Hokki-ji
A 7th-century Buddhist temple linked to Prince Shōtoku.
Hokki-ji, also known as Hōki-ji, is a Buddhist temple in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan, originally a nunnery founded in the 7th century. It is traditionally counted among the seven great temples associated with Prince Shōtoku, though it was completed decades after his death. The temple honors Avalokitesvara, with an 11-faced statue of the goddess as its primary object of worship, and was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 as part of the Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area.
- location
- Okamoto, Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan
- founded
- 7th century (completed after Prince Shōtoku's death)
- primary deity
- Avalokitesvara (11-faced Kannon)
- national treasure
- Three-story pagoda (completed 706 AD)
- UNESCO designation
- 1993 (Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area)
- historic site
- National Historic Site (1993)
Lore & Background
Hokki-ji is said to stand atop the ruins of Okamoto no Miya palace, where Prince Shōtoku lectured on the Lotus Sutra. According to tradition, his son Prince Yamashiro no Ōe rebuilt the palace as a temple per the prince's last will. During Emperor Jomei's reign (638), a Miroku Bosatsu statue was installed and a new main hall completed; the present three-story pagoda was finished in 706. The temple was originally a nunnery, listed in 747 as 'Ikego-niji' among the 'Seven Temples Built by Prince Shōtoku.' The earliest document identifying Ikego-niji with Hokki-ji is the Shichidaiki from 771.
Reader's Guide
Hokki-ji's significance lies in its ancient architecture and its role in early Japanese Buddhism. Its three-story pagoda, completed in 706, is the oldest and largest of its kind in Japan (excluding Yakushi-ji's East Pagoda), standing 24 meters tall. The pagoda's unique design—three bays on the first two floors and two on the third—was restored to its original form during a 1970–1975 dismantling and repair. The temple's layout, with the main hall on the west and pagoda on the east, contrasts with Hōryū-ji, illustrating a distinct early temple style. As part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site 'Buddhist Monuments in the Hōryū-ji Area,' Hokki-ji preserves the legacy of Prince Shōtoku's era and the spread of Buddhism in Japan. Its cultural properties, including the pagoda (National Treasure) and two Important Cultural Properties—a 10th-century wooden Kannon statue and a 7th-century copper bodhisattva—highlight its artistic and historical value. The temple's connection to the legendary prince, despite being completed after his death, underscores its enduring spiritual and cultural importance.
Did You Know?
- The three-story pagoda of Hokki-ji is the oldest three-story pagoda in Japan, completed in 706 AD.
- The temple's layout, with the main hall on the west and pagoda on the east, is called the 'Hokki-ji style temple complex layout.'
- Archaeological excavations revealed a predecessor building with an axis tilted 20 degrees west, presumed to be Okamoto Palace.
- The temple was originally a nunnery and was listed in 747 as 'Ikego-niji' among the 'Seven Temples Built by Prince Shōtoku.'
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