Exploring Japanese Landmarks in Nishiki-e and Photographs

Hase Temple

A temple located in Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture. People have long considered here a sacred site of mountain asceticism. Since the Heian period, aristocrats have worshipped here as a sacred site of the Kannon (Goddess of Mercy). Through the Middle Ages, the faith shifted from aristocrats to warriors and merchants, and in the Muromachi period, it became popular for common people to pilgrimage here. It is also famous for its peonies and cherry blossoms, and is known as the "Temple of Flowers".