Daigo-ji

Daigo-ji is a temple in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, whose grounds stretch from the east side of the Yamashina Basin up to the summit of Kasatori. The summit area is called Kami-Daigo (Upper Daigo) and the foot of the mountain Shimo-Daigo (Lower Daigo). According to the temple, it began in 874 when Shobo (Rigen Daishi) enshrined two Kannon images, Juntei and Nyoirin, at Kami-Daigo. Later, with the devotion of Emperor Daigo, the Yakushi Hall and the Godai Hall were built at Kami-Daigo, and a Shaka Hall was also built at Shimo-Daigo. The temple grounds were inscribed as a World Cultural Heritage site in 1994.

The temple counts six National Treasure buildings. Four of them, in the lower precinct and at Kami-Daigo, are covered here, and the two at Sanpo-in, which stands in a separate compound, are covered on the Sanpo-in page. The Five-Story Pagoda in the lower precinct was begun in 936 by Emperor Suzaku to pray for the repose of Emperor Daigo and was completed in the reign of Emperor Murakami. The temple gives the completion year as Tenryaku 5 (951), while the national cultural properties database gives 952. It is said to be the oldest wooden building in Kyoto Prefecture, and of its height of about 38 meters, the spire on top takes up about 13 meters. Inside the first story, the Mandalas of the Two Realms and the eight patriarchs of Shingon are painted, and these are said to be the source of Japanese esoteric Buddhist painting.

The Kondo (Golden Hall) at the center of the lower precinct began as a Shaka Hall built in 926, but it burned down twice. The present Kondo was planned to be moved from Yuasa in Kii Province on the orders of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was completed in 1600 under his son Hideyori. Its main structure keeps the style of the end of the Heian period, and the national database also lists it as a late Heian building. The seated Yakushi Buddha inside is the principal image of Daigo-ji. The Saidaimon (Nio Gate) at the entrance to the precinct was rebuilt by Hideyori in 1605, and it holds a pair of guardian Nio statues made in 1134 (Important Cultural Properties).

Kami-Daigo is where the temple began, and it is reached by climbing a steep mountain path for nearly an hour from the Nyonin-do hall at the trailhead. The Yakushi Hall was founded in 913 as a hall for Emperor Daigo's prayers and stands at the center of the Kami-Daigo precinct. The present building dates from 1121 in the late Heian period, and the Yakushi triad that was its principal image, a National Treasure, has been moved to the Reihokan Museum. The Seiryu-gu Worship Hall is a mid-Muromachi building from 1434, built in the kakezukuri style: the hillside was cut back only slightly, and the front of the hall projects out over the slope. The Daigo spring, a famous water tied to the temple's founding, still flows today. Kami-Daigo can only be entered on foot, and there are set hours for entry and a set time by which you must come back down.

Sanpo-in, founded in 1115, serves as the head lodging of Daigo-ji, and its Omote Shoin and Karamon Gate are designated National Treasures. Its garden was designed in outline by Toyotomi Hideyoshi himself for the Daigo Cherry Blossom Viewing of 1598. The Reihokan Museum holds more than 75,000 temple treasures counting National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties alone, and holds special exhibitions in spring and autumn. The Reihokan grounds have more than 40 cherry trees, including the great Daigo weeping cherry, and in autumn the area around the Benten Hall is a well-known spot for fall leaves. The lower precinct, Sanpo-in and the Reihokan have combined tickets as well as single-site tickets, so it helps to plan your route in advance, including whether you will climb to Kami-Daigo.