Daigo-ji, Buddhist temple in Fushimi-ku district, Kyoto, Japan
Daigo-ji is a Buddhist temple in Fushimi-ku district, Kyoto, that spreads across an entire mountain slope. The complex includes several halls, arranged gardens, and a five-story pagoda rising among ancient cedars and maples.
The monk Shōbō founded a first hermitage at this site in 874, which gradually grew into a larger monastery. After several destructions by fires and wars, the buildings were rebuilt over the centuries, with the pagoda from the 10th century remaining intact.
The name Daigo, literally "ghee", is used figuratively for the most profound part of Buddhist teaching. In 1598 Toyotomi Hideyoshi held his large-scale cherry blossom viewing here, and the garden of Sanbō-in was laid out to his own basic design for the occasion. The temple's treasures, about 150,000 items, are shown at the Reihōkan museum, opened in 1935.
From Daigo station, a footpath leads through a residential area to the entrance, where visitors gain access to the lower temple areas. Those wishing to visit the upper areas on the mountain should wear sturdy shoes and allow about an hour of walking time.
The pagoda from 951 is considered the oldest surviving building in Kyoto and withstood numerous earthquakes and wars without major damage. Its wooden construction was assembled without nails, giving it natural flexibility during tremors.
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