Hokaiji Temple
Hokaiji Temple (法界寺) in Hino Nishidaidocho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, is a temple of the Daigo branch of Shingon Buddhism with two designated halls: an Amida Hall of the early Kamakura period, a National Treasure, and a main hall known as the Yakushido, an Important Cultural Property whose ridge beam bears an inscription of 1456 (Agency for Cultural Affairs; Hokaiji Temple). Both are owned by the temple.
According to the temple, Hokaiji was the family temple of the Hino, a branch of the Fujiwara clan, and is known locally as Hino Yakushi, the Healing Buddha of Hino. Temple tradition holds that it began when a member of the family made an image of the Healing Buddha and built a hall for it. Many halls once stood here, but most were lost in the Jokyu War and later troubles, leaving only these two.
The Two Halls
The Amida Hall is five bays square, with a pent roof and a pyramidal roof of cypress bark; at its centre sits a great seated Amida, itself a National Treasure, and heavenly beings and other designs are painted on the columns and ceiling (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
The Yakushido is a hall five bays wide and four deep under a hipped tile roof; the temple says it was moved here in 1904 from a temple in the Tatsuta area of Nara Prefecture. It has long drawn people praying for safe childbirth and nursing. Each hall is described on its own page.
Visiting
According to the temple, it is open from 9:00 to 17:00 from April to September and from 9:00 to 16:00 from October to March. There is a fee to enter the Amida Hall (500 yen for adults), and the Yakushido is open for prayer from its outer sanctuary.
It is about 20 minutes on foot from Ishida Station on the Kyoto Municipal Subway Tozai Line, or about 5 minutes from the nearest stop of Keihan Bus route 12. A free car park for about 6 cars lies south of the gate (Hokaiji Temple).
References
- Hokaiji Amida Hall (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1916
- Hokaiji Temple Main Hall (Yakushido) (Database of National Cultural Properties, Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/heritage/detail/102/1917
- About Hokaiji (Hokaiji Temple, Japanese)
- https://hino-houkaiji.com/about/
- Visitor information (Hokaiji Temple, Japanese)
- https://hino-houkaiji.com/sanpai/
- Access (Hokaiji Temple, Japanese)
- https://hino-houkaiji.com/access/
Last verified: 2026.10.20
Basic Information
| Name | Hokaiji Temple |
|---|---|
| Location | Hino Nishidaidocho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Owner | Hokaiji Temple |
| Designation | National Treasure (1) · Important Cultural Property (1) |
| Coordinates | 34.93404, 135.81500 |
