Hase Temple is a temple of the Jodo sect, that is most famous for its statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy. The statue shows Kannon with eleven heads, each representing a characteristic of the goddess. The 9.18 meter tall, gilded wooden statue is regarded as the largest wooden sculpture in Japan, and can be viewed in the temple's main building.Visitors to Hase Temple can enjoy a great view of the coastal city of Kamakura from the terrace next to the temple's main buildings. There is also a small restaurant where Japanese sweets such as mitarashi dango, small rice flour dumplings covered with a sticky sauce made of sugar and soya sauce, other small meals and beverages are served.
How to get there
Hase Temple is located a 5 minute walk from the Enoden Railway Hase Station, the third station from Kamakura main station. The Enoden is a streetcar-like train that connects Kamakura with Enoshima and Fujisawa. Its terminal station in Kamakura is located just west of JR Kamakura Station.
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History
The Kannon statue at Hasedera was made from a single piece of camphor wood in the 8th century. It has quite a legend attached to it, which also explains the "Hase" part of the name. According to the legend, two images were made from the wood of a huge camphor tree. One of the images was kept in Hase (near Nara), while the other was given a short ceremony and then tossed into the sea to find a home of its own.
The image drifted for 300 miles and washed up on shore. However, it was thrown back in again because everyone who touched it became ill or incurred bad luck. Finally, the image reached Kamakura, where it gave the people no trouble. This was interpreted as a sign that the image was content with its surroundings, and Hase Kannon Temple was erected at its present site to give it a permanent home.
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