化野念仏寺

Adashino Nenbutsu is a Buddhist temple located up a long winding road leading from the famous bamboo forest in Arashiyama, Kyoto.

The temple dates to 811 C.E., when Kukai is believed to have founded it.

The temple itself sits atop a hill where in the Heian Period people abandoned bodies.

As a way of memorializing the dead, some eight thousand Buddhist statuettes have been arranged in the center of the temple grounds.

The temple is most famous for its August "sento kuyo," a ceremony dedicated to the spirits of the dead. On that night, about ten thousand stone statues are lit up with candles.

Incredibly beautiful and mysterious.

Access

From the center of Arashiyama - accessible by the JR Saga Station, Arashiyama Station on the Keifuku Line, or on the other side of the river Arashiyama Station on the Hankyu Line - it is a 25 minute walk. Go through the bamboo forest, cross the JR tracks, follow the path up into the hills past temple after temple.

17 Adashino-cho, Saga-Torimoto, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto

Entrance Fee

500 yen

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