A collection of soaring buildings, spacious courtyards and gardens, Chion-in serves as the headquarters of the J艒do sect, the largest school of Buddhism in Japan. It's the most popular pilgrimage temple in Kyoto and it's always a hive of activity. For visitors with a taste for the grand, this temple is sure to satisfy.
Chion-in was established in 1234 on the site where H艒nen, one of the most famous figures in Japanese Buddhism, taught his brand of Buddhism (J艒do 鈥 or Pure Land 鈥 Buddhism) and eventually fasted to death.
The oldest of the present buildings date to the 17th century. The two-storey San-mon temple gate is the largest in Japan. The immense Miei-d艒 Hall (Main Hall) contains an image of H艒nen. It's connected to another hall, the Dai H艒j艒, by a 'nightingale' floor (that sings and squeaks at every move, making it difficult for intruders to move about quietly). Miei-d艒 Hall is currently under restoration and closed to the public. It's expected to be finished by 2020.
Up a flight of steps southeast of the main hall is the temple's giant bell, which was cast in 1633 and weighs 70 tonnes. It is the largest bell in Japan. The bell is rung by the temple's monks 108 times on New Year's Eve each year.
The temple has two gardens 鈥 the H艒j艒 garden designed around a pond in the chisen kaiy奴shiki style, and the Yuzen-en featuring a karesansui (dry landscape garden).