How often do you get the chance to step back twelve centuries? At Daikakuji Temple you can. This temple boasts ties to the Imperial family and a history stretching back 1200 years.
Daikakuji Temple started as Emperor Saga’s villa in the early Heian period. Kobo Daishi or Kukai practiced religious rituals here. It’s now a Shingon Buddhist temple in Ukyo-ku Kyoto. The official name is Kyu Saga Gosho Daihonzan Daikakuji Temple.
Emperor Saga built Saga-in Palace in 814 CE. It later became his retirement seat as Saga Rikyu imperial villa. Tradition says Japan suffered a serious epidemic. The Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi suggested Emperor Saga copy the Heart Sutra. He made a handwritten copy and the epidemic supposedly ended. The handwritten sutra is kept at the Shingyoden hall. It is displayed publicly once every sixty years. Pilgrims still copy the sutra here. Their copies are kept with the original.
In 876 Emperor Saga’s daughter Princess Masako turned the complex into Daikakuji Temple. She was the consort of Emperor Junna. It became a monzeki temple. By tradition only imperial princes were appointed abbot. Over the years it was the retirement home of several emperors. In the 13th and 14th centuries retired emperors resided here. They included Emperor Go-Saga, Emperor Kameyama and Emperor Go-Uda. They could be ordained as monks, but continued to wield power. This was known as cloistered rule.
The Saga Go-ryu school of ikebana has its headquarters in the temple. Tsujii Koshu established this school in 1936.
Osawa Pond is one of the oldest Japanese garden ponds from the Heian period. Emperor Saga created it. It’s an artificial lake of 2.4 hectares. The pond is supposed to mirror Dongting Lake in China. This lake has special significance in Chinese culture. It was an imperial garden meant to be seen from a boat. The lake was created by damming a stream. At the north end of the pond are two islands. One is large and one is small. The small island is known as Chrysanthemum Island.
Daikakuji Temple has deep connections with the Imperial family. You can experience Japanese beauty and spirituality passed down through the ages. The Shinden Hall is an Important Cultural Property. It features gorgeous sliding screen paintings by Kano Sanraku. Osawa Pond is Japan’s oldest man-made garden. Emperor Saga commissioned it. He modeled the gardens after Lake Dongting in China. It has about 700 cherry trees and maples.
Until the early Meiji period emperors and imperial family members served as chief priests. The grounds are lined with imperial-style temple buildings. The Godaido Hall houses the Five Great Wisdom Kings centered around Acala. Daikakuji Temple is the main training center for copying the Heart Sutra. The Heart Sutra written by emperors is enshrined in the Heart Sutra Hall. It is opened only once every 60 years.
About 150 plum trees bloom from early to mid-March. About 500 cherry trees decorate Osawa Pond from late March to early April. Water lilies bloom in Osawa Pond from mid-May to late July. Ancient lotus flowers bloom from mid-July to mid-August. The autumn foliage season is from mid-November to mid-December. The autumn leaves around Osawa Pond reflect on the surface. The pond is specially lit up at night.
So, as you wander through Daikakuji Temple remember its rich history. Think of emperors, monks, and artists who shaped this special place.