Gio-ji Temple

Giou-ji Temple is a small nunnery in Oku-Sagano, Kyoto, known for a tragic love story. According to The Tale of the Heike, Giou, a shirabyoshi dancer favored by Taira no Kiyomori, lost his affection to another dancer, Hotoke Gozen. When Giou was 21, she became a nun together with her mother and sister and moved to this hermitage. Later, Hotoke Gozen also felt the impermanence of life, visited Giou, became a nun, and it is said that the four women lived devoted to constant nembutsu practice. Giou-ji stands within what was once the grounds of Ojo-in, which is said to have been founded by Ryochin, a disciple of Honen. Though Ojo-in once occupied a wide area across the hillside, it later declined and survived as a modest nunnery, eventually becoming known as Giou-ji. The temple is famous for its moss-covered garden and seasonal wildflowers, and in autumn, crimson maple leaves scatter over the moss, creating a striking contrast of red and green. It is about a 25-minute walk from JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, and unlike the bustling area near Togetsukyo Bridge, it offers a quiet, atmospheric Sagano setting.