Travel to Toji Temple and Pagoda in Kyoto Japan

Photo by  Leanne Jean  on  Unsplash Toji is a temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded (in the early Heian period) a...

Photo by Leanne Jean on Unsplash

Toji is a temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded (in the early Heian period) as a guardian temple for Kyoto in 794. It was one of only two great temples that is allowed in the city after the capital was moved from Nara in order to escape the meddlesome Buddhist clergy. Toji (meaning East Temple) was established by the Emperor Kammu and it once had a partner, Sai-ji (meaning West Temple) but it was demolished long ago. At that time, these two great temples stood on each side of the main gate of Kyoto.

The temple was given to Kukai (the priest who founded the Japanese Buddhist sect of Shingon) in 823 by the emperor Saga. Wars and fires destroyed most of the temple buildings during the 16th century. One survivor is the Lecture Hall (Kodo) which has survived intact since it was built in 1491. Other structures were rebuilt such as the Kondo (Main Hall) in 1603. Today Toji is an oasis of calm in central Kyoto. UNESCO designated Toji a World Heritage Site in 1994.

Photo by Charles Postiaux on Unsplash

Toji’s most eye-catching building is the five-story pagoda. This 57 meters high pagoda is the tallest wooden tower in Japan. However, the Toji pagoda was burned down by lightning, as were several subsequent pagodas. The Toji pagoda that you see now was rebuilt by Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu. The Toji pagoda has been, and continues to be a symbol of Kyoto. The temple’s principal image is of Yakushi Nyorai, the healing Buddha. The Kodo (Lecture Hall) contains 15 original statues of Buddhist deities that were carved during 8th and 9th centuries.