# Hokke-ji > A working nunnery on the site of Empress Komyo's palace, just east of the Heijo Palace Site. Its National Treasure Eleven-faced Kannon, one metre tall, is shown only in three short windows a year: 20 March to 7 April, early June, and 24 October to 10 November in 2026. The rest of the year you see a modern copy, so time your visit. - Prefecture: Nara - Type: Temple - Address: Nara, Japan - Admission: 800 yen - Official site: https://hokkejimonzeki.or.jp/ Empress Komyo grew up in this house. It belonged to her father, Fujiwara no Fuhito, and after his death she made it her own palace, then turned it into a temple in 745. While her husband Emperor Shomu put Todai-ji at the head of the provincial temples, Hokke-ji became the head of the provincial nunneries. It is still a nunnery, and the clay dog amulets sold at the counter are made by hand by the nuns. The main hall was rebuilt in 1601 with money from Yodo-dono, the mother of Toyotomi Hideyori, and the south gate and bell tower date from the same years. Inside stands the reason most people come: an Eleven-faced Kannon one metre tall, carved from a single block of torreya wood, with a halo made of lotus buds and leaves. Temple tradition says it shows Empress Komyo crossing a lotus pond; art historians generally date it to the early ninth century. The right arm is unusually long, and the big toe of the right foot is lifted, as if she is about to step forward. She is out only three times a year: 20 March to 7 April, an early June opening that starts on 5 June around the anniversary of Komyo's death, and an autumn opening timed to the Shosoin exhibition at the Nara National Museum, 24 October to 10 November in 2026. The temple's calendar and the Nara prefecture listings give 20 March to 7 April again for 2027. Outside these windows you pray before a copy carved by Matsuhisa Horin, which is a let-down if you came for the original. Expect a queue in the autumn, when the Shosoin crowds spill over. In the grounds, look for the karafuro, a steam bathhouse rebuilt in 1766 on the spot where Komyo is said to have washed the sick, and the garden west of the hall, laid out in the early Edo period and full of irises in May. The garden is open from 1 March to 31 August. Kairyuo-ji is a couple of minutes away on foot, so do both. ## FAQ ### When can I see the National Treasure Eleven-faced Kannon? Only during three openings a year: 20 March to 7 April, from 5 June in early summer, and in autumn alongside the Shosoin exhibition (24 October to 10 November in 2026). The June end date now changes with the weekday, so check the temple's news page. At other times a copy stands in its place. ### How much is entry? 800 yen for adults most of the year, 990 yen from 1 March to 31 August while the doll exhibition and the garden are open, and 1,100 yen during the Kannon openings. Elementary and junior high school students pay 200 yen. ### Can I visit Kairyuo-ji on the same trip? Yes. Kairyuo-ji is a couple of minutes' walk away, and in autumn 2026 both temples open their hidden Eleven-faced Kannon statues on the same dates, 24 October to 10 November. The open ground of the Heijo Palace Site starts a short walk to the west. ### Is Hokke-ji wheelchair accessible? Only partly. A wheelchair can reach the front of the main hall, but not the inside of any hall or building. Call the temple ahead (0742-33-2261) and staff can open the car park gate for you. --- Source: Hokke-ji — Japan Voyage