Jōjakkō-ji Temple

In front of you is the entrance to Jōjakkō-ji, a temple of the Nichiren school built on the lower slopes of Mount Ogura. Its name refers to the “pure land of eternal, tranquil light”, and anyone who visits in autumn understands the comparison: the maples on its slopes are among the most photographed in Kyoto.

1A mountain retreat

The temple was founded in 1596 as a retreat for Nisshin, abbot of Honkoku-ji temple, on land given by a cousin of the merchant Suminokura Ryōi, the same man who moved the Togetsukyō bridge. Further up you will see the thatched Niōmon gate: it was built in the 14th century at another temple and moved here in 1616. High on the slope rises the Tahōtō pagoda of 1620, about twelve metres tall and an Important Cultural Property.

2The mountain of poems

Mount Ogura is a name steeped in poetry. In the early 13th century the poet and courtier Fujiwara no Teika had a villa somewhere around here, Shigure-tei. According to tradition, this is where he selected the anthology “Ogura Hyakunin Isshu”, one hundred poems by one hundred poets, which Japanese schoolchildren still learn today and which is played as a card game at New Year.

Three places in Sagano claim to have been Teika’s villa: this temple, neighbouring Nison-in and little Enri-an. None has proved it.

3What to look for

• The name board on the gate.
• The thatched gate, at the top of the steps.
• The Tahōtō pagoda, among the trees on the slope.