About Kodaiji
Kodaiji (高台寺) is a temple of the Kenninji branch of Rinzai Zen at the foot of Ryozen in the Higashiyama hills, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, whose Otamaya mausoleum and Kaisando hall of 1605 were designated Important Cultural Properties on April 7, 1900, followed by the front gate, the Karakasa-tei and Shigure-tei tea houses and the Kangetsudai pavilion, five in all. Its formal name is Kodai Jushozenji (Kodaiji).
According to the temple, it was founded in 1606 by Kita no Mandokoro (Nene, who took the name Kodai-in Kogetsuni), the widow of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to pray for his soul. In 1624 the monk Sanko of Kenninji was invited as founding abbot and the temple took the name Kodaiji. Tokugawa Ieyasu gave lavish financial support for its building, and it was said to be magnificent (Kodaiji).
Five Important Cultural Properties
The Otamaya enshrines Hideyoshi and Kita no Mandokoro, whose grave lies beneath her statue. Its altar platform and shrines are decorated in gorgeous maki-e lacquer, known as "Kodaiji maki-e", a byword for Momoyama art. The Kaisando was originally a private Buddhist chapel, and the pond gardens spreading east and west of it are attributed to Kobori Enshu (Kodaiji).
Each of the five was designated an Important Cultural Property. The front gate is a Momoyama three-bay yakuimon; the Karakasa-tei and Shigure-tei are tea houses, the first with a pyramidal thatched roof and the second a two-storey thatched building; and the Kangetsudai is a small cypress-bark pavilion with cusped gables on three sides (Agency for Cultural Affairs).
Visiting Kodaiji
Kodaiji is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (last entry 5:00 p.m.). Admission is 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for junior and senior high school students, and a combined discount ticket with Entokuin is 1,200 yen. Hours are extended during special evening openings such as in autumn (Kodaiji).
From the Higashiyama Yasui city bus stop it is a 7-minute walk east, or about 10 minutes from Gion-Shijo Station on the Keihan line (Kodaiji).
References
- History (Kodaiji)
- https://www.kodaiji.com/rekishi.html
- Visiting (Kodaiji)
- https://www.kodaiji.com/haikan.html
- Access (Kodaiji)
- https://www.kodaiji.com/houmon.html
- Kodaiji Otamaya (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1785
- Kodaiji Kaisando (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1784
- Kodaiji Front Gate (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1786
- Kodaiji Karakasa-tei and Shigure-tei (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1787
- Kodaiji Kangetsudai (Database of National Cultural Properties)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/102/1789
Last verified: 2026.10.07
Basic Information
| Name | Kodaiji |
|---|---|
| Location | Shimogawaracho, Shimogawara-dori, Yasaka Torii-mae, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture |
| Owner | Kodaiji |
| Designation | Important Cultural Property (5) |
| Coordinates | 35.00078, 135.78173 |
