Shinnyodo Temple

What to know

Shinnyodo (真如堂, Shinnyodō) is a Tendai sect temple founded in 984 by a priest from the influential Enryakuji Temple. Tucked away from Kyoto's main tourist trails, it is a beautiful autumn color spot, typically peaking in late November, yet remains relatively uncrowded.

The temple's halls were destroyed during the Onin War (1467-1477), but fortunately its principal image of Amida Buddha was rescued. After several relocations, the image was enshrined at the current site in 1693 when the temple was rebuilt. Today, Shinnyodo's grounds cover a large area with multiple buildings, including a three-storied pagoda. Most of the grounds are free to enter, but a fee is required for the inner chamber of the main hall and the gardens.

Visitors to the main hall's ornately decorated inner chamber will immediately notice a large gold leaf canopy, along with other lavish embellishments and ritual props. The chamber also houses statues of Monju Bodhisattva and Saicho, the founder of Tendai Buddhism in Japan. Two huge beautiful paintings are alternately displayed every six months: one depicts the passing of the Historical Buddha, while the other is a mandala illustrating the Pure Land of Pure Land Buddhism.

Also located in the paid zone and connected to the main hall by a corridor are a few more rooms with elegant paintings on their sliding doors (fusuma). From these rooms, visitors can view the temple's gardens, including a contemporary dry garden that reproduces a Japanese family crest with geometrically arranged stone patterns, and another dry garden representing the aforementioned painting of the Buddha's passing.

Shinnyodo Temple is in the same general district as Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), about a 20-minute walk from there. From Kyoto Station, take Kyoto City Bus number 5 for about 35 minutes (230 yen). Get off at the Shinnyodo-mae bus stop, from which it is a five-minute walk to the temple.