Jingo-ji Temple

Jingo-ji Temple is an ancient temple of the Koyasan Shingon sect in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, with the mountain name Takao-san, and is regarded as a revered head temple of historic significance. It stands on the mid-slope of Mount Takao in the Atago mountain range (Mount Atago reaches 924 meters) in the northwest of Kyoto City, and in late autumn it becomes especially lively as a famous destination for fall foliage. According to temple tradition, it was founded in Tencho 1 (824) by Wake no Kiyomaro, a noble active from the late Nara period to the early Heian period. Access to Jingo-ji is about a 20-minute walk from the "Yamashiro-Takao" bus stop, using the JR Bus "Takao/Keihoku Line" from JR Kyoto Station. Jingo-ji is said to have been formed through the merger of its predecessor temples, Jogan-ji and Takaosan-ji, and it is said that during the era of the predecessor temples, Saicho (Dengyo Daishi) and Kukai (Kobo Daishi) were active here. The Kondo (Golden Hall) was rebuilt in 1934 (Showa 9). It is an authentic esoteric Buddhist hall with a hip-and-gable roof and true tile roofing, enshrining the principal image: a standing Yakushi Nyorai statue (National Treasure). The temple preserves many treasures, including Buddhist statues, paintings, and calligraphy from the Heian and Kamakura periods, and its temple bell (National Treasure) is counted among Japan’s three famous bells.