Awaji Island “Honpuku-ji Water Temple
Honpukuji Temple is located on a small hill overlooking Osaka Bay in the northeastern part of Awaji Island. The temple is also the 59th sacred site on Awaji Shikoku Island and is crowded with pilgrims’ bells.
The temple has a long history, dating back to the Heian period (794-1192), but it was not until 1991 that a new main hall, called Mizumido, was built. The new main hall, called Mizumido, was built in 1991, and was designed by Tadao Ando.
First, after passing through the wooded approach leading to the new main hall, a concrete wall separating the mundane world from the sacred world appears.
After entering the hall, visitors will find an oval-shaped pond inside. Water lilies float in the pond, and when in season, their white and red flowers bloom, creating a fantastic scene. Among them floats an Oga lotus that was discovered in a stratum of the earth about 2,000 years ago and cultivated.
What is unique is the staircase in the center of the pond. To reach the main hall, where the main statue of Yakushi Nyorai resides, visitors must descend the stairs, which are built in a way to break the pond. In the evening, the vermilion sunset shines into the main hall, creating an even more solemn atmosphere. When you leave the main hall, you naturally have to go back up the stairs you descended, but at that time the sky is all you see. This scene makes you feel somewhat unreal and reminds you of the eternal time.
