Category: Hidden Spots

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Kōshōji Temple （Oribe Temple)　（興聖寺　織部寺）

Kōshōji Temple is a Rinzai Zen temple located in Nishijin, Kyoto.
It is associated with Furuta Oribe, a daimyo (feudal lord) and tea master, and is also known as Oribe-dera (Oribe Temple).
Although it is located in the middle of town, its quiet garden with beautiful moss is highly recommended.
Here, you’ll find a unique feature: a “descending tsukubai,” a type of water basin where the ground is deeply dug out, and a spiral stone staircase leads down to the top where the water basin is placed.

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Giō-ji Temple（祇王寺）

Giō-ji Temple is a Shingon sect Daikaku-ji branch temple (nunnery) located in Saga, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City.
It is a thatched-roof hut that appears in “The Tale of the Heike.” It is said that Giō, who lost the favor of Taira no Kiyomori, became a nun with her sister and mother and spent the rest of her life there.


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Tōji-in Temple（等持院）

Tōji-in Temple is located in the northwest of Kyoto City. It is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple and the family temple of the Ashikaga shogunate.
Its garden is particularly beautiful, offering stunning scenery throughout the four seasons.
There are relatively few visitors, allowing for a peaceful and quiet visit.

 

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Tanukidani-san Fudoin Temple（狸谷山不動院）

Tanukidani-san Fudōin Temple
Located in Ichijōji, northeast of Kyoto, this is a Shugendō temple known for prayers for traffic safety, protection from evil, and cancer prevention.
It features Musashi-no-Taki waterfall, where the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi is said to have trained, and many tanuki (raccoon dog) statues are dedicated along the approach to the temple.

 

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Koetsu-ji Temple（光悦寺）

Koetsu-ji Temple is a quiet temple located in Takagamine, Kita Ward, Kyoto City. It was given to Hon’ami Koetsu by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, and his family moved there,which led to the development of an arts village in the area. After Koetsu’s death, Koetsu-ji Temple was founded in this place associated with him. The stone-paved entrance to the temple is very picturesque.


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▶ Japanese Note

光悦寺の近くには源光庵、常照寺など静かで見所の多いお寺があります。