, visitors can view autumn leaves, and is said to be reminiscent of Gokuraku Jodo. Hasedera Momiji-matsuri (Maple Festival) is held when the autumn leaves are at their best.
(The best time to see the plants depends on the climate of the year.)

【Telephone (Please refrain from making phone calls.)】

Tel: +81-744-47-7001

【Recommended Walking Route】

The recommended walking route from Hasedera Temple is to walk to Yoki Tenman Shrine, which is associated with Hasedera Temple. Since there are few tourist spots around Hasedera Temple, you may want to go to the next tourist spot and explore the surrounding area.

【Remarks（access, parking, disclaimer, etc）】
If you plan to visit Hasedera Temple, be sure to check the latest information.