Oneday Trip in Kyoto around Fushimi Inari Taisha and Main Station

④To-ji Temple

Time required : 30 min

Admission fee：1000 yen

Opening hour：9 am – 5 pm

Close：No

This temple was built when the capital was moved from Heian-kyo to Kyoto, and is also the first esoteric Buddhist temple in Japan. When the capital was moved, there was also a West Temple, which served as protection for the eastern and western royal palaces, but now only the East Temple remains. It was later entrusted to Kukai (Kobo Daishi) and became a Shingon Esoteric Buddhist temple.

The main highlights are as follows

Five-story pagoda:
The most famous building, designated as a national treasure, is the tallest wooden structure in Japan at 54.8m. Inside are Buddhist relics brought back from China by Kobo Daishi. It has been burned down four times in the past by lightning strikes, and the current pagoda was donated by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1644. There are several days a year when part of the interior is open to the public.

Main hall:
This is also designated as a national treasure, and was the first building to be started on. It enshrines a seated statue of Yakushi Nyorai, and on its base are enshrined the twelve heavenly generals who protect the Nyorai and grant wishes.

Lecture hall:
This building is located in the center of the temple grounds and is used to preach the teachings of esoteric Buddhism. Inside is a three-dimensional mandala known as the Karma Mandala. A mandala is usually a diagram that conveys the teachings of esoteric Buddhism, but this three-dimensional mandala is an arrangement of statues of the 21 Buddhas shown in the diagram.

Dining Hall (Jikido):
This is a place where monks can find training in their daily lives, and nowadays they can copy sutras.It is called Kannon Hall because it once housed the Thousand-Armed Kannon and the Four Heavenly Kings. Currently, it houses the Eleven-Headed Kannon and the Four Heavenly Kings.

Treasure Hall:
This is a museum that displays the Thousand-Armed Kannon that was once enshrined in the dining hall, as well as the Jizo Bodhisattva that was located in Saiji Temple, but it is only open to the public from March 20th to May 25th, September 20th to November 25th, and during events (admission fee 500 yen).

Goei-do (Daishi-do):
This building was once the residence of Kobo Daishi and is designated as a national treasure.
It is also called Sai-in because it is located in the northwest of the temple grounds, and consists of a front hall and a rear hall. The front hall houses a seated statue of Kobo Daishi, and the rear hall houses a statue of Acala (not open to the public). Both statues are designated as national treasures, and every morning at 6am in the front hall, a living offering of breakfast is made, and on the 21st of each month, a memorial service is held as Kobo Market.

Kanchiin:
This was like a research lab at the time, and many documents related to Toji Temple were created here. The reception hall here is also designated as a national treasure, and in the upper room there are paintings of an eagle and a bamboo forest by Miyamoto Musashi.

★Route time required：10 min

Exit Toji Temple’s northwest gate, go left, and take bus number 18, special number 18, special number 71, or 207 from the Toji Higashimonmae bus stop (bound for Shijo) and get off at Shichijo Omiya/Kyoto Aquarium (fare: 230 yen). After getting off the bus, go in the same direction as the bus is traveling, turn right at the nearest intersection, then turn left at the intersection one block ahead, and you will see the temple gate on your left.

⑤Nishi Hongan-ji Temple

Time required : 30 min

Admission fee：0 yen

Opening hour：5h30 am – 5 pm

Close：No

This temple is located north of Kyoto Station and is registered as UNESCO World Heritage Site as a cultural asset of the ancient capital of Kyoto. It began as a mausoleum for Shinran, the founder of Jodo Shinshu, built in Otani in Kyoto’s Higashiyama by his daughter and disciples. It was originally called Otani Byodo, but changed its name to Honganji in 1321. However, it was attacked by other sects and moved to Fukui, Shiga, Wakayama, and other places, and was finally moved from Osaka to its current location by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1591. The “West” in the name is to distinguish it from Higashi Honganji, which we will visit later, which was built later.

Here we will introduce some of the many facilities that have been designated as national treasures.

Amida Hall:
A huge cave hall measuring 45m north to south, 42m east to west, and 25m high, where a seated statue of Amida Nyorai is enshrined.

Mikage Hall:
A wooden statue of Shinran is enshrined here, and it is larger than the Amida Hall, measuring 62m north to south, 48m east to west, and 29m high. The Amida Hall and the building are connected.

