🌸Earth Whispers #3│Cosmos and the Temple Light

Where cosmos bloom, history breathes.

✨ Lead-in

Autumn in Japan carries a quiet rhythm — and one of its softest voices comes through the petals of cosmos.
Though not native to this land, cosmos flowers bloom as if they’ve always belonged here.
From roadside fields to mountain temples, they brighten the season with their gentle colors and wind-swayed grace.

There are many places to admire them, but this time I found myself somewhere where the cosmos felt more than seasonal —
they felt sacred.

In the northeast corner of Nara city, Hannya-ji temple bursts into bloom each autumn — not with cherry blossoms, but with cosmos.
Over 150,000 flowers sway in the breeze, turning the grounds into a sea of soft color and quiet movement.

Known as the “Cosmos Temple,” Hannya-ji holds both history and heart.
With origins tracing back to the 7th century, it’s a place where ancient paths meet soft, modern gestures —
like glass vessels of cosmos flowers in various shapes and sizes, placed gently near the entrance of the main hall, catching the morning and afternoon light.

Glass marbles, floating petals, and sunlight — a quiet arrangement near the main hall. Simple, playful, and full of care.

It’s a spot full of contrasts: old and new, gentle and bold, grounded and open.
This visit was bright, colorful, and full of breath — and I’m happy to bring a glimpse of it to you.　(A 50-second video is now available: Watch on YouTube.)

🏯 The Temple and Its Timelessness

Hannya-ji is a small temple located in the northeast of Nara city.
It was first founded around the year 629 by a monk from Goguryeo（高句麗）, an ancient kingdom on the Korean Peninsula.
Later, during the Nara period, it was recognized by Emperor Shōmu（聖武天皇） as a guardian temple of Heijō-kyō（平城京）, placed in the northeast to protect the capital from spiritual harm — a direction known as the kimon（鬼門）, or “demon gate.”

By the Heian period, Hannya-ji had become a respected center of Buddhist learning, with more than a thousand monks gathering there.
It flourished as a place of knowledge and discipline.
However, in 1180, the temple was destroyed during an attack on Nara by the Taira clan（平家）, and most of its original structures were lost.

Despite this, the temple’s spirit remained.

In later centuries, Eison（叡尊）, a prominent monk, established worship of Manjushri（文殊菩薩）, the bodhisattva of wisdom.
Eison and his disciples — including Ninshō（忍性） and Ryōkei（良慧） — devoted themselves to caring for the poor and the sick.
Their actions are remembered as early examples of Buddhist-based welfare and compassion in Japanese history.

Today, several important cultural properties remain on the temple grounds, including the thirteen-story stone pagoda（十三重石塔）, the main gate（楼門）, and ancient statues.
Walking among them, one can feel the layers of time — and the quiet strength left by those who came before.

The temple’s main gate (楼門, Rōmon) — a National Treasure of Japan.
It has stood here for centuries, welcoming visitors with quiet strength.

🗿 The Tower That Holds Time — Thirteen-Story Stone Pagoda（十三重石宝塔）

Rising quietly near the heart of the temple grounds is one of Hannya-ji’s most striking features — the Thirteen-Story Stone Pagoda (十三重石宝塔).
It stands tall yet humble, layered in symmetry, with each tier stacked as if counting centuries.

Originally built as a stupa to enshrine relics, the pagoda in its current form was reconstructed in 1253 during the Kamakura period. It was commissioned by Ryōe Shōnin, a revered monk, and built by Yi Yukisue, a master stonemason from Song China.
With a height of approximately 14.2 meters, it remains one of Japan’s most prominent stone pagodas.

The base stones were intentionally made larger to create a sense of stability, a design so admired that it became a model for later pagodas.
In a major restoration in 1964, numerous ritual treasures were discovered inside, offering a quiet reminder of its sacred role.
On each of its four sides, the figures of Yakushi (Healing Buddha), Shakyamuni, Amida, and Maitreya are carved — silent guardians facing the cardinal directions.

On the day I visited, the tower was surrounded by cosmos, gently swaying in the wind.
Their soft movement brought contrast to the stillness of the pagoda — a conversation between fragility and endurance.
The sky above was open and blue, and in that moment, the tower didn’t feel heavy.
It felt like it was reaching upward — light, intentional, and full of presence.

I couldn’t help but stop for a long time in front of it.
It held something — a calm that stayed with me.

Its presence wasn’t in its height or form, but in the way it made space —
space to pause, to breathe, and to feel the years that have gathered here.

🍃Prayers Beyond Time — The Sanskrit on Kasatōba

Standing quietly within the grounds of Hannya-ji are the kasatōba, or umbrella-shaped stone memorials, each one carrying the silent weight of centuries of devotion.

Under the soft light of autumn, their weathered surfaces catch the eye — not for their size or ornamentation, but for what’s carved into them: faint yet deliberate traces of inscription, still visible after centuries.

