Nago-dera Temple, Buddhist temple in Tateyama, Japan

Nago-dera is a Shingon Chizan sect temple on the slopes of Mount Nago in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture. Its main hall, the Kannon-dō, is a 5x5-bay building completed in 1758 and the oldest surviving structure on the site. The hall is painted deep red with white rectangular panels between the posts, dark lattice windows and open doorways, and a grey tiled roof with a curved gable. A framed sign with gold characters hangs above the doorways.

According to temple legend, the monk Gyoki founded Nago-dera in 717 after carving a Kannon image and praying for Empress Gensho's recovery. No contemporary documents confirm this account. Minamoto no Yoritomo later prayed here after his defeat at Ishibashiyama, and the temple was supported by Ashikaga Takauji and Satomi Yoshizane. A fire following the 1703 Genroku earthquake destroyed most buildings; the Kannon-do main hall was rebuilt in 1758 and the Tahoto pagoda in 1761.

The temple is also called Nago-dera, from an alternate reading of its final character, or Nago Kannon after its main image. As the 33rd and last stop on the Bando Sanjusankasho circuit, it is the temple where pilgrims complete the roughly 1,360-kilometre route that begins at Sugimoto-dera in Kamakura. Its goeika hymn names Potalaka, the bodhisattva's mythical island, and the waves striking the shore below the temple.

The temple sits on a hillside and is reached by stone steps through forested paths, so sturdy shoes make the visit more comfortable. Early morning tends to be quieter, as pilgrim groups often arrive later in the day.

The temple's bronze Senju Kannon, 104.8 cm tall with 42 hands, is a National Important Cultural Property. An inscription on its side joint reads "Taira Tanetoki", thought to be Chiba Hachirō Tanetoki of the Azuma Kagami, placing the casting in the early Kamakura period. The head and torso were cast in one piece, the hands separately and fixed at the shoulders.