Hakuho-ji Temple

Overview

Hakuho-ji Temple stands in a scenic location on the slopes of Takamadoyama, south of Kasuga Mountain, in the southeastern part of Nara city, offering panoramic views of the Nara Basin. While the temple name appears in historical records from the Kamakura period onward, its origins remain unclear. Tradition holds that a mountain villa of Prince Shiki belonged on the site during the Wadō period (708-715) of the Nara era. A Man'yoshu (Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves) stone monument inscribed with one of Prince Shiki's poems stands on the grounds. According to the Sugawara-hon *Shoji Engishi* (Collection of Temple and Shrine Origins), Hakuho-ji was a sub-temple of Ganbu-ji Temple, which was founded by Kinso (754-827), a Sanron Buddhist monk who was Kūkai's teacher. According to the *Nanto Hakuho-ji Issai-kyo Engi* (History of the Complete Sutras of Nanto Hakuho-ji Temple) (1335), the temple was revived by Eizon (1201-1290), the founder of Shingon-ritsu Buddhism. Eizon is known for reviving Saidai-ji Temple in Nara and many other temples, as well as his extensive social work. The same history states that Docho, the second successor in reviving the temple, had the complete sutras brought in 1261 and built a sutra repository to house them the following year. A postscript on a sutra scroll from 1220 remaining at Kosho-ji Temple reads "Within the Complete Sutras of Hakuho-ji Temple," marking the earliest historical appearance of "Hakuho-ji." Hakuho-ji possesses a collection of extant Kamakura-period Buddhist statues, including the principal image of Amitabha Tathagata and the statues of Emma-o (King Yama) and his attendants (Daizan-o, Shimei, and Shiroku) housed in the Emma-do hall. Hakuho-ji Temple has been cherished by people for generations and provides a peaceful sanctuary for those seeking tranquility and beauty.