Hase-dera

photo by Fumihiko Ueno · CC BY 3.0

photo by jetsun · CC BY-SA 3.0

The Kannon statue, 9.18 metres tall, is the largest wooden sculpture in Japan.

The Kannon hall houses a gilded, eleven-headed statue 9.18 metres tall: the largest wooden Buddhist sculpture in Japan. From the viewpoint next to the hall you can see the Kamakura coast and, on clear days, the open sea. From late May to late June the hydrangea path lights up with more than 2,500 plants of 40 different varieties, one of the most photographed routes in the city.

Founded, according to tradition, in 736; its official name is Kaikōzan Jishō-in Hase-dera. Legend has it that the eleven-headed Kannon statue was carved from a single camphor trunk together with a twin, then thrown into the sea, and resurfaced here years later.

ℹ️ Open 8:00–16:30 (8:00–17:00 from April to June). Tickets 400 yen for adults, 200 yen for children. The hydrangea path often requires online booking in the peak period, to limit queues.

🚉 Hase · 6 min walk

Sources: hasedera.jp · serai.jp · arukikata.co.jp · miurahantou.jp

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