Kyoto · Northeast Kyoto
Nanzen-ji Temple
Nanzen-ji was founded in 1291, when the retired Emperor Kameyama turned his country palace into a Zen temple and invited the monk Mukan Fumon to head it. In the Muromachi period it was placed 'above the Five Mountains', meaning above the five great Zen temples of Kyoto and Kamakura.
The gate, Sanmon, was rebuilt in 1628 by the daimyo Todo Takatora in memory of his soldiers who fell in the siege of Osaka. It is about 22 meters high, and it is known from the legend of the bandit Ishikawa Goemon in a kabuki play. The Hojo hall, a National Treasure, was rebuilt in 1611 from a building donated from the Imperial Palace. Its back rooms hold tiger paintings attributed to Kano Tan'yu, and in front of it is the gravel garden 'The Tigress Crossing the River with Her Cubs', attributed to Kobori Enshu.
A brick aqueduct with arches runs through the grounds. It is part of the Lake Biwa Canal, built between 1885 and 1890 to bring Kyoto water, boats and power for mills.
Good to know
- Nanzen-in, the temple behind the aqueduct, is closed for roof replacement and will not reopen before spring 2027. The Hojo and the gate are open as usual.
- 84 of the 124 paintings in the large Hojo have been digital reproductions since December 2011. The originals, 400 years old, were moved to storage for conservation.
- On the east side of the Hojo there is another small gravel garden, Nyoshin-tei, from 1966, where the stones are arranged in the shape of the character 心, 'heart'.
- To the right of the gate stands a stone lantern more than six meters high, donated in 1628 when the gate was dedicated.
What is nearby
Approximate walking minutes from the entrance of Nanzen-ji Temple.
- HereNanzen-ji Temple
- ~2 min
Nanzenji Junsei Food
Yudofu, tofu simmered in a pot, in a large garden at the entrance to Nanzen-ji. The basic meal, 'Hana', is ¥3,850. One of the buildings, an Edo-period school of medicine, serves kaiseki meals and is registered as a cultural property.
- ~4 min
Hinode Udon Food
A family restaurant in an old house, 40 seats, that specializes in udon in a thick curry sauce. No reservations and cash only. A dish is about ¥1,000 to ¥2,000.
- ~6 min
Blue Bottle Coffee Kyoto Cafe Cafe
The chain's first branch in Kansai, opened in 2018 in a traditional wooden house more than a hundred years old. 44 seats.
- ~6 min
Keage Incline Street
A sloped railway about 582 meters long that carried boats up on carts over a height difference of about 36 meters on the Lake Biwa Canal. The rails are still there and you can walk on them. About 90 cherry trees line it. Free.
- ~7 min
Hyotei Food
A historic kaiseki restaurant in Higashiyama.
More in Northeast Kyoto
Appears in: Ginkaku-ji, the Philosopher's Path and Nanzen-ji: northern Higashiyama on foot · Walking Kyoto's eastern hills: from Ginkaku-ji to Gion via the Philosopher's Path