Kaikōzan Hase-dera

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The main building of the Hase-dera
The main building of the Hase-dera
Statues of Jizo at Hase-dera
Statues of Jizo at Hase-dera

Kaikōzan Hase-dera (海光山長谷寺) is one of the great Buddhist temples in the city of Kamakura in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, famous for housing a massive wooden statue of Kannon.

The statue is the largest wooden statue in Japan, standing at 9.18 m tall, and is made from camphor wood and gilded in gold. It has 11 heads, each of which represents a different one of Kannon's characteristics.

According to legend, the statue is one of two images of Kannon carved by a monk in 721. One was enshrined in the Hasedera in Yamato Province, while the other was set adrift in the sea to find the place that it had a karmic connection with. It washed ashore in Kamakura.

The temple also commands an impressive view over Kamakura’s bay.

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