Karamon:
A gate on the south side, characterized by the gorgeous, highly colored decorations of Momoyama culture. It is also called the Higurashi Gate because you will be so fascinated by its beauty that you will forget the sun setting.

Shoin:
A building built in the Shoin style from the Momoyama period, divided into a meeting hall and a white Shoin.

Noh Stage:
A building adjacent to the Shoin, with two stages, north and south. The north stage is the oldest surviving Noh stage, and the south stage is where dances are performed during Shinran’s birthday celebrations.

Hiun-den:
This is one of Kyoto’s three great temples, alongside Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji. It is usually closed to the public, but the three floors get smaller the higher you go. It was given this name because of its thin pillars and the many shoji screens that give it the appearance of a cloud.

★Route time required：15 min

After leaving Nishi Honganji Temple, turn right and go left at the intersection. Turn left at the third traffic light at Karasuma Shichijo and you will see the next temple.

⑥Higashi Hongan-ji Temple

Time required : 30 min

Admission fee：0 yen

Opening hour：5h50 am – 5h30 pm
（6h20 am – 4h30 pm from November to February）

Close：No

This temple is also known as the Honbyo of the Shinshu sect, and even after Nishi Honganji was built, the family member who managed it, Monk Gyonyo, continued to work there, and as a result, Tokugawa Ieyasu gave the temple the land to become Higashi Honganji.

The main attractions (nationally designated Important Cultural Properties) are as follows:

Miedo Hall:
This hall enshrines the portrait of Shinran, and is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world, measuring 76m from the front, 58m from the side, and 38m in height. It is 927 tatami mats in size, and was rebuilt in 1895 and renovated in 2011.

Amida Hall:
This hall enshrines Amida Nyorai. It is also huge, measuring 52m from the front, 47m from the side, and 29m in height, and the inner sanctuary is gold from the pillars to the ceiling, recreating the Amitabha Sutra of esoteric Buddhism.

Miedo Gate:
This 27m-high gate can be seen behind the fountain from the main street, and is one of the largest wooden triple gates in the world, and the tallest wooden double gate in Japan.

Amidado Gate:
This lavishly decorated Karamon gate was rebuilt in 1911 and remains to this day.

★Route time required：10 min

After leaving Higashi Honganji Temple, turn right, go left at the previous intersection, and take bus number 208 or 206 from the Karasuma Shichijo bus stop (fare: 230 yen). Get off in front of the Sanjusangendo Museum and turn right at the T-junction to find the entrance.

⑦Sanjūsangendō Temple

Time required : 40 min

Admission fee：600 yen

Opening hour：8h30 am – 5 pm
（9 am – 4 pm from November to March）

Close：No

This temple enshrines the Thousand-Armed Kannon, also known as the lotus flower, and is famous for its 1001 standing Thousand-Armed Kannon statues. The reason for the large number is that in India, 1000 represents infinity, and it is believed that having so many statues will bring about virtue and salvation.

It was originally built in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori as a villa for the retired Emperor Goshirakawa’s Hojuji Temple, and although it was burned down once, it was restored by Ashikaga Yoshinori. Toyotomi Hideyoshi also built a mud wall to share in their glory, and it is now designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan as the Taiko Wall.

The name Sanjusangendo comes from the fact that there were 33 spaces between the pillars in the inner sanctuary of the main hall, and this number is not a coincidence, but comes from the story that Kannon saved people by transforming into 33 forms. The Thousand-Armed Kannon Seated Statue (National Treasure) sits in the center of the hall, which is the longest wooden building in Japan, stretching 120 meters from north to south. It is 3.35m tall and has 42 arms, and in front of it are lined up its attendant 28 deities (national treasures) and the Wind God and Thunder God statues (national treasures) that served as the model for the Wind God and Thunder God Screen at Kenninji Temple in Gion. On either side of these are 10 rows of 50 standing Thousand-Armed Kannon statues, and one behind the central seated statue, for a total of 1,001 statues. Only 124 remain from the Heian period, and the rest have been remade. Each statue has a different expression, and it is said that you can find a statue of the person you want to meet. Photography is prohibited inside the hall, so take your time to look around and find the person you want to meet.

★Route time required：10 min

Return to the bus stop in front of the Sanjusangendo Museum and take the bus going in the opposite direction to Kyoto Station (fare: 230 yen). Any bus line will take you to Kyoto Station.

【Goal】

Kyoto Station