Temple · Sagano / Arashiyama

Gio-ji 祇王寺

A tiny nunnery hidden in a maple-shaded hollow of Sagano, where a thatched hut sits above a carpet of moss and a round window glows green, the setting of a tragic Tale of the Heike love story.

About

Gio-ji takes its name from Gio, a shirabyoshi dancer loved by the warlord Taira no Kiyomori in the 12th century. When Kiyomori abandoned her for a younger dancer, Hotoke Gozen, Gio retired here as a nun with her mother and sister, and Hotoke later joined them, a story told in the Tale of the Heike. Wooden statues of the four women and Kiyomori sit in the small hall. The present thatched hall dates from 1895, but the setting is timeless: a garden of soft moss under a canopy of maples and bamboo, with the light filtering through in green in summer and red in late autumn. The hall's large round "Yoshino window" frames shifting shadows and is the classic photo. It takes only 20 minutes to see, but it is one of the most atmospheric places in Arashiyama.

Highlights

• Undulating moss garden beneath maples and bamboo
• The round Yoshino window of the thatched hall
• Wooden statues of Gio, her family, Hotoke Gozen and Taira no Kiyomori
• Fresh green maples in May and June, red in late November
• Peaceful setting just up the lane from Takiguchi-dera

Tips

• Cash only.
• Buy the combined ticket with Daikaku-ji if you plan to visit both.
• Come in June or early July when the moss is greenest and crowds are thin.
• Combine with Jojakko-ji, Nison-in and Adashino Nenbutsu-ji on the Sagano temple walk.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Nison-in TempleTemple · 270 m away
• Saga-Toriimoto Preserved StreetPhoto Spot · 410 m away
• Adashino Nenbutsu-jiTemple · 430 m away
• Jojakko-jiTemple · 460 m away
• Okochi Sanso GardenGarden · 790 m away
• Hoshinoya KyotoStay · 810 m away
• Arashiyama Bamboo GroveNature & Hike · 860 m away
• Kameyama Park Observation DeckVista & View · 960 m away