Hasedera Temple Manto Kigan-e New Year’s Eve Candle Prayer

What Is the Manto Kigan-e at Hasedera Temple?

From the night of New Year’s Eve into New Year’s Day, Hasedera Temple (長谷寺) holds the Manto Kigan-e (万灯祈願会), a candle prayer ceremony. Prayer candles dedicated by visitors during the past year, each carrying a written wish, are lit in the Sakura Hiroba (さくら広場) plaza in the Kami-keidai (上境内), the upper grounds. After the Shusho-e (修正会), the first service of the New Year, the monks gather in the plaza and chant sutras before the candles. In a typical year there are about 6,000 candles.

Date and Time

The ceremony takes place every year from the night of December 31 into January 1. On New Year’s Eve the temple is usually open as normal from 8:00 to 16:30 and closes at 17:00. When the Sanmon (山門) gate reopens at 23:00, you can enter freely until 8:00 the next morning, with no entrance fee. The candles in the Sakura Hiroba are already lit when the gate reopens.

In a typical year, from around 23:45 monks chant sutras for the Joya-e (除夜会) at the Shoro (鐘楼) bell tower in the upper grounds, and then the New Year’s Eve bell is rung. From 0:00 on January 1, the Shusho-e is held in the Kannon Hall (観音堂), followed by the sutra chanting of the Manto Kigan-e. In rain or strong wind, the ceremony is postponed to an evening during the first three days of the New Year.

Highlights: Prayer Candles Filling the Sakura Hiroba

In the Sakura Hiroba, candles in white cups are set out on the stone paving in ring after ring, spreading a soft light through the darkness. Each candle carries a name and a wish written by a visitor.

The prayer candles come in white cups. You write your name and wish on the side of the cup and dedicate it. You can dedicate one when you visit during the year, and on New Year’s Eve a limited number are also offered from 23:00. The offering is usually 500 yen per wish.

Visiting Tips

In a typical year a line forms in front of the Sanmon gate before it opens at 23:00, and the grounds grow crowded toward midnight. To ring the New Year’s Eve bell, you must apply in advance by return-reply postcard, usually to arrive by November 30, and there is no same-day entry. If the sky is clear, you can watch the first sunrise of the year from the Kaiko Terrace (海光テラス) at dawn.

From 23:00 on December 31, traffic restrictions are in place around Hasedera Temple and private vehicles cannot enter. Some public transport lines do not run all night, so check how you will get back before you go.

Access: Visiting During Your Stay at Toshi’s Place

Hasedera Temple is about a 5-minute walk from Hase Station (長谷駅) on the Enoden (江ノ電) line. From JR Kamakura Station (鎌倉駅), take a bus to the “Hase Kannon (長谷観音)” stop and walk about 5 minutes.

Hasedera Temple is within walking distance of Toshi’s Place, fully unstaffed smart hotels with full kitchens and no meals provided. You can leave your room in time for the 23:00 opening, welcome the New Year among the sound of the bell and the candlelight, and walk back without worrying about the last train. Head out again at dawn and you can also see the first sunrise.

Summary

On New Year’s Eve at Hasedera, you can hear the New Year’s Eve bell among about 6,000 prayer candles in the Sakura Hiroba and greet the New Year with the monks’ sutra chanting. On January 18, the year’s first Kannon-e is held as Hatsu-Kannon (初観音). For the temple’s usual highlights, see Hasedera Temple.

Basic Information

Google Map