One of the most visited cities in Japan, Kyoto nestles among the mountains in Western Honshu. It was the imperial capital of Japan in the bygone era before it was shifted to Edo (now Tokyo). Today, this city of Japan is the capital of Kyoto prefecture. The city occupies an area of 827.90 sq km and has a population of 1,473,068. For a visiting tourist, the city presents modernity in every form, however, with a little effort, the hidden beauty of the city emerges. Infact, many a times, it is said that a visit to Japan is incomplete till the time you pay a visit to Kyoto, the heart of Japan.


Buddhism in Kyoto
Kyoto is one of the sacred destinations for a Buddhist tourist. The city is known as the "city of a thousand temples,", but in reality, it has much more than 1000 temples. There are around 2000 Buddhist temples and monasteries that have come up in the city during last 1500 years. Apart from this, the city is also home to a number of Buddhist universities where monks, nuns, and novice scholars live and carry out research.


Buddhist Attractions

Eastern Kyoto

• The Ginkakuji Temple : Situated in the northeast part of the city, the Ginkakuji or Silver Pavilion Temple was constructed in 1482 by the eighth Ashikaga Shogun as a country residence. Post his death, it was converted into a Zen temple. The temple is a two-story building standing by a pool. The upper story of the temple houses a gilded statue of Kannon behind which stands the main hall with an important statue of Buddha. Quiet closeby, there is a tearoom. The temple is open from 8:30am-5pm daily between April-November while between December-March, it is open daily from 9am-4:30pm.
  
  
• Chion-in Temple : One of the most famous temples of Kyoto, the Chion-in Temple is the main seat of the Jodo sects. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt many a times in its history, the last time being in the 17th century. The main hall of the temple is dedicated to the founder of the Jodo sect of Japanese Buddhism, Honen. Also worthvisiting here is the Sutra Library housing a complete collection of the Buddhist Sutra, in 5,600 volumes.
  
  
• Nanzenji Temple : The temple is dedicated to the Rinzai sect of Japanese Buddhism and was establisehd in 1293. The highlight of the temple, located at the foot of a hill, is its two-story Torii which dates back to 1628. The ceiling here has paintings by famous contemporary artists. Within the temple complex, there is also a stone garden.
  
  
• Shoren-in Temple : Also known as the Awata Palace, the temple was the former residence of the abbots of the Enryakuji Temple (Mount Hisi). The main hall of the temple was rebuilt in 1895 and has wall screens with works by Kano Mitsunobu, Kano Motonobu and Sumiyoshi Gukei.
  
• The Kiyomizu Temple : The Buddhist temple was constructed in 798, however, the structures that stand today date back to 1633. It draws its name from the waterfall that lie within the complex. The temple standing at an elevation of Mount Otowa has its main hall dedicated to the goddess of mercy and compassion. The hall itself is a wooden one supported by 139 pillars, each 15m (49 ft.) high. The verandah is known for the spectacular views it offers of the Kyoto city. The temple is open everyday from 6am-6pm.
  
  
• The Kodaiji Temple : The Kodaiji Temple was established by the widow of Toyotomi Hideyoshi who became a Buddhist nun post her husband's death in 1606. A memorial hall houses wooden images of Hideyoshi and Nene (his widow). Also to be seen in the temple complex is the beautiful gardens laid out by Kobori Enshu and teahouses designed by Sen no Rikyu, a well known 16th-century tea master. The temple is open everyday from 9 am to 5 pm.
  
  
• Sanjusangen-do/ Rengyoin Temple : The temple was originally established in 1164 as Rengyoin Temple. The temple was reconstructed after a fire played havoc with its structure. The temple is dedicated to Kannon, the goddess of compassion and has 1001 statues of hers. The statue at the centre is 10 feet tall and has thousand arms (there are actually only 40 arms). It dates back to 13th century. Apart from the statue of Kannon, the hall also houses 30 statues of Kannon's disciple. Because of so many statues, the length of the hall is immense, infact, it is the longest wooden building in Japan. The temple is open everyday from Apr to mid-Nov between 8am-5pm and from mid-Nov to Mar between 9am-4pm.
  
