Temple · Saga-Toriimoto / Arashiyama
Adashino Nenbutsu-ji 化野念仏寺
An eerie, moving temple in northern Sagano where some 8,000 stone Buddhas and memorial stones for the unnamed dead are gathered, lit by a thousand candles each August.
About
Adashino was in the Heian period one of Kyoto's burial grounds, where bodies were left exposed to the elements, and the temple is said to have been founded by Kukai in the early 9th century to console the dead, later converted to the Jodo sect by Honen. Over centuries, abandoned stone Buddhas and grave markers from the surrounding hills were collected here, and in the Meiji period they were arranged in rows in the Sai-no-Kawara courtyard, around 8,000 weathered stones evoking the dry riverbank of the afterlife. On the evenings of 23 and 24 August the Sento Kuyo memorial lights candles among them. Behind the main hall a short bamboo-lined path, a quiet alternative to the crowded grove at Tenryu-ji, climbs up the hillside past a small cemetery. It is at the top end of the Saga-Toriimoto preservation street, a natural stop between Otagi Nenbutsu-ji and central Arashiyama.
Highlights
- Sai-no-Kawara: about 8,000 stone Buddhas and markers in rows
- Quiet bamboo path behind the temple
- Sento Kuyo candle ceremony on 23-24 August
- Mizuko Jizo hall for unborn children
- Location on the thatched Saga-Toriimoto street
Tips
- Photography of the stone Buddha courtyard is restricted; check signs and be respectful.
- Come in late afternoon for low light through the bamboo.
- Walk downhill from Otagi Nenbutsu-ji to here and on to Gio-ji for an easy, mostly downhill route.
- The Sento Kuyo is one of Kyoto's most atmospheric summer events.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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