Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji

photo by Mikel Santamaria · CC BY-SA 3.0

photo by Hikomi Moneru · CC BY 3.0

Since 1082 the statue of the Amida Buddha has not looked at the worshippers: its face is turned backwards.

You climb from the main gate up to the Amida hall, where the statue of the Buddha does not look straight at the worshippers: its face has been turned to the side, towards those who come in, since 1082. Behind it, the Tahōtō pagoda of 1928 comes into view as you climb a path among the maples, about three thousand trees that turn red in November, when the temple also opens in the evening with the lights on among the branches.

Founded in 853, when the monk Shinshō acquired the former residence of the nobleman Fujiwara no Sekio, the temple received the official name Zenrin-ji from Emperor Seiwa in 863. The monk Yōkan (1033–1111), active here from 1072, started the cult of the Amida statue that looks backwards, from which comes the popular name Eikandō. Since 1919 it has been the independent head temple of the Jōdo (Pure Land Buddhism) Seizan Zenrinji school.

ℹ️ Regular admission 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:00), all year round. Tickets: adults 1,000 yen, university students 800, junior high/high school 600, elementary school 200 (discounts for groups and for people with a disability certificate). Tripods/monopods, animals, food and smoking are forbidden in the grounds, as is photographing the treasures in the halls. In 2026 the autumn treasure exhibition runs from 11 November to 6 December and the evening opening with lights from 20 November to 6 December (17:30–20:30): they are separate admissions with different prices, and you cannot go from the day to the evening on the same ticket.

🚉 Keage · 13 min walk

Sources: eikando.or.jp · eikando.or.jp · eikando.or.jp · eikando.or.jp · eikando.or.jp · ja.kyoto.travel

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