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Temples & Shrines

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This temple is the head temple of the Tofuku branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. It is one of Kyoto's 5 main Zen temples. It was Established in 1236 by Kujo Michiie (1192-1252). Standing at 22 meters high, the sanmon ("mountain gate"), is the oldest and largest Zen sanmon in Japan, built in 1425.

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This temple is the head temple of the Tofuku branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. It is one of Kyoto's 5 main Zen temples. Established in 1236 by Kujo Michiie (1192-1252), whose goal was to build a great Zen temple in Kyoto like that of Todai-ji and Kofukuji in Nara, thus the combination of the names of two model temples. Michiie handed over leadership of the temple to Enni Ben'en(1201-1280), who previously intensively studied Zen in China. and under his care, the temple won increasing acceptance and respect in Kyoto, having as its patrons, many respected politicians such as Toyotomi Hideyoshi(1536-1598) and Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543- 1616). Tofukuji has survived many fires since the 14th century, and the latest restoration was completed in 1934. The sanmon ("mountain gate"), a National Treaure, is the oldest and largest Zen sanmon in Japan, and was built in 1425. It stands 22 meters high, and in 1969, a large-scale 2.5 million dollar refurbishing of the gate began and finished nine years later.There are 4 gardens arranged around the Hojo, which are definitely worth a look, as they display a vivid contrast between the the simplicity of Zen aesthetic and the classical architecture of the Kamakura period. Each autumn, Tofukuji becomes one of Kyoto's most spectacular (as well as crowded) locations for viewing the maple leaves.