Josho-ji was founded in 1616 as a religious seminary. The seminary thrived and at the peak of its popularity, the compound comprised over 30 buildings with hundreds of monks studying there. Nowadays the temple is renowned for its connection with Yoshino Tayu, an "classical entertainer lady" (whatever it means). She donated the front gate of the temple, which is thus called the "Yoshino gate". The cherry trees bordering in the alley on front of the gate are said to have been planted in her memory.
The temple is located next to Genko-an (源光庵), and thus also near Koetsu-ji (光悦寺). The temple doesn't have a nice zen garden, but the grounds are pleasant and a nice place to have a small rest after a visit to the busy Genko-an. The autumn colours are also very famous, and the sakura alley in front of the temple is one of the most famous in Kyoto. Expect hordes of tourists in early spring.
West of the hondo (main hall) is where you can stop for macha and wagashi (green tea and sweet). Behind the main hall is a small tea house with a round window, and further beyond a small path goes down to a small valley with a dam. Not strictly part of a temple visit, but anyway... Recommended for: Access: 400 円 Nearby: Genkō-an 源光庵 (110m), Myōken-gū 妙見宮 (230m), Kōetsu-ji 光悦寺 (310m), the Shozan Resort Garden しょうざんリゾート (550m), Shōzen-ji 招善寺 (850m), Shōden-ji 正伝寺 (880m), Jinkō-in 神光院 (1.1km) External links: ウィキペディア, Kyoto Navi, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Marutake, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, Kita-ku, Josho-ji, 常照寺, temple, 寺院, 仏閣 Statistics: visited on 7 occasions, id 263, 19 photos (7 extra photos can be found in the archive). |
