Kajū-ji, Buddhist temple in Yamashina district, Kyoto, Japan.
Kajū-ji is a Buddhist temple in the Yamashina ward at the eastern edge of Kyoto. The central Himuro pond sits between low hills and is surrounded by garden areas with pines and flowering plants.
The grounds were established in the 10th century as a private devotional site for a member of the court. The buildings burned down in the 15th century and were later rebuilt on a smaller scale.
The name refers to the pear trees that once grew here and gave the grounds their character. Visitors come in early May to see the iris along the pond edge, while summer brings the lotus season.
The grounds are a six-minute walk from Ono Station on the Tōzai subway line. Visitors who come during the flowering season in May or summer see the gardens around the pond in full color.
A Chinese juniper has stood on the grounds for 750 years and looks like a natural monument beside the buildings. A stone lantern nearby dates from the Edo period and was donated by a regional lord.
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