By YOKO HIBINO/ Staff Writer
February 12, 2025 at 07:00 JST
The Butsuden (Buddha Hall) and the west garden at Ryoanji temple in Kyoto’s Ukyo Ward are open to the public as part of the Kyoto Winter Special Openings event. (Yoko Hibino)
KYOTO--Cultural properties rarely seen by the public are now on show as part of the Kyoto Winter Special Openings campaign.
Hosted by the city government and the Kyoto City Tourism Association, the event is spread across 15 locations and runs until March 18.
At Ryoanji temple, with its famous rock garden, the west garden is now also open to the public.
The “kaiyushiki teien” strolling garden was reconstructed from one developed in the Muromachi Period (1336-1573). The garden is also the site of the Hosokawabyo hall, where a wooden sitting statue of Hosokawa Katsumoto, a high-ranking official of the Muromachi Shogunate, and a Buddhist “ihai” memorial tablet for the Hosokawa family, are enshrined.
Other highlights include the Butsuden hall, which was rebuilt in 1981 following a fire that destroyed the structure in the 18th century. The building is known for a dragon painting on the ceiling.
Another site of interest there is the Hojo main hall, which is decorated with “fusuma-e” sliding door paintings of clouds and dragons created by former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa.
At Byodoji temple in the Shimogyo Ward, a standing statue of Yakushi Nyorai is open to the public for limited viewing. A hood-like garment protects its head in case it hits the interior of the “zushi” miniature shrine.
A statue of Gokoshiyui Amida Nyorai is on show at Jizoin temple in Kita Ward. Nicknamed “Otafuku Amida,” it features long-grown “rahotsu” tightly curled hair and a plump face.
Visitors to the World Heritage Ninnaji temple in the Ukyo Ward can enter the Kyozo sutra storehouse and the five-story pagoda.
“We want as many people as possible to see the cultural properties in a serene environment and enjoy the profundity of Kyoto’s winter,” said Mayor Koji Matsui during a preview event held on Jan. 9.
Some sites prioritize online reservations, while some others only accept online reservations.
For details, visit the official website at (https://kyoto.travel/en/see-and-do/fuyu_tabi2025.html).
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