Zenrin-ji (Eikando)

Eikando is so closely tied to autumn leaves that a saying goes, "autumn belongs to the maples of Eikando." It is the head temple of the Jodo Seizan Zenrin-ji school, set at the foot of the Higashiyama hills near Nanzen-ji. Its formal name is Zenrin-ji, but it is known by the name Eikando, taken from the monk Eikan Risshi, who revived it.

According to tradition, the temple began in 853, when the monk Shinsho bought a mountain villa belonging to Fujiwara no Sekio and turned it into a temple. In 863 Emperor Seiwa granted it the status of a jogakuji and the name Zenrin-ji, and it later became an imperially sponsored temple. In the late Heian period Eikan Risshi revived it as a center of nembutsu practice, and the temple took on its character as a place of Pure Land devotion. The Onin War damaged the whole complex, but rebuilding went on from the later 15th century, and in 1607 Toyotomi Hideyori moved the Mandala-do hall of Shitenno-ji in Osaka here to serve as the present Amida-do.

The main image is a standing Amida Nyorai with its head turned to the left, known as the "Mikaeri Amida" (the Amida who looks back). The name comes from a tradition that in 1082, as Eikan walked in procession chanting the nembutsu, the statue began to move, walked ahead of him, turned around and said, "Eikan, you are slow." The statue is an Important Cultural Property. Behind the Mieido hall, at the foot of the slope where the corridor divides toward the Amida-do and the Garyuro, there is a suikinkutsu water chime; pour water in quietly and a clear sound rings out.

The grounds include the Hojo (Shaka-do), the Mieido of 1912 built entirely of zelkova wood, the Garyuro corridor linking the Mieido and the founder's hall, and the Tahoto pagoda built in 1928. The Hojo is dated to 1627, and the curving, stepped Garyuro corridor is described as looking like a dragon. The maples on the steep hillside behind are called "Iwagaki-momiji," a name linked to a poem by Fujiwara no Sekio in the Kokin Wakashu. Among the temple's treasures are Important Cultural Properties such as the Hato-zu (waves) by Hasegawa Tohaku, while the national treasure Yamagoshi Amida-zu is deposited at the Tokyo National Museum.

The leaves usually peak from mid to late November. In autumn a treasure exhibition and night illumination are sometimes held; dates and fees change from year to year, so check the official site before going. It gets crowded in the foliage season, so allow plenty of time. A relaxed walk around the grounds takes about an hour.

Nanzen-ji is within walking distance. A little farther on is the Okazaki area, home to Heian Jingu and Kyoto City Zoo, so Eikando combines easily with a day of temples and shrines in Higashiyama.