Chishaku-in
Higashiyama, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 16:30
Last entry 16:00. The garden closes 29 to 31 December, and the treasure hall also on 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October.
Source: chisan.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Chishaku-in is the head temple of the Chizan branch of Shingon Buddhism, at the east end of Shichijo-dori. Its treasure hall, opened in 2023, always shows the National Treasure panels by Hasegawa Tohaku and his studio, including his Maple and the Cherry Blossoms attributed to his son Kyuzo. The garden is modelled on China's Mount Lu, and its pond runs in under the veranda of the Daishoin hall.
Insider tip
The garden and the treasure hall are ¥500 each. The garden's at its best when the azaleas and satsuki flower, mid April to mid June. No eating on the grounds, and no tripods.
What's on at Chishaku-in
Upcoming events at Chishaku-in and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Chishaku-in Night Viewing
智積院 夜間特別拝観
Time 17:00 to 21:00 (last entry 20:40) Station Shichijo (Keihan), 10 min walk
Chishaku-in lights the approach to its Kondo hall and the bell tower among the autumn leaves. The treasure house, with the Hasegawa Tohaku school's National Treasure wall paintings, stays closed at night, and children 12 and under go free.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY 4.0 Shuntoe Peach Festival at Sanjusangendo
春桃会（三十三間堂）
Time 9:00 to 15:30 Station Hakubutsukan Sanjusangendo-mae bus stop (City Bus 206, 208), right by the stop
On 3 March, a day of threes at the hall of 33 bays, entry is free and the Ikenobo school offers flowers. You can view the 1,000 Kannon statues from a raised platform, and a women's peach charm (¥1,000) is sold that day only.
Olivier Bruchez, CC BY-SA 2.0 The Great Kano School, Part 2: Edo to Meiji
京都国立博物館開館130周年記念 特別展 大狩野派 第2部 江戸～明治編
Time 9:00 to 17:30 (last entry 17:00), Fridays to 20:00, closed Mondays except 19 July Station Shichijo (Keihan), 7 min walk
The second half of the museum's 130th-anniversary survey of the Kano painters, Japan's biggest school of artists, in the first show this size in half a century. Part 2 takes the story from the Edo period to Meiji with every work changed from Part 1. It's open to 20:00 on Fridays, and ticket prices haven't been announced yet.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 800 Years of the Shimazu Clan of Satsuma
京都国立博物館開館130周年記念 特別展 薩摩島津家八〇〇年
Station Shichijo (Keihan), 7 min walk
Heirlooms of the Shimazu, the samurai family who ruled southern Kyushu from Satsuma, marking 800 years since the death of their founder Shimazu Tadahisa. The museum says it's the first big show of the clan's treasures on Honshu, and some pieces change during the run.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 The Tale of Genji: Radiance of the Heian Court
特別展 源氏物語 王朝のかがやき
Time 9:00 to 17:30, Fridays to 20:00 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Shichijo (Keihan), 7 min walk
The Kyoto National Museum's first Tale of Genji exhibition in about 50 years shows paintings, crafts, manuscripts and commentaries, about 250 works across its Kyoto and Tokyo runs, including the Aobyoshi-bon text edited by Fujiwara no Teika and the scattered 'phantom' Moriyasu Genji scroll. The display changes on 3 Nov, and the museum is closed on Mondays (open 12 Oct and 23 Nov), 13 Oct and 24 Nov.
kajikawa, CC BY 3.0 Nearby
Around Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera at opening, then the temples and pottery below it
Higashiyama is a whole ward, but this guide covers the slope from Kiyomizu-dera down to Shichijo-dori. Go early. The temple's gates open at 6:00, and if you're there then, you'll reach its wooden stage long before the day's crowds. Later, walk down past the pottery shops of Gojozaka to Sanjusangendo, where 1,001 statues of Kannon stand in a hall 120 metres long.
Higashiyama has 22 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 10 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 2 museums, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 cafe, 1 viewpoint, 1 restaurant and 1 landmark. Read the Higashiyama guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Chishaku-in?
- 964 Higashikawara-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都府京都市東山区東瓦町964番地).
- What are the opening hours of Chishaku-in?
- Daily 9:00 to 16:30. Last entry 16:00. The garden closes 29 to 31 December, and the treasure hall also on 31 January, 30 April, 31 July and 31 October.
- How do I get to Chishaku-in?
- The nearest station is Higashiyama-Shichijo bus stop (City Bus 206, 208). Chishaku-in is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Chishaku-in cost?
- Chishaku-in is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Chishaku-in?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Chishaku-in?
- Mid April to mid June.
Stay near Chishaku-in
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