I visited many temples in Japan but this one is my favorite! When I joined the LDS church in 1972 there were 16 temples and I believe all but 3 of them were in the US. Now there are 141 operating temples, 15 under construction and 14 more that have been announced. Japan will soon have 3 LDS temples! About half of all temples are outside of the US! That is some amazing world wide growth!
At the end of our day hiking in Kamakura, just after we visited the Big Buddha, we happened upon the Hasa-dera Temple which really touched my heart. The grounds of the temple are
home to hundreds of small Jizō statues, placed by parents mourning their deceased children. These statues remain in place for about a
year, before being removed to make way for more statues. Jizō, is one of the most loved of all
Japanese divinities. Traditionally, he is
seen as the guardian of children, and in particular, children who died before
their parents. He has been worshipped as the guardian of the souls of
stillborn, miscarried of aborted fetuses. Jizō's features are commonly made baby-like to
resemble the children he protects.
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