With a sea of white, pink and burgundy cosmos, and a number of other flowers filling its quiet and spacious grounds throughout the year, Hannyaji Temple is a welcome and glorious retreat from the crowds of Nara Park.
Hannyaji Temple’s exact date of founding is uncertain, but archeological evidence uncovered in the area and passages in the temple legend suggest that it was founded in the year 629, 81 years before Nara was established as Japan’s first capital! According to temple legend, Hannyaji Temple was founded by a Korean monk named Enki who enshrined a statue of the Monju Bosatsu, the Buddha of Wisdom, within the temple’s main hall. In 735 Emperor Shomu, the Emperor who commissioned the construction of Todaiji Temple and the statue of the Great Buddha, ordered the construction of a 13-story stone pagoda at Hannyaji Temple to protect Nara’s Heijo Palace from negative influences from the northeast. After being destroyed by a fire, Hannyaji was reconstructed during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) and a monk from Saidaiji Temple (the brother temple to Todaiji Temple) promoted it to provide a route for the common people to achieve Buddhist enlightenment. The 13-story stone pagoda at Hannyaji Temple today was installed during this time, (in 1253) and is one of the largest of its kind in Japan.
Besides the 13-story stone pagoda, 3 other structures and statues date from the Kamakura period, including the graceful Koromon Gate and the Sanskrit inscribed Kasatoba pillars. In addition to these statues and structures, there are many other bas-relief pieces and beautiful stone figures throughout the grounds, but the greatest draw of all are the upward of 10,000 cosmos flowers that bloom from June to November, and the myriad of other blooms that grow throughout the rest of the year. A “Light-up” event in October sees Hannyaji Temple’s grounds, pagoda and surrounding cosmos lit up with spotlights and lanterns, while piano and string music is played to enhance the atmosphere. The beautiful environment and the easy 10-minute bus ride on the Aoyama Jyutaku Route from Kintetsu Nara Station make Hannyaji Temple a fun and tranquil escape.
Works consulted:
https://www.odigo.travel/spots/5622ecc569702d7c74680300-hannya-ji-temple
http://narashikanko.or.jp/en/spots/kan_spot_data/e_si54.html
http://www.taleofgenji.org/hannyaji.html
http://narashikanko.or.jp/spot/index.php?m=d&id=46&ky=&ar=&th=&ca1=&ca2=&ca3=&ca4=&ca5=&ca6=&ca7=&ca8=&ca9=&ca10=&ca11=&ca12=&ca13=&ca14=&ca15=&sum=&det=&vi=&submitbtn=1&submitflag=1&count_ca=
http://penjp.com/10kansai/hannyaji.html (Japanese)