Chōkō-dō, Buddhist temple in Shimogyō-ku, Japan.
Chōkō-dō is a Buddhist temple in the Shimogyō-ku district of Kyoto, Japan, made up of several traditional wooden buildings connected by covered passageways. The complex sits in a quiet neighborhood a short walk from the major shrines of Nishi Honganji.
The temple was founded in the late 12th century and is connected to a military commander who served under some of the most powerful feudal lords in Japanese history. Over the centuries it kept its religious purpose while surrounding parts of Kyoto were destroyed and rebuilt through wars and fires.
Chōkō-dō is dedicated to a Tendai monk and remains connected to the Nishi Honganji community, one of the main branches of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism in Japan. Visitors who walk through the grounds can watch worshippers pray quietly at the shrines alongside curious travelers exploring the wooden halls.
The temple is easiest to reach on foot from the Nishi Honganji shrines, which makes a natural starting point for the visit. Going in the morning gives you the best chance of seeing the buildings without many other visitors around.
The temple's founder served under Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the three men who unified Japan one after the other. Serving all three in succession was extremely rare and placed its founder at the center of events that shaped the country for over 250 years.
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