Kodaiji Temple

Kodaiji (Photo: 663highland / CC BY-SA 4.0)

Overview

Address

526 Shimogawara-cho Kodaiji,Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto,605-0825 Japan

( Map ) ( Directions )

Hours

9:00 - 17:00 Open now

Opening Hours

Monday
9:00 - 17:00
Tuesday
9:00 - 17:00
Wednesday
9:00 - 17:00
Thursday
9:00 - 17:00
Friday
9:00 - 17:00
Saturday
9:00 - 17:00
Sunday
9:00 - 17:00
Holidays
9:00 - 17:00

Price

Free

Website

kodaiji.com

Highlights

The Temple Gardens

The gardens of Kodaiji are impressive to say the least. One is a rock garden of raked gravel that represents the ocean. The other is a lush garden designated as a historical site and place of scenic beauty by the Japanese government.

Main Hall

The main hall of Kodaiji was once covered in lacquer and gold. It was rebuilt to be more modest in design after a fire claimed it in 1912. Gardens border the hall on two sides.

Otama-ya

This sanctuary is a special memorial hall enshrining Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his wife, Kita-no-Mandokoro (Kodai-in as a nun). The small shrine contains wooden statues of both.

Kodaiji Maki-e

Maki-e is the lacquer technique of sprinkling gold or silver powder on the lacquer while still wet. In the Otama-ya, there are a flight of stairs and small shrines with such beautiful and delicate designs on them. Hanaikada is a Momoyama-Era Important Cultural Property and depicts rafts with flowers upon them, expressing Buddha’s teachings - that everything flows without stopping.

General Amenities

Information Counter
Prayer rooms

Facilities

Cafe

Access

From Hankyu Kawaramachi Station or Keihan Shijo Station, take city bus 207 and get off at Higashiyama Yasui. Kodaiji Shrine is a 7-minute walk from there. From JR Kyoto Station or Kintetsu Kyoto Station, take city bus 206 (Higashiyama direction) and get off at Higashiyama Yasui. Kodaiji Shrine is a 7-minute walk from there. From JR Kyoto Station or Kintetsu Kyoto Station, the shrine is a 15-minute drive by car or taxi.