Hondo-ji temple, Buddhist temple in Hiraga, Japan

Hondo-ji is a Nichiren Buddhist temple in Hiraga, Matsudo, with a mountain name of Chōkoku-zan. Its precinct holds a Niō gate, main hall, five-story pagoda, bell tower, tea house and halls such as the Soshidō and Hōbutsuden. The grounds are planted with 1,000 maples, 5,000 iris plants and 10,000 hydrangea plants.

The temple was founded in 1277 by Nichiro, a follower of Nichiren Buddhism, with backing from a local feudal lord. This establishment marked a key moment in spreading the Nichiren school across the region.

Hondo-ji is one of the "Three Chō and Three Hon" temples of the Nichirō lineage, together with Ikegami Honmon-ji and Kamakura Myōhon-ji, so named because their mountain and temple names contain the characters chō and hon. The temple is popularly called Ajisai-dera for its 10,000 hydrangea plants, 1,000 maples and 5,000 iris plants, and a tea house now stands in the grounds.

The temple is a 10-minute walk (about 800 m) from the north exit of JR Kita-Kogane Station, with the route from the station laid out as an approach path. Opening hours are 9:00 to 16:30, with last entry at 16:00. Tripods are not allowed during the hydrangea and autumn-leaf seasons, though a monopod is permitted.

The temple's bronze bell, cast in 1278, came from Daifuku-ji, a now-defunct temple in Inba-no-sho (present-day Rokuzaki, Sakura). Its inscription records that the donor Shitara Suketaro presented it in 1482. It is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property, not a National Treasure.