{"id":3706,"date":"2016-03-17T07:55:31","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T22:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/?p=3706"},"modified":"2020-07-22T00:26:53","modified_gmt":"2020-07-21T15:26:53","slug":"kyoto-daigoji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/voyapon.com\/kyoto-daigoji\/","title":{"rendered":"Kyoto’s Daigoji Temple, the Essence of Autumn"},"content":{"rendered":"
The temple complex of Daigoji at the base of eastern Kyoto’s Kami-Daigo mountain is one of the city’s largest and oldest Buddhist complexes. The complex consists of three parts, being Sanb\u014d-in (garden); Kami-Daigo (upper) and Shimo-Daigo (lower). Although you can easily spend a whole day walking through the entirety of the grounds, the latter section in particular draws visitors from across the world for its iconic scenery and 1.000-year-old pagoda.<\/p>\n
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Kondo, the Golden Hall<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n Goju-No-To, reaching for the heavens<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n Bentendo Hall’s Autumn Colors<\/strong>
\nEntering through the main gate of the Shimo-Daigo is already a humbling experience with the trees embracing the path in front of you. As you move further, the Kondo appears behind a thinner line of trees. This hall is Daigoji’s main hall, where its Buddhist monks chant their sutras and conduct their religious activities. The building, however, was not Daigoji’s original hall; nor was it actually built here first. It was relocated to its current location 100 kilometers south from Daigoji Temple in Wakayama Prefecture around 1600 AD.<\/p>\n
\nConstructed over a period of 15 years in honor of Emperor Daigo, the pagoda you notice across from the Kondo reaches about 38 meters into Kyoto’s autumn skies. Its sorin, the top of the pagoda, is approximately 13 meters and gives the pagoda a stable appearance.<\/p>\n
\nWith nature’s touch in the furthest corners of Shimo-Daigo lie the most iconic sights that have become almost as representive of Kyoto as Gion and Kiyomizu-dera. \u00a0This is the vermillion Bentendo Hall. When the shroud of autumn falls over Japan, the trees countless colors combine with the reflective pond and seemingly secluded scenery, transforming Bentendo Hall into one of Japan’s most beautiful sights.<\/p>\n