Seigan-ji is a temple in the bustling Tera-machi area of Kyoto, famed ever since the Heian Period as a temple for women and for improvement of performing arts. Since the old times, it was frequented by famous women such as Sei Shōnagon, the author of “The Pillow Book” and Izumi Shikibu, the most important woman poet of the Heian period.

In fact, during the 16th century, Seigan-ji was relocated here by the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, but the temple managed to preserve its reputation, and it said that even one of the most important concubines of Hideyoshi, Kyōgoku Tatsuko (Matsu no Maru), was coming here to pray at this beautiful Amida Nyorai statue…

Amida Nyorai, Seigan-ji Temple, Tera-machi, Kyoto

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese gardens, Horaijima mythical island