Main Hall 長谷寺本堂

The Main Hall of Hasedera stands on the steep southern slope of Mount Hatsuse and houses the Eleven-Headed Kannon, the temple’s principal object of worship. Reconstructed in 1650 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Main Hall is one of the largest of its kind in Nara Prefecture. It consists of the Gejin, an outer worship area for visitors, and the Shodo, an area for monks. The roof is constructed in the Japanese hip-and-gable style (irimoya-zukuri).

The wide veranda of the Main Hall provides panoramic views. In a ceremony that has been held every morning for over 1,000 years, the monks of Hasedera gather at the Main Hall to chant sutras that echo through the valley below; visitors are welcome to attend. An equally time-honored observance is the sounding of the horagai conch. From the Bell Pagoda next to the Main Hall, monks blow these large shells like trumpets at noon every day.