It is said that 1300 years ago, a monk from Hase, which was a small village near Nara, sculpted, from a single camphor tree, two statues representing the eleven-headed Kannon, the Goddess of Mercy. The first statue, which was smaller, was donated to the Hasedera Temple in Nara, while the second statue, which was 9.3 meters tall, was cast on the sea.

15 years later, the second statue was found on a beach near Kamakura, and was installed in a temple especially built, Hasedera of Kamakura, which in time became one of the 33 sacred areas in the Kanto area.

Hasedera Temple, Kamakura

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Kanazawa Higashi chaya district