ABOUT
About this spot
Hokki-ji is a temple of the Shotoku sect in Okamoto, Ikaruga Town, Nara Prefecture. Its mountain name is Okamotozan and its principal image is an eleven-headed Kannon. The temple lies about 2.5 km northeast of JR Horyuji Station and roughly 1.4 km in a straight line from Horyu-ji, and in 1993 it was inscribed together with Horyu-ji as part of the UNESCO World Heritage site "Buddhist Monuments in the Horyu-ji Area". Tradition holds that the temple began as the Okamoto Palace, where Prince Shotoku lectured on the Lotus Sutra. Following his wishes, his son Yamashiro no Oe no O turned the palace into a temple, and in 638 the monk Fukuryo is said to have begun building the main hall. Because records from the Tenpyo era call it "Ikejino-ama-dera", it is thought to have been founded as a nunnery. The three-story pagoda is said to have been completed around 706, although sources differ on the exact years. The pagoda was repaired in 1678 and the lecture hall was rebuilt in 1694. In 1950, when Horyu-ji established the Shotoku sect, Hokki-ji joined it, and it belongs to the sect today. The highlight is the three-story pagoda, a National Treasure about 24 meters tall and regarded as the oldest three-story pagoda in Japan. It is the only building that survives from the temple's founding period. A dismantling repair was carried out from 1970 to 1975. The layout, with the pagoda on the east and the main hall on the west, is the reverse of Horyu-ji's West Precinct. The wooden standing eleven-headed Kannon, an Important Cultural Property about 3.5 meters tall and dated to the late 10th century, is kept in a storehouse. In Ikaruga, the five-story pagoda of Horyu-ji, the three-story pagoda of Horin-ji and the three-story pagoda of Hokki-ji are known together as the "Three Pagodas of Ikaruga". The grounds are small, so allow roughly 30 to 60 minutes. Opening hours and admission fees vary between sources, so please check with the temple before visiting. Horyu-ji, about 1.4 km away, is the nearest major sight and is known as a temple complex containing the world's oldest wooden buildings. The distance makes it easy to visit both on the same day on foot through the Ikaruga countryside.
Last updated October 22, 2026