Daigo-ji

Introduction

Founded in 874 by Shobo, a disciple of Kukai, Daigo-ji is the head temple of the Daigo school of Shingon Buddhism and was inscribed in 1994 as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Its vast grounds span Mt Daigo, split into the Lower Daigo at the foot and Upper Daigo on the summit. Lower Daigo holds the national-treasure five-storey pagoda of 951, the oldest surviving wooden structure in Kyoto at 38 metres, the national-treasure Kondo hall enshrining Yakushi Nyorai, and the Nio-mon west gate rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1605. The stroll garden of Sanbo-in, designed personally by Toyotomi Hideyoshi for his 1598 cherry-blossom banquet, is a Special Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty; its Fujito stone was hauled from the Seto Inland Sea at his command. For that banquet Hideyoshi transplanted more than 700 cherry trees and hosted over 1,300 guests across five days, a defining scene of Momoyama culture re-enacted each year on the second Sunday of April as the Taiko Flower Viewing Procession. The Reihokan stores some 150,000 temple treasures, opened only in spring and autumn, while the vermilion Bentendo and its reflection among autumn maples form the temple's signature view. Upper Daigo is a one-hour uphill walk from Nyonindo to the spring of Daigo water that gave the temple its name.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info