Kodai-ji Temple

Kodai-ji sits at the foot of the Higashiyama hills in Kyoto, a short walk south of Yasaka Shrine along Nene-no-Michi lane. It belongs to the Kennin-ji branch of the Rinzai school, and its principal image is Shaka Nyorai. Nene (Kita-no-Mandokoro), the principal wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, established the temple in 1606 to pray for her late husband, with support from Tokugawa Ieyasu. The temple is called the "temple of maki-e" because its mausoleum and furnishings carry Momoyama-style lacquer decoration known as Kodai-ji maki-e.

Several buildings are Important Cultural Properties, including the mausoleum (Otamaya), the Kaisando hall, the tea houses Kasatei and Shigure-tei, and the moon-viewing platform over Engetsu Pond. The garden is a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty, and is attributed to Kobori Enshu. It is famous for weeping cherry blossoms in spring and bush clover in early autumn, and its leaves turn red in late autumn. The covered stairway over Garyu Pond is one of the temple's best-known views.

The temple was the first in Kyoto to open for evening visits, and during the special night openings the garden is lit from 5 pm to 10 pm. Regular hours are 9:00 to 17:30, with last entry at 17:00. Adults pay 800 yen, and a combined ticket with neighboring Entoku-in costs 1,200 yen. Allow one to one and a half hours. Yasaka Shrine, Chion-in and Kiyomizu-dera are all within about 750 m.