京都・奈良の紅葉を愛でる旅(その3-長谷寺、室生寺)A trip to enjoy the autumn leaves of Kyoto and Nara(Part 3-Hase-dera and Muro-ji)(Tuesday, November 14, 2022-No.47)

京都・奈良の紅葉を愛でる旅(その3-長谷寺室生寺)A trip to enjoy the autumn leaves of Kyoto and Nara(Part 3-Hase-dera and Muro-ji)(Tuesday, November 14, 2022-No.47)

1.長谷寺
長谷寺(はせでら)は、奈良県桜井市初瀬(はせ)にある真言宗豊山派の総本山の寺院である。本尊は十一面観音(十一面観世音菩薩)である。長谷寺平安時代中期以降、観音霊場として貴族の信仰を集めた。万寿元年(1024年)には藤原道長が参詣しており、中世以降は武士や庶民にも信仰を広めた。「花の御寺」とも称され、桜、牡丹、あじさい、紅葉、寒牡丹など四季折々の花が楽しめる。
1.Hase-dera
Temple is the head temple of the Buzan School of Shingon Buddhism, located in Hase, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture. The principal object of worship is Eleven-faced Kannon (Eleven-faced Kannon Bodhisattva). Since the middle of the Heian period, Hase-dera Temple has been worshiped by aristocrats as a sacred Kannon temple. In 1024, Fujiwara no Michinaga made a pilgrimage to the shrine, and after the Middle Ages, the faith spread to samurai and commoners. It is also known as the "Temple of Flowers," where you can enjoy seasonal flowers such as cherry blossoms, peonies, hydrangeas, autumn leaves, and winter peonies.

Nio-mon gate(So-mon gate) 仁王門(総門)

Noboriro(登楼) is a stone stairway with 399 steps.

Like Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, the main hall on the south side is built on a cliff halfway up the mountain. The main hall is designated as a national treasure.

A five-storied pagoda built in 1954. It blends well with the background and is beautiful.

This is the main hall stage.

2.室生寺
室生寺(むろうじ)は、奈良県宇陀市室生にある真言宗室生寺派大本山の寺院である。本尊は如意輪観音である。如意輪観音とは、観音菩薩の変化身(へんげしん)の一つである。真言宗の拠点である高野山がかつては女人禁制であったことから、女性の参詣が許されていた室生寺には「女人高野」の別名があるが、この別名は江戸時代以降のものである。
平安時代前期の建築物や仏像が伝えられ、また、境内はシャクナゲの名所としても知られる。五重塔は国宝。800年頃の建立で、木部を朱塗りとする。屋外にある木造五重塔としては、法隆寺塔に次ぎわが国で2番目に古く、国宝・重要文化財指定の木造五重塔で屋外にあるものとしては日本最小である。高さは16メートル強である。
2.Muro-ji
Muro-ji Temple is the head temple of the Muro-ji school of the Shingon sect located in Muro, Uda City, Nara Prefecture. The principal object of worship is Nyoirin Kannon. Nyoirin Kannon is one of the transformations of Kannon Bodhisattva. Since Mt. Koya, the base of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, was once forbidden to women, Muro-ji Temple, where women were allowed to visit, is known as 'Women's Koya,' but this name has been around since the Edo period.
Buildings and Buddhist statues from the early Heian period have been handed down, and the precincts are also known as a famous place for rhododendrons. The five-storied pagoda is a national treasure. Built around 800, the wooden parts are painted vermillion. It is the second oldest outdoor wooden five-storied pagoda in Japan, after Horyuji Pagoda, and the smallest outdoor wooden five-storied pagoda designated as a National Treasure or Important Cultural Property in Japan. It is over 16 meters tall.

Nio-mon gate(仁王門)

The main hall of Muroji Temple, designated as a national treasure.

A five-storied pagoda designated as a national treasure.

Built around 800 AD, the wooden parts are painted vermillion. It is the second oldest outdoor wooden five-storied pagoda in Japan, after Horyuji Pagoda, and the smallest outdoor wooden five-storied pagoda designated as a National Treasure or Important Cultural Property in Japan. It is a small pagoda with a height of a little over 16 meters and a side of the roof on the first floor measuring 2.5 meters long, about one-third the height of the five-storied pagoda of Kofuku-ji Temple.

Kondo(金堂), designated as a national treasure. A statue of Shaka Nyorai(Budda)(釈迦如来像) is enshrined in the center, a statue of Yakushi Nyorai(薬師如来像) on the right, and a statue of Monju Bosatsu(Bodhisattva)(文殊菩薩) on the left.