special opening

526 shimogawara-cho Kodai-ji,Higashiyama-ku,Kyoto

Kodai-ji autumn garden and Kaisan-doKodai-ji Temple,formally known as Kodaijusho-zenji Temple,is located in the Higashiyama Mountains of eastern Kyoto just south of Yasaka Shrine.It was established in 1605 by the noblewoman Kita-no-Mandokoro in memory of her husband,Toyotomi Hideyoshi(1536-98).Kodai-ji Temple's construction was extensively financed by Tokugawa Ieyasu,Hideyoshi's chief vassal and later Shogun of Japan;the result was a temple renowned for its beautiful design and exquisite craftsmanship. In 1624 Sanko Joeki,Abbot of Kenninhi Temple,was appointed founding priest,and Kodai-jiTemple has remained one of Kenninji Temple's largest and most important sub-temples ever since.

Kodai-ji Temple was ravaged by a series of fires after 1789,and all that survive of its original buildings are the Otama-ya,Kaisan-do,Kangetsu-dai,Kasa-tei,and Shigure-tei,etc.Fortunately these remain in an excellent state of preservation,and have all been designated "Important Cultural Properties" by the Japanese Government.

Kita-no-Mandokoro(known more familiarly as "Nene")was awarded the highest rank of nobility by Emperor Goyozei in 1588,and in 1603 was accorded the honorary name Kodai-in;it is from the latter that Kodai-ji Temple's name derives.Following the custom among noble ladies of her time,she became a Buddhist nun after the death of her husband and adopted the religious name Kogetsu-ni.She died at the age of 76 on September 6,1624.

OPEINIG TIME:9:00am-5:00pm　
CHARGE:adult 600yen high school and junior high school student 250yen

530 shimogawara-cho Kodai-ji,Higashiyama-ku,Kyoto

Hokutei autmunKitanomandokoro Nene, who was the wife of Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1537-1598) who unified Japan at the Warring State Period, opened Kodai-ji temple for enshrining Hideyoshi after he died. It’s 400 years ago. And she ordered to move the Kesho-palace and the front yard of Fushimi-castle into Kodai-ji temple site, because she had many memories in Fushimi-castle with Hideyoshi, and she lived there. A lot of people, Japanese feudal lords, monks, tea masters, poets, painters, ceramicists and etc…, came to the place for meeting her. She spent for 19 years in the place until she died when she was 76years old.
Iesada Kinoshita who was an older brother of Nene and Toshifusa who was a son of Iesada supported Nene. Toshifusa opened Entoku-in for a memorial service for the Kinoshita family in the place where Nene lived after she died. It became one of minor temples with Kodai-ji temple.
Entoku-in has two dry landscape garden (south garden and north garden).
The north garden, there are a lot of rocks. This garden was brought from Fushimi castle. It is a famous garden in the Momoyama Period.
The south garden, the sands of this garden shows ocean. There are many trees that bloom in each season. It is very beautiful.
The paintings on the fusuma (a framed and papered sliding door used as a room partition) in the main building were drawing by Tohaku Hasegawa who was a famous ink painter in the Edo Period and Ryo Akamatsu who was a Japanese modern artist. The fusuma, which was painted by Tohaku Hasegawa, is an important cultural property.

OPEINIG TIME:9:00am-5:00pm　
CHARGE:adult 500yen high school and junior high school student 200yen

80 Daitoku-ji Murasakino Kita-ku,Kyoto

Obai-in entranceOubai-in was built by Nobunaga Oda(a military commander in the Age of Civil Wars, 1533-1582) for a memorial service for his father,Nobuhide,in 1562.It is one of minor temples with Daitoku-ji sect of Rinzai-shu in Zen Buddhism.It was derived from Touzen-ji,Mt.Hato,Oubai-prefecture in China.At first,it was called "Oubai-an" which means a hermitage.When Nobunaga died in 1582,his vassal,Hideyoshi Toyotomi(1536-1598),ordered to rebuild its main building and Kara-gate.Takakage Kobayakawa who was a building magistrate in the time commanded to build a bell tower,a room for guests and a Kuri(like a kitchen of temple).Then,it was renamed from"Oubai-an"to"Oubai-in"in 1589,when Gyokucyu was second priest in this temple.

Autumn special opening series 2008:11-30 October and 11 November-7 December
OPEINIG TIME:10:00am-4:00pm
CHARGE:adult 600yen high school student 400yen junior high school student 300yen

80 Daitoku-ji Murasakino Kita-ku,Kyoto

Kohrin-in main hall autumn gardenKohrin-in was built as the family temple of Saemonno-suke Hatakeyama,Lord of Noto prefecture,about A.D.1520.The temple took the Buddhist name of the founder.The first priest Shohkei was one of the most distinguished pri-ests Daitoku-ji school has ever produced.
The superior's quarters shows the Muromachi style and is endowned with simple beauty of the age when the building form of temples was influencing the residential form.
The front gate is elegant and secure,and is known as atypical work of Muromachi-era.Kara gate shows the building form of Zen temple very plainly.
Kankyo-tei,a tea room,was named from a poem of great Chinese Poet So Tohba.It was made after the pattern of famous Hassoh-an.
The garden expresses the paradies though of old Caina.An azalea bush and stones are the symbol of the Elysiam mountain.This garden has"Baidara"tree.In ancients India,they used leaves of the tree of the same sort when the sacred books were recopied.The word Baidara means"leaves"
Moreover,many Chinese arts of Gen era and many important letters of old times are in Kohrin-in.

Autumn special opening series 2008:11 October-14 December
OPEINIG TIME:10:00am-4:00pm
CHARGE:adult 600yen high school student 400yen junior high school and elementary school student 300yen

80 Daitoku-ji Murasakino Kita-ku,Kyoto

Soken-in main hallSoken-in is located within the large compound of Daitoku-ji,the head temple of the Daitoku-ji branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism.Founded in 1583 by the great leader of Japan's unification in the 16th century.Toyotomi Hideyoshi,it is the memorial temple for Oda Nobunaga(1534-82),who had led the reunification movement,and whose rise to hegemony put an end to the hundred years of strife referrer to in Japanese history as theWarring States Period.
Nobunaga's brilliant career and life ended at age fortynine,when he was attacked by surprise by a vassal aiming to succeed to the hegemony.Nobunaga's strong-willed follower Hideyoshi soon thereafter avenged Nobunaga,and the hegemony passed to him.He had the elegant temple Sokenin built on theoccasion of the first anniversary of his illustrious late lord Nobunaga's death,having the priest Kokei Sochin serve as its founding abbot.Kokei Sochin is historycally renowned as the Zen mentor of Sen-no-Rikyu,revered as the man who perfected the Japanese Way of Tea,or so-called"tea ceremony"

Autumn special opening series 2008:11 October- 6 December
*CLOSE:28,29 November
OPEINIG TIME:10:00am-4:00pm
CHARGE:adult 600yen high school student 400yen junior high school student 300yen