Giō-ji

Introduction

Gio-ji lies on the hillside of Okusaga, reached by walking north from the Arashiyama bamboo grove through the old Toriimoto street as the noise falls away layer by layer. It belongs to the Tale of the Heike story of Gio, the shirabyoshi dancer who lost the favour of Taira no Kiyomori and took the veil with her mother Toji and sister Ginyo. The thatched hall enshrines Dainichi Nyorai flanked by figures of Gio, Ginyo, Toji, Buddha Gozen and Kiyomori, two of them attributed to the Kamakura period, while stone pagodas outside mark the family's graves. The real sight is modest: a garden of more than twenty moss species under maples and bamboo, with camellias, a water harp cave and stone lanterns along the path, and a round window gathering the green into the dim hall. Moss is brightest in the June-to-July rains, and late-November maple leaves on the moss are the famous image, but the temple is tiny; come before ten and avoid the tour-group windows around eleven and two if you want to sit still. Shoes come off on the tatami of the thatched hall, and a few minutes facing the garden is the point. Admission is JPY 300, JPY 100 for high school and under, cash only, open 09:00-17:00 with last entry 16:30, no booking needed, and a JPY 600 combined ticket with Daikaku-ji exists. Unlike Saiho-ji, which requires an application and sutra copying, this is a moss garden you can simply walk into; twenty to thirty minutes is enough, which makes it a natural follow-up to Adashino Nenbutsu-ji and the Toriimoto street.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info