Byodoin Temple
Byodoin Temple
Byodoin Hoo-do (平等院鳳凰堂) is located in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture, about 40 minutes from Kyoto Station by JR. Byodo-in Temple is famous for being drawn on coins and bills, Hoo-do Hall has 10 yen coins and 10,000 yen bills have Phoenix statues. A long time ago, the villa operated by Minamoto no Toru of Saga-Genji was handed over to Emperor Uda, then it became the villa of FUJIWARA no Michinaga "Uji-dono" in 998 after it was passed on to Minamoto no Shigenobu, the grandson of the Emperor. The temple's origins date back to 1052, when Michinaga passed away in 1027 and his son Fujiwara no Yorimichi, the Kanpaku (chief adviser to the Emperor), converted Uji-dono Palace into a temple. The wisteria trellis are famous in the garden in the precincts. Uji is also the setting of The Tale of Genji and Uji Jujo (The Ten Quires of Uji), and is the site of a villa for court nobles in the Heian period. Also, three major brands of Japanese tea, Uji tea, are famous all over Japan, and near Byodoin, there are teahouses lined up, and you can smell the nice aroma of tea.
Last Updated: June.2020