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Yatadera stands high on a wooded hillside outside the town of Yamato Koriyama, the castle town and governmental center of Nara in the Edo-period (before that, Kofukuji Temple served as both religious and worldly authority in the area). We traveled to the wrong station - the JR Station, and had to walk through the old town to get to the more centrally placed Kintetsu Station from which the bus for Yatadera was leaving.

But we were in fact lucky: we first passed a beautiful park (Sotobori Ryokuchi, the Outer Moat of the castle) and after that we followed the main shopping street, which had a nice old-time atmosphere. One of the old town houses, the Hakamotokan, seems to be open for tourists, so perhaps we will return for a more leisurely walk.

[Jizo statue on the path to Yatadera]

The Yanagisawa clan that ruled here for most of the Edo period seems to have been quite cultured - there were for example contacts with painter Ike no Taiga. Literally colorful is also the fact that in the 18th century Koriyama became a center of goldfish and ornamental carp farming, a position it still holds today. The castle grounds themselves are famous for their cherry blossoms. But that is another season, for we came in early June to see the hydrangea’s of Yatadera.

Yatadera temple, offically known as Kongosenji, sits about half an hour (3.5 kilometres) outside Koriyama, on - how could it be otherwise - the Yata Hills. In fact, it stands just north of Ikaruga, the area famous for Horyuji and other ancient temples, on a path that links Ikaruga with Ryosenji in the north and passes several old temples. There were extra buses available because it was the season to see the temple’s famous hydrangea’s, but the bus stop was still a long way from the temple.

[Staircase leading to Yatadera]

Local people had set up stalls selling vegetables, snacks and even sake (the bottles standing mercilessly in the hot sun…) to take advantage of the many visitors winding their way uphill. We reached the broad staircase of the temple and then a long climb began among verdant trees. Birds sang, the wind rustled through the branches above our heads. It was still early in the season, so it was not too crowded. Would the hydrangea’s already be in bloom?

The temple claims to have been founded in 679, after Emperor Tenmu (who is closely connected with Yakushiji temple, elsewhere in Nara) fled here during the Jinshin Disturbance and had prayers said for victory in battle on the mountain. Founding priest was Chitsu, a man who had studied in China and would become the second transmitter of the Hosso School of Xuanzang in Japan.

Reputedly, the original Yatadera was a large temple, with seven halls and 48 residences for priests. An Eleven-headed Kannon and Kishoten served as its main statues. I wonder honestly whether archeological proof was found for such an early establishment, as it sounds like an attempt to inflate the early history of the temple…

[Main Hall of Yatadera]

The temple afterwards fell in ruins and was founded anew in the period 810-823 by the holy priest Manmai and this time a Jizo became the main sculpture. Jizo (also see this site) is a Bodhisattva entrusted with the task of saving us, helpless human beings, in the endlessly long period until the advent of the next Buddha, Miroku. In Japan, the cult of Jizo was as popular as that of Kannon, especially among the common people.

Jizo was already worshipped in the Nara period (8th c.), but the earliest extant image of him can be found in Koryuji temple in Kyoto, dating from the early 9th c. The “Yata Jizo” holds a gem in his left hand and displays the “mudra for bestowing fearlessness” with his right hand, in contrast to the usual Jizo statues which carry a monk’s staff in the right hand. Unfortunately, the altar section of the temple was closed off and the Jizo resided in a closed cabinet, so it was not possible to see this important statue.

Luckily, there were many stone statues and reliefs of Jizo outside the temple, along the path, and among the hydrangea’s. Interestingly, one of these stone Jizo’s was also in the “Yata style”, without staff but his hand raised in a mudra.

[Jizo statue on the path to Yatadera]

There is a beautiful story how Jizo became the main object of devotion in Yatadera. Priest Manmai had been called to come to the Underworld to give the Boddhisattva Precepts to its Lord, King Enma. Out of gratitude, Enma took him on a tour through hell, proudly showing off his Kingdom of Fear. There Manmai saw innumerable human beings suffering in terrible fires, being cooked in boiling hot water, or pierced with stakes by hideously green devils. But Manmai also saw a priest going around, busy saving humans from the raging flames. That young priest was non other than the Jizo Bodhisattva in disguise.

The Jizo spoke to Manmai and asked him to sculpt an image of him after returning to his temple, so that also those still living in the world of humans might be saved by looking upon him. Manmai returned and dutifully started to execute the Jizo’s wish. But the carving of the Jizo statue proved unexpectedly difficult… until Manmai received help from four old sages, who also brought him a large paulownia tree. These four sages were in fact an apparition of the Kasuga deities, from the well-known shrine in Nara… and thanks to their help finally a beatifully Jizo statue was carved …

Jizo looks like a young, smart priest, and he has a friendly, soft smile, so it is no wonder that in the course of history countless generations of women fell in devotion before his feet…

[Hydrangea's of Yatadera]

Yatadera has also been called “Hydrangea Temple,” and not for nothing. There are about 10,000 hydrangea ’s (called “ajisai” in Japanese), in all 60 varieties. They line the path leading to the temple and stand clustered in a garden laid out on a slope to the left of the path. Hydrangea’s are not native to Europe and were discovered in the 18th c. by travelers to China. Later, Von Siebold would play a large role in introducing the flowers to Europe’s gardens.

The hydrangea (also called hortensia) with its soft shades of blue and purple is one of my favorite flowers. It is always subdued, best seen on an overcast day, under the shade of large trees, or even in a light drizzle. Although the flower heads are large, there is nothing ostentatious about them. They are full of quiet, subtle beauty.

[Hydrangea's of Yatadera]

As the temple mentions on its website, in a survey by the Nikkei Newspaper in 2005, Yatadera was selected as the second best spot to see hydrangea’s in western Japan (No 1 was Kobe’s Shinrin Botanical Garden, No 3 was Mimurotoji Temple in Uji).

We followed the small paths, up and down, talking pictures, comparing the many different types of flowers. We were as if immersed in a green aquarium, floating as large goldfish among the colorful flowers and shady leaves.

[Jizo statues and hydrangea's in Yatadera]

And there was Jizo again, squinting at us from among the leaves, his face just as soft and modest as the hydrangea’s…

Yatadera (Kongosenji).
Address: 3549 Yatacho, Koriyama City, Yamato-gun, Nara Prefecture
Tel. 0743-53-1445
Access: 20 min by bus from Koriyama Station on the Kintetsu line. Frequent buses in June (hydrangea season), also from Horyuji station on the JR line. The Hydrangea Garden is open from June 1 to July 10.
This pilgrimage was made about a year ago.

P.S. What is your favorite spot for hydrangea viewing? Share your suggestions below!