Kasatōba are a type of Buddhist memorial tower, found in temples since the Kamakura period and earlier. True to their name, they feature umbrella-like caps atop stone shafts. The one at Hannya-ji dates back to 1261. Despite storms, seasons, and time, it still stands — a quiet testament to how remembrance can endure.

While the cosmos flowers sway in the wind, the stone remains unmoved. Yet in that stillness lies something powerful: a presence that doesn’t demand attention, but holds it. Layered with history and human hope, it invites you to pause — not to analyze, but to feel.

What drew me in was the knowledge that over 260 characters had once been carved into the stone — an inscription said to remain along its lower edge.

Most of it is now too weathered or hidden to make out clearly, but the thought of it lingers. Were they prayers? Names? Buddhist verses?

Even without reading the words, the stone itself spoke — not through language, but through its presence.

🔮 Small Acts of Connection — Two Stones of Fortune and Healing

Beyond the cosmos fields and historic buildings, Hannya-ji holds a few quiet surprises — small, interactive elements that invite gentle curiosity. Among them are two unique stones that blend old beliefs with moments of personal reflection.

① The “Makabara Stone” — A Ritual of Luck and Touch

Just off the path, I came across a round, weathered boulder known as the “Makabara Stone”, believed to bring good fortune.

A small wooden sign nearby explains the ritual:
Rub the top of the stone clockwise three times while reciting a sacred mantra.

But some of the characters on the sign had faded with time, and I couldn’t quite make out the full mantra. Curious, I asked one of the temple staff — and they kindly told me:

“It’s ‘On Makabara Un’ — that’s the heart of it.”

I loved that moment.
It reminded me that even small things — like asking a question, or rubbing a stone with care — can connect us to something timeless, playful, and warm.

So if you’re watching this in the video (coming up soon!),
go ahead and give your screen a gentle clockwise rub — who knows, maybe the luck will travel through 😉

② The “Kanman” Stone ₋a Healing Stone₋ with Fudō Myōō

A little farther along near the entrance, a small statue of Fudō Myōō stands atop a large, weathered boulder — rugged and rounded, as if shaped by centuries of wind and time.

According to the sign, placing your belly or back against the raised part of the stone is said to promote physical well-being.

Watching others gently lean into it, I realized:
the act of trying it — with quiet intention — may already be its own form of healing.

Here, among ancient structures and blooming cosmos, this interaction between the body and the earth felt grounded and quietly powerful.

---

🌸 Cosmos in Light and Water — Small Displays with a Big Heart

Near the main hall, just when the temple’s quiet beauty has already settled into your chest, something a little more playful begins to appear — cosmos flowers, arranged in gentle, creative ways that sparkle with both tradition and surprise.

These small displays aren’t grand, but they catch your eye and invite you to slow down and notice.
Water, glass, sunlight, and petals — elements combined with care and a touch of joy.

---

🖼️ Floating Petals in a Stone Basin
A simple basin of still water holds cosmos blossoms in soft pinks and whites, drifting like thoughts.
Placed quietly in the garden path, it feels more like an offering than a decoration.

---

🖼️ Jewels Beneath the Flowers
In a square glass container, delicate cosmos blooms rest atop clear water, while heart-shaped gems shimmer below.
Light refracts through the glass, creating soft rainbows — a peaceful blend of the natural and the playful.

---

🖼️ Color Cubes of Autumn
A neat grid of colorful glass cubes, each holding a single cosmos bloom, creates a pop-art mosaic.
It’s both joyful and meditative — like looking at autumn arranged in pixels.

Here are just a few glimpses of what’s on display.
✨ See the full collection in the video — coming soon! Don’t miss it!

🕊️Kaha’s Note

At first glance, Hannya-ji may seem like a small, humble temple tucked away in the quiet corners of Nara.
But as you walk its stone paths — passing blooming cosmos, playful rituals, and soft touches of glass and prayer — something deeper begins to settle in.

This temple doesn’t rise above the world around it.
It settles into it — quietly, firmly, fully.

And in doing so, it offers healing and teaching — not through grandeur, but through presence.

The fields of cosmos sway with grounded, gentle energy.
The glass Cosmos Cube catches light and time.
And the ancient stones invite quiet rituals — small acts that become unexpectedly meaningful.

Beneath it all, the accumulated prayers and quiet footsteps of those who came before still linger.

It’s a place I’d return to — not just to see again, but to feel again.
Not just to look, but to listen — to the whispers of the earth and of the spirits.

🌈 Explore More

Rainbow Thread #3 — Full version coming soon. Don’t miss it!
The upcoming video captures the beauty of the season, the timeless charm of Hannya-ji, and gentle moments of art and prayer.

Visit our website to explore more stories and visuals:
👉 8rainbow.work