Hannya-ji

• Established: 654, Soga clan
• Japanese: 般若寺 (Hannya-ji)

Hannya-ji is a Shingon-Ritsu Buddhist temple in Nara, famous for its stone pagoda.

The temple was established by the Soga clan in 654.

In the 13th century, the Ritsu monk Eison (1201-1290) organized the construction of a stone pagoda at the site, hiring stonemasons from Song Dynasty China and arranging for them to come to Japan to undertake this project. The pagoda is today a National Treasure.

References

• Amino Yoshihiko, Alan Christy (trans.), Rethinking Japanese History, University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies (2012), 166.