Buddhist temple
Hōkō-ji
方広寺（ほうこうじ）
Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture
The head temple (daihonzan) of the Rinzai-shū Hōkōji school, in Okuyama, Inasa-chō, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Its principal object of worship is a Shaka triad designated a national Important Cultural Property, and its guardian deity, Okuyama Hansōbō Daigongen, also draws wide devotion.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Prayers associated with this place
Principal object of worship: Shaka triad (Shaka Nyorai, Monju Bosatsu, Fugen Bosatsu)
History and things to know
According to temple tradition, it is said to have been opened in 1371 by the Zen master Mumon Gensen, a son of Emperor Go-Daigo, who received a donation of land at the invitation of the local magnate 奥山朝藤. The temple's name is said to come from the resemblance of the scenery to that of Hōkō-ji on Mount Tendai in China. After repeated fires, it was rebuilt following a great fire in Meiji 14; the Great Main Hall, the Hansōbō Shinden, a three-storied pagoda and other buildings stand there, and stone statues of the Five Hundred Arhats are placed in the grounds.
Introduced by this site, based on materials from the shrine or temple and public bodies.
Related kami and buddhas
Before you visit
The guardian deity, Okuyama Hansōbō Daigongen, is enshrined in the Hansōbō Shinden within the same grounds.
Official website of the shrine or temple (may be in Japanese)
Sources (in Japanese)
- 方広寺「御祭神・御本尊・由緒の公式案内」（2026-10-21 確認）
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