Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji  永観堂禅林寺 The temple got its start when Kūkai’s pupil, the monk Shinshō, aspired to found a temple for the worship of the Gochi Nyōrai, or Five Wisdom Buddhas. In 853, he purchased the mansion of Fujiwara no Sekio for this purpose. The construction of temples was forbidden in Kyoto at the time, however, [...]

平等院 This temple was originally built in 998 in the Heian period as a rural villa of Fujiwara no Michinaga, one of the most powerful members of the Fujiwara clan. This villa was changed to a Buddhist temple by Fujiwara no Yorimichi in 1052. The most famous building in the temple is the Phoenix Hall [...]