Daitoku-ji (大徳寺)

Daitoku-ji (大徳寺) is a large temple complex located in the north-west of Kyoto. Several of the most beautiful zen gardens are located here, such as Ryogen-in (龍源院), Zuiho-in (瑞峯院) and Koto-in (高桐院). Kyoto has three other major temple complexes that should not be missed: Tofukuji (東福寺), Myoshin-ji (妙心寺) and Nanzen-ji (南禅寺).

Daitoku-ji was founded in the early 14th century by priest Shuho Myocho. Shuho converted emperor Hanazono to zen, which allowed Daitoku-ji to prosper under imperial patronage. In the 15th century the buildings were almost completely destroyed by fire. A zen priest with influence restored the temple under patronage from a rich merchant from Osaka and... a poet. At that time, Daitoku-ji consisted only in the core buildings: the hojo (the abbot's quarters), the main hall, the gate and a few other minor annexes. In the middle of the 16th century, feudal lords (call daimyo) started to build sub-temples within the precinct of Daitoku-ji, thus increasing the size and importance of the temple considerably. During 200 years (until the 18th century), about 80 sub-temples were built! Unfortunately, the Meiji restoration and its anti-Buddhist policy led to the destruction of most of the buildings; today only about 20 survive, all "important cultural property" or "national treasure" of Japan.

Although Daitoku-ji has about 22 sub-temples, only a few are visitable, and of those photography is only allowed in a handful. You may be able to visit some sub-temples that are normally closed to the public if you visit Daitoku-ji during the high season or at the time of a special event.

Recommended for: Access:

Nearby: Imamiya-jinja 今宮神社 (400m), Takeisao-jinja 建勲神社 (450m), Jobonrendai-ji 上品蓮台寺 (720m), Myōren-ji 妙蓮寺 (950m), Myokaku-ji 妙覺寺 (1km), Honpō-ji 本法寺 (1km), Shōzen-ji 招善寺 (1.1km), Shakuzo-ji 石像寺 (1.1km), Uhō-in 雨宝院 (1.1km), Hōkyō-ji 宝鏡寺 (1.2km),...

External links: ウィキペディア, Wikipedia, Wikipédia, Kyoto Navi, Trip Advisor, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Inside Kyoto, Marutake, そうだ京都

Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, Kita-ku, 大徳寺, Daitoku-ji, temple, 寺院, 仏閣

Statistics: visited on 5 occasions, id 260, 148 photos (6 extra photos can be found in the archive).

In Daitoku-ji: