Hase-Dera (長谷寺)

I'll talk today of a temple very particular for me, the Hase-dera Temple! It's my favorit temple in Japan. It's located in the beautiful city of Kamakura, which is not far from Tokyo by train (my boyfriend live in Kamakura! :D). The legend of this temple said: The monk Tokudo Shonin discovered a large camphor in 721 in the forest near the village of Hase. He realized that the trunk was so large that it allowed to carve two statues of Kannon (she is a goddess) with eight heads. One of them was integrated into the Hase-dera temple in Sakurai, in Nara Prefecture. The other was thrown into the sea, a prayer vowing that the statue reappears to save the people. Fifteen years later, in 736, the statue ran aground on the beach of Nagai, near of Kamakura. The statue was taken to Kamakura, where a temple was built for honor Kannon.
I strongly advice you to go to the temple in June for the flowering of hydrangeas (あじさい), this is absolutely beautiful! It's become my favorite flower after visiting of this temple xD
The photos were not taken at the same time, but they are all of Hase-Dera temple (and these are all pictures of me).

Irises were in bloom when I came in the temple the first time.

At the location of Buddhist temples you will often see this cross, which resembles at the nazi cross... Attention!
It has absolutely nothing to do with the nazi cross (if you look well, the branches are not in the same direction). This kind of cross is called "Swastika" it's a Buddhist symbol that symbolizes eternity. The basin is also shaped swastika.

Hundreds of statues of Jizo, the guardian deity of childrens, and also represents the young dead childrens.

 View of Kamakura from the temple, yes it's a bamboo forest before.

 

 京和傘

 A baby praying mantis (かまきり)

There is a cave in the walls of this temple. In this cave there are many statues of deities with a little place for candles, of course I put my candle for the divinity of love (maybe it worked well because I found the best boyfriend who can exist ^-^).

Sorry I have not written much about this article, but I think it's just a place to admire in silence.
This is certainly not the most famous temple in Japan, but it's a absolutely magnificently temple.