Byodoin Temple in Kyoto: Highlights and Personal Photos with Insights into the Beauty of the Pure Land as Reflected in the Phoenix Hall

2024-09-25

Byodoin Temple was built in 1052 with the image of “the Pure Land of this world.” It is a popular tourist spot in Kyoto, and even after about 1000 years, it still retains its beauty.

This article will share the highlights of Byodo-in Temple, along with some personal photographs.

Getting to Byodoin Temple from Kyoto Station

The most convenient way to reach Byodoin Temple from Kyoto Station is by bus, as there is no nearby train station.

STEP

Board the JR Nara Line train for Uji at Kyoto Station.

You’ll find the JR Nara Line for Uji on platform 8,9,and 10.

STEP

Disembark at JR Uji Station.

It takes about 16 minutes to get here from Kyoto Station.

STEP

From the station, walk about 650m, which takes about 9 minutes.

After exitting the ticket gate, turn left and exit the station from the south gate.

There are signs throughout the town indicating the direction to Byodoin Temple and Ujigami Shrine, so it’s easy to find your way.

Uji is also famous for its tea, and the approach to the temple is lined with long-established tea shops and souvenir stores. The area also offers a variety of gourmet foods and sweets, making it enjoyable to take a leisurely stroll before or after your visit.

This is one of the entrances, the South Gate, which is distinguished by its vivid vermillion color. You will check in here.

Highlights of Byodoin Temple

As you walk a little through the temple grounds, you will see the Phoenix Hall. When Byodoin was built, the era was marked by natural disasters, famine, and epidemics. At that time, the nobles aimed to bring the ideal world of the Pure Land to this world by constructing this temple. Its elegant appearance, seemingly floating on the pond, truly resembles a palace of the Pure Land.

Interior visits to the Phoenix Hall are conducted every 20 minutes from 9:30 AM to 4:10 PM. However, since there is a set number of visitors allowed at a time, there may be a wait.

This is a photo from the front. The symmetrical grandeur is mesmerizing. By the way, I later learned that the east-facing Phoenix Hall is particularly beautiful when bathed in the morning sun. I wished I had visited earlier in the day.

On the south side of the Phoenix Hall, there are crape myrtle flowers blooming, and the view from there was also wonderful.

By the way, the “phoenix” is a mythical bird from ancient China, considered a good omen for auspicious events. The name “Phoenix Hall” was given because its appearance from the front resembles a bird with outstretched wings, and there is a phoenix statue on the roof. The phoenix statue outside is a replica, and the original is displayed at the Byodoin Museum.

The Hexagonal Hall on the south side of the pond is a historical resting place. This building was actually constructed using old columns from the major restoration of the Phoenix Hall in 1902.

The bell of Byodoin Temple is known as one of Japan’s three famous bells. It is renowned for its beauty and is described as “the sound of Miidera, the inscription of Jingo-ji, and the appearance of Byodoin”. While the bell outside is also a replica, with the original housed in the Byodoin Museum, the carvings of lions and other figures are incredibly delicate, and I was in awe of their beauty.

After touring the temple grounds, I recommend visiting the Byodoin Museum. Admission is free. The museum displays the original phoenix statue from the roof and the bell. Among the exhibits, the space with 26 bodhisattva statues holding various musical instruments lined up on the wall was particularly mysterious and moving.

By the way, the name “Byodoin” does not come from the building being symmetrical. Instead, “Byodo” in “Byodoin” refers to the Buddhist term meaning “equal,” indicating the equality of the Buddha’s salvation. I learned from the museum staff that there was originally a temple named “Byodoin” at Miidera Temple, and when the head priest moved to the current location, the new temple was named “Byodoin.”