Head temple of the Shingon Buzan school and 8th site of the Saigoku pilgrimage, founded in 686. The 10-meter standing Eleven-faced Kannon is Japan's largest wooden Buddhist statue of its type. The 399-step covered corridor is the temple's icon. Celebrated as the Temple of Flowers, the grounds bloom with cherry blossoms and peonies in spring. Mentioned in both The Pillow Book and The Tale of Genji.

Hasedera Temple in Nara traces its origins to 686 CE, when the monk Domyo is said to have erected a multi-treasure pagoda and enshrined a copper-relief mandala at Hatsuse in Yamato Province. In 727 CE, the monk Tokudo, acting on imperial command from Emperor Shomu, is credited with carving and enshr…