It seems that Ekan (慧灌 'Hyegwan'), a monk from the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo, first founded a monastic complex here in 629.
Originally known as Hannyadai (般若台), in 735 Emperor Shōmu renamed the temple Hannya-ji (般若寺) after gifting it a copy of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra.

#Nara #奈良 #慧灌