Hōki-in
| Hōki-in | |
|---|---|
法起院 | |
Hōki-in Hondo | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Buddhist |
| Deity | Tokudo Shonin |
| Rite | Shingon-shū Buzan-ha |
| Status | functional |
| Location | |
| Location | 776 Hatsuse, Sakurai-shi, Nara-ken, 633-0112 |
Shown within Nara Prefecture Hōki-in (Japan) | |
| Coordinates | 34°31′58.15″N 135°54′35.49″E / 34.5328194°N 135.9098583°E |
| Architecture | |
| Founder | c.Tokudo Shonin |
| Completed | c.735 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Hōki-in (法起院) is a Buddhist temple located in the Hatsuse neighborhood of the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It belongs to the Shingon-shū Buzan-ha sect of Japanese Buddhism and its honzon (primary image) is a statue of Tokudo Shōnin. The temple's full name is Hase-dera Kaisan-bō Hōki-in (長谷寺 開山坊 法起院). The temple is a "bangai" (supernumerary) temple located between the 7th and 8th stops on the 33 temple Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage route.[1][2][3][4]
History
Hōki-in is a sub-temple of Hase-dera. While the circumstances surrounding the founding of the temple are uncertain, according to temple legend, it was founded in 735, when the priest Tokudo Shonin, who founded the Saigoku Pilgrimage, built a thatched hut on this site. Tokudo lived in seclusion at the temple in his later years and, at the end of his life, climbed a pine tree within the temple grounds and passed away as a Bosatsu in its branches.[5]
In 1695, during the early Edo period, the priest Eigaku, head priest of Hase-dera, rebuilt Hōki-in and designated it as the Kaisan-dō (Founder's Hall) of Hase-dera.
Temple layout
Within the temple grounds is the Shonin Gomyo thirteen-story stone pagoda, said to be Tokudo's grave.[5] The temple's main hall faces north, which is unusual for a Buddhist temple in Japan. This is because it was positioned to face the Juichimen Kannon, the principal image of Hase-dera.
Across the Hatsuse River is a Shinto shrine, the Yoki Tenman Jinja which was once the guardian shrine of Hase-dera.
Images of the temple
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Sanmon
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Thirteen-story pagoda, grave of Tokudo
Access
The temple is approximately a 20-minute walk from Hasedera Station on the Kintetsu Osaka Line, or a three-minute walk from Hase-dera.
References
- ^ Kodansha editorial staff (2008). 西国三十三所札所会. Kodansha. ISBN 978-4062147477.
- ^ Tetsutaro Gosou (2017). 西国巡礼ー三十三所の歴史と現代の意義. Denki Joho-sha. ISBN 4924513105.
- ^ Akira Nagata (2015). 西国三十三所めぐり. JTB Publishing. ISBN 4533107222.
- ^ Saikoku Fuda-sho Association (1987). 西国三十三所観音巡礼: 法話と札所案内. Toki Shobo. ISBN 4886020909.
- ^ a b "法起院｜まちめぐり｜泊瀬門前町再興フォーラム". web1.kcn.jp. Retrieved 2025-10-11.
External links
Media related to Hokiin at Wikimedia Commons
- Official home page(in Japanese)