Nanzenji

京都府

Japan's highest-ranking Zen temple — the Sanmon gate and Meiji aqueduct create an iconic Kyoto scene

Founded

1291

Type

Temple

Visited

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Access

10 min walk from Subway Keage Station

86 Nanzenji Fukuchi-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto

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Info

Temple

Founded 1291

735 years

Enshrined Deity

釈迦如来

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Buddhist Sect

Rinzai Zen (Nanzenji branch)

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Overview

Head temple of the Rinzai Nanzenji-ha, founded in 1291 when Emperor Kameyama converted his detached palace into a Zen temple. Ranked above the Five Mountain system in prestige, its 22-meter-tall Sanmon gate — known as \'The Dragon Gate Under Heaven\' — commands spectacular views. The red-brick aqueduct from the Meiji era that cuts through the grounds creates a uniquely eclectic landscape.

Origins

In 1291, Emperor Kameyama (by then a retired monarch) converted his Zenrin-ji Dono detached palace into a Zen temple, inviting the eighty-year-old Mukan Fumon (Daimyo Kokushi) as its founding abbot and naming it Ryuan-zan Zenrin Zen-ji. The second abbot, Kian Soen (Nan'in Kokushi), supervised much o…

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Divine Benefits

Warding Off Evil

Purification

Rebirth in Pure Land

Averting disaster, directional protection, warding off epidemics. Central at Fudo, Kannon, and Gion-related sites.

Derived from the enshrined deity "釈迦如来"

記
Related Articles
— 1

記

The Sanmon Gate of Zen: Sacred Space in the Five Mountains Temples

The linear arrangement of Sanmon gate, Butsuden, and Hatto in Zen temple architecture spatializes the path to enlightenment. This article compares the Five Mountains temples — Kenchoji, Engakuji (Kamakura) and Nanzenji, Tofukuji (Kyoto) — to explain the relationship between Zen thought and architectural design.

architecture

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人
Related Figures
— 1

Toyotomi Hideyoshi

Taiko, Ruler of All

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Nanzen-ji's Daihōjō (Great Abbot's Hall, a National Treasure) is said to be the Taimen Goten audience hall of the Empress Dowager's Palace, originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and granted to the temple in 1611. It preserves Momoyama-era architectural splendor, a rare case of a ruler's palace hall surviving as a Zen temple's main building.

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Visiting Information

Hours

Sub-temple viewing (Hojo Garden, Sanmon Gate, Nanzen-in): Mar 1–Nov 30, 8:40–17:00 (last entry 16:40); Dec 1–Feb 28, 8:40–16:30 (last entry 16:10). The temple grounds themselves are open all day. Viewing is suspended Dec 28–31.

Admission

The temple grounds are free to enter. The Hojo Garden and Sanmon Gate each cost ¥600 adults / ¥500 high school / ¥400 elementary-junior high. Nanzen-in costs ¥500 adults / ¥450 high school / ¥350 elementary-junior high. Free for disability certificate holders plus one companion.

As of 2026-07-17. Subject to change.

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