Have you ever heard of Jodo-in Temple? Many may not have, as it’s a small temple but it comes with a very interesting story. It is located in Ginkakuji-cho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City! Jodo-in Temple is a temple in the Jodo sect, also known as the Pure Land sect – here, the central image of Buddha is Amida Nyorai. The Jodo-in Temple is also called ‘Daimonji-dera Temple’ – but why? Well, this temple oversees the ‘Daimonji’, the Great Bonfire Event, which is one of the Gozan Okuribi, the five mountains bonfire events that take place in Kyoto.
The temple has been around since the 14th century and was only established in its current form in 1736. It’s a little difficult to tell the exact story before that as the land it occupies has seen several incarnations. The land belonged to a temple called Jodo-ji Temple, but the land was later claimed by the eighth shogun of the Muromachi bakufu, Yoshimasa ASHIKAGA, who built his mountain villa there. His villa later became known as Jisho-ji Ginkaku Temple. However, before this, the temple had a close relationship with the Imperial Family as two of the Imperial family were granted permission to enter the priesthood there.
It’s a shame that the temple was abolished, but that story is one of many that Jodo-in carries. If you step onto the grounds, you will find the peaceful and beautiful environment of the temple. If there is a bonfire festival taking place you will see the temple bathed in warm light from the fire. You can see the light reflected in the windows of the temple, giving the building an almost fantastical appearance.