Name: Hasedera Temple
Address: 731-1 Hase, Sakurai, Nara, Nara
Telephone: 0744-47-7001

Photo: Masayoshi Hirose / JT

Hasedera Temple, not to be confused with Kamakura’s temple of the same name, is located southeast of Nara City and renowned for its alluring scenery. The temple was built in 686 and, today, is the main temple of the Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism. The sprawling complex of more than 30 buildings decorates the mountainside of northern Nara and is complemented year-round by natural beauty. In fact, Hasedera’s display of stunning flowers and foliage have earned it the nickname the Temple of Flowers. Spend hours strolling through the expansive complex and immerse yourself in the healing qualities of nature and tradition.

Overview

Address

731-1 Hase, Sakurai, Nara (Map) (Directions)

Hours

8:30 - 17:00 Closed now

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30 - 17:00

Tuesday 8:30 - 17:00

Wednesday 8:30 - 17:00

Thursday 8:30 - 17:00

Friday 8:30 - 17:00

Saturday 8:30 - 17:00

Sunday 8:30 - 17:00

Holidays 8:30 - 17:00

Price

¥500

Phone Number

0744-47-7001

Website

hasedera.or.jp

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Highlights

Staircase Corridor

Just beyond Niomon Gate is the Staircase Corridor. Follow the 200-meter long, nearly 400-step staircase up to Hasedera’s main hall at the top of the mountain. The ancient steps are covered by a wooden roof and decorated by stone lanterns, all of which blend harmoniously with the surrounding scenery. Famously, from mid-April to early May, the staircase is flanked by thousands of multicolored peonies.

Jeanne Austry / JT

Main Hall

Without a doubt, the temple’s most visited building is the main hall. This huge, traditionally designed hall epitomizes serenity with a facade that overlooks the lush mountainside. Stand on the main hall’s front wooden deck and observe gardens, a five story pagoda, libraries, living quarters for monks, and even the monks themselves walking among the temple buildings. Take a moment to breathe in the fresh mountain air. You may even be fortunate enough to hear chanting priests on the passing breeze.

Tomoko Kamishima / JT

Eleven-Faced Kannon Statue

The main hall also holds the temple’s principal object of worship—an eleven-faced Kannon statue. Standing at 12 meters tall, it is one of the largest wooden statues of the Goddess of Mercy in Japan. In the early-8th century, a monk is said to have carved two identical statues from a sacred camphor tree near Hase Village. One statue was enshrined at Nara, while the other was cast into the ocean to bring good fortune to people elsewhere. This second statue washed ashore in Kamakura and is now housed in that city’s Hasedera Temple. Visitors are permitted to touch Nara’s Kannon statue in spring and autumn.

Jeanne Austry / JT

Flowers

The ethereal ambience of Hasedera’s traditional grounds are made more remarkable by the everpresent natural beauty. In spring and summer the grounds blossom with peonies, cherry blossoms, rhododendrons, and hydrangea. Then in autumn, the surrounding foliage turns vibrant red, creating an equally beautiful scene.