Temple · Kyoto Station north

Higashi Hongan-ji 東本願寺

A free head temple five minutes' walk from Kyoto Station whose Goeido is among the largest wooden buildings in the world, with a coil of rope made from women's hair on display.

About

Higashi Hongan-ji (Shinshu Otani-ha) was founded in 1602 when Tokugawa Ieyasu split the Hongan-ji in two to weaken its political power. It burned four times in the Edo period; the current Goeido, finished in 1895, is one of the largest wooden buildings in the world at 76 m long and 38 m high, enshrining the founder Shinran. When it was rebuilt, ordinary followers who could not afford timber donated their hair to make ropes strong enough to lift the beams, and a 69 m kezuna rope is displayed in the corridor. The Amidado and Goeido are free to enter, and the vast gravel courtyard and the Goeido-mon gate are impressive. The temple also owns Shosei-en garden a few blocks east. Its new Otani-ha information centre has exhibitions on Shinran in English.

Highlights

• Goeido, one of the largest wooden buildings in the world
• Kezuna rope woven from donors' hair
• Goeido-mon gate, 27 m high
• Free entry five minutes from Kyoto Station
• Fountain shaped like a lotus and a dragon

Tips

• Perfect for a short visit before or after a train; the station is a five-minute walk.
• Remove shoes and sit in the Goeido for a few minutes: the scale is astonishing.
• Walk on to Shosei-en garden, a 10-minute walk east, run by the same temple.
• Morning services start around 7:00.

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

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