By YOKO HIBINO/ Staff Writer
September 13, 2024 at 08:00 JST
The interior of the Gion-kaku tower in Kyoto’s Higashiyama Ward (Yoko Hibino)
KYOTO--A local landmark that is designated as a tangible cultural property and normally off-limits is now open to the public until the end of September.
The structure in question is the Gion-kaku tower built in 1927 by industrialist Kihachiro Okura (1837-1928), who founded Sapporo Beer Co., the predecessor of Sapporo Breweries Ltd., and Okura Gumi Shokai, the forerunner of leading general contractor Taisei Corp.
It is said that Okura loved the Gion Festival so much that he had the tower constructed in the motif of a “yamahoko” float featured in the city’s annual festivities.
At 36 meters tall, the three-story tower’s top level offers a 360-degree view of Kyoto.
It was designed by Chuta Ito, an architect who was also involved in the construction of Heian Jingu shrine in Kyoto and Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo.
The interior features reproductions of ancient Buddhist murals found in the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China, while the lighting fixtures are decorated with sculptures of monsters and mystical creatures.
Gion-kaku stands on the grounds of Daiun-in temple, which was initially established in the Tensho period (1573-1592) to pray for the souls of feudal warlord Oda Nobunaga and his son Nobutada.
The tower was opened to the public as part of the Kyoto Summer Special Openings 2024 tourism initiative organized by the city government and other entities.
The annual summer event, the 49th in a series, is being held under the theme of “Architectural masterpieces and gardens of Kyoto” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the World Heritage registration of Kyoto’s historic monuments.
Seven other sites are also open to the public, including: the main hall of Daiun-in; the “Onari no ma” room on the third floor of the Chorakukan guest house built by industrialist and tobacco tycoon Kichibe Murai in 1909; and Ninnaji temple’s Goten palace and gardens, where visitors can see “fusuma-e” sliding door paintings drawn by Insho Domoto up close in the Kuroshoin study hall.
The event runs until Sept. 30.
For more details, visit the official website at (https://kyoto.travel/en/see-and-do/natsu_tabi2024.html).
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