The beauty of the low cherry trees at Ninnaji Temple!
  About 15 min. from ROHM by car
  It is a bright, clear day, and here, in an area of Kyoto known as Omuro, when the sakura cherry trees are in full bloom, you instinctively know that the most beautiful season in Kyoto will soon come to an end. These Omuro cherry trees are so low that they feel close even when you’re sitting down. Ninnaji Temple, which is known as "The Cherry Blossom Temple" is famous for its late blossoming cherry trees. It has had a close relationship with the Imperial family since its foundation.
In 888 AD, the 4th year of the Ninna Period in Japan, the Emperor Uda founded Ninnaji Temple, following the last wishes of his father, the Emperor Koko, subsequently becoming the head priest, or Monzeki (a term referring to both a temple whose head priest is a member of the Imperial family, and the head priest of such a temple). From then until the last part of the Edo Period, the reigning Emperor fulfilled the role of head priest at Ninnaji Temple, and the temple came to be called Omuro Gosho (Omuro Imperial palace). During the Onin War (1467-1477) all of the buildings at the temple site were burned down, but the Tokugawa Shogunate provided support for rebuilding the temple during the early part of the Edo Period, restoring the site to its present state.
Now, as well as being a Monzeki temple, it is also the head temple of the Omuro sub-sect of the Buddhist Shingon Sect, and in 1994 was recognized as a World Heritage Cutural Site by UNESCO. The temple is a treasure house of works of art from the Heian, Kamakura and Edo periods, and the Kondo Hall on the temple grounds is a national treasure. The Chumon Gate and the Five-storied Pagoda are important cultural properties, and there are many Buddhist sculptures at the temple, such as the Amida Sanzon (a three-figure set of Buddhist statues) and the Amida Nyorai statue, at the Hondo Hall, which are also national treasures. Furthermore, it is well known that Ninnaji Temple was often mentioned in ancient texts, such as the Tsurezuregusa and the Hojoki from the Kamakura Period.
Modeled after the famous Shikoku 88-stop pilgrimage course, the Omuro 88-stop pilgrimage course, a 3-km pilgrimage course constructed on the temple grounds, and the Sakura Festival, which is held on the grounds when the cherry trees are in full bloom, draw many visitors from all over the country every year. During this season, the Omuro cherry trees fill the temple grounds behind the five-storied pagoda with color, evoking the image of an ancient picture scroll depicting the end of the most beautiful of all seasons in the ancient capital of Kyoto.
   
Five-storied Pagoda
Five-storied Pagoda
Shoro Belfry
Shoro Belfry
Omuro 88-stop pilgrimage course
Omuro 88-stop pilgrimage course

Map of Ninnaji Temple and the grounds Map of the Ninnaji Temple area

●Kyoto City Bus: Close to the "Omuro Ninnaji" bus stop
●Keifuku Electric Railroad: About 2 minutes on foot from the Omuro Ninnaji Station

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