  
• The Yasaka Shrine : Also known as the Gion Shrine, the Yasaka Shrine was built in honour of god Susanoo-no-mikoto, his wife Inadahime and their sons. Apart from the main shrine, also see the 30ft tall stone torii and figures of lion like animals known as koma-inu. The shrine is the venue for one of the greatest festival of Japan, the Gion-matsuri celebrated in July.
  
  

Station Area

• Nishi Honganji Temple : An extremely important temple of the original Jodo-shinsu sect, this temple is an excellent example of the Buddhist architecture. The Hondo or the Main Hall of the temple houses a statue of Amida by a master of the Kauga School. In the rooms closeby, statues of Shotoku-taishi and Ho-nen are seen. The Daishi-do or the Founder's Hall is dominated by a statue of Shinran.
  
  

Northern Kyoto

• The Enryakuji Temple : A temple that once enjoyed tremendous power, the Enryakuji Temple was established in 788 by a Buddha priest named Saicho, at the orders of the Emperor Kammu. The site of the temple in the northeast of the city was meant to prevent the evil spirits coming from that direction. The temple was destroted by Oda Nobunaga when the political influence of the monks grew tremendously. The temple was reconstructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, however, it never gained its erstwhile power.
  
  

Northwest Kyoto

• The Daitoku-ji Temple : One of the most important temples of the Rinzai sect, the temple was first built in 1324 and then rebuilt in the 16th and the 17th century. Only seven out of the total 22 temples are open for visitors. Dominating the main hall of the temple is the statue of Shakyamuni. With him are his disciples, Anna and Kayo and a figure of Daito-kokushi, first abbot of the temple. Also worthseeing in the temple complex is a garden which is counted amongst the excellent Zen gardens.
  
  
• The Koryuji Temple : Founded in 622 by Hata Kawakatsu, the The Koryuji Temple is also called the Uzumasa-dera. The Lecture hall of this temple happens to be the second oldest building in Kyoto and houses three statues - seated Buddha in centre, thousand-handed Kannon and Fukukenjaku-Kannon on the sides. Statues of 16 old Shotoku-taishi, Nyoirin-Kannon (a gift from the king of Korea) and Amida can be seen in an octagonal hall, Keigu-in or Hakkaku-do. The temple museum also houses and displays some of the most outstanding sculptures like the Yakushi-nyorai and Miroku-bosatsu. The second of the two dates back to 6th - 7th century and is the oldest sculptural work in Kyoto.
  
  

South/ South Eastern Kyoto

• The Byodoin Temple : The temple was constructed in the 11th century by Yorimichi on a site that was earlier his country residence along with Minamoto Toru and Fujiwara-no-Michinaga. The temple, which is a classic example of the temple architecture of the Heian period houses an imposing gilded figure of Amida by the 11th century artist, Takuma Tamenari. The Kannon- do is situated right above a river and because of this, is known as the Tsuridono ("Fishing Hall").
  
  
• Fushimi-Inari Shrine : Constructed in 711, Fushimi-Inari Shrine is counted amongst the greatest shrines in Japan. It is dedicated to the goddess of rice-growing, Ukanomitama-no-mikoto, and is mostly visited by merchants and tradesmen who seek prosperity. Highlight here is the 21/2 m long avenue of red torii which was a gift by the worshippers. Sculptures of foxes, supposedly the messengers of gods, are also seen in this temple.

Western Kyoto

• Daikaku-ji Temple : The temple was constructed in 876 close to the Ozawa pond. Later, in the 17th century, the imperial villa of Emperor Saga was was taken apart from its original site and reassembled here. The temple is famous for its Heian era garden, one of the oldest gardens in Kyoto.
  
  

Other Buddhist Temples in Kyoto

• Adashino Nembutsu-ji, Higashi-Honganji, Kinkaku-ji, Mampuku-ji, Myoshin-ji, Ninna-ji, Ryoan-ji, Saiho-ji, Tenryu-ji, To-ji, Saihoji Temple, The Tenryuji Temple