Toganoo-san Kosanji Temple

Deep in the mountains of northwestern Kyoto City stands this ancient temple, founded in the early Kamakura period by the monk Myoe at the imperial request of Retired Emperor Go-Toba. It is designated as part of the UNESCO World Heritage site “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto,” and its grounds are also registered as a National Historic Site. The temple also houses more than 10,000 National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.

One of Kosanji Temple’s most famous treasures is the National Treasure “Choju Jinbutsu Giga.” This picture scroll, created from the late Heian period to the Kamakura period, features ink paintings of anthropomorphized animals. All four scrolls have been preserved as National Treasures, and their brushwork is said to be the origin of Japanese manga. Another National Treasure, Sekisui-in, is a rare example of Kamakura-period shinden-zukuri architecture, and the views of fresh greenery and autumn leaves from its wide-open southern veranda are spectacular. It is regularly open to the public and also displays reproductions of Choju Jinbutsu Giga.

The temple grounds are filled with lush trees and offer beautiful scenery in every season. There is also a tea garden said to be the oldest in Japan, where tea picking still takes place in mid-May. Admission to Sekisui-in is 1,000 yen, and during the autumn foliage season, a separate mountain entry fee of 500 yen is required.