Hatto (Lecture Hall)

The Hatto at Kenchoji Temple in Kamakura stands 20 meters tall, making it the largest wooden building in the Kanto region. Originally used by the abbot to deliver sermons from a raised dais, it now hosts public ceremonies, concerts, and exhibitions. The ceiling features a large ink wash painting of the cloud dragon Unryu-zu, completed in 2003 by painter and ceramicist Koizumi Junsaku for the temple's 750th anniversary. The dragon's eyes are painted so they seem to follow viewers across the room. Beneath it stands a statue of the Thousand-Armed Kannon, and in front, a detailed bronze of the fasting Buddha, the only officially produced replica of its original in Pakistan, gifted by the Pakistani government.