Kouryu-ji Temple

Koryu-ji Temple is an independent temple associated with the Shingon tradition in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, with the mountain name Hachioka-zan. According to temple tradition, it was founded in 603 (Suiko 11), when Hata no Kawakatsu established the temple with a Buddhist statue gifted by Prince Shotoku as its principal image. It is considered the oldest temple in Yamashiro that existed even before the capital was moved to Heian-kyo. Access to Koryu-ji is immediate from Uzumasa-Koryu-ji Station on the Keifuku Railway. The Jogumi-o-in Taishiden (main hall) was built in 1730 (Kyoho 15) and features palace-style architecture with a hip-and-gable roof and cypress-bark roofing, enshrining a wooden standing statue of Prince Shotoku as the principal image. The Keikyu-no-miya-in Main Hall is a single-story octagonal round hall resembling the Yumedono at Horyu-ji Temple; it is estimated to date from the Kamakura period and is designated as a National Treasure. The Reihoden Treasure Hall displays an impressive lineup of Buddhist statues, including the National Treasure wooden seated Maitreya Bodhisattva in half-lotus posture (commonly called "Hokan Miroku") and another National Treasure wooden Maitreya Bodhisattva in half-lotus posture (commonly called "Naki Miroku"), along with many Important Cultural Properties—making it a place you will want to savor with plenty of time. Koryu-ji’s festival, "Uzumasa no Ushi Matsuri," is counted as one of Kyoto’s three great unusual festivals, but it is said to be held irregularly now due to difficulties in securing an ox.