Honno-ji
Kawaramachi, Kyoto
- Daily
- 6:00 to 17:00
Hours are for the grounds, open all year. The Daihoden museum opens 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) and closes over New Year.
Source: kyoto-honnouji.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Honno-ji is a head temple of the Hokke school, known around the world for the Honno-ji Incident of 1582, when Oda Nobunaga died after his general Akechi Mitsuhide turned on him. That temple stood elsewhere, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi later moved Honno-ji to this site on Teramachi. Its Daihoden museum shows what came through five fires, from a tea bowl Nobunaga owned to the three-legged frog incense burner said to have croaked a warning the night before.
More photos of Honno-ji
Insider tip
The grounds are free and open from 6:00. The Daihoden treasure museum costs ¥700 (¥500 for junior and senior high school students, ¥300 for elementary school students) and closes on exhibition changeover days.
What's on near Honno-ji
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Honno-ji, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Pontocho Suimeikai Dance Recital
第111回 水明会
Time 15:30 (doors 15:00) Station Sanjo (Keihan), 5 min walk
Pontocho's geiko have staged this dance recital since 1930, named after the clear water of the Kamo River, with tokiwazu, kiyomoto and nagauta pieces. Reserved seats are ¥10,000 or ¥8,000 and unreserved ones ¥5,000.
Mariemon, CC BY-SA 3.0 Kamogawa Odori
鴨川をどり
Time 12:30, 14:20 and 16:10 Station Sanjo (Keihan Line), 5 min walk from exit 6
Pontocho's geiko and maiko in a dance drama and then a set of pure dance, in the 1927 Pontocho Kaburenjo by the river. First staged in 1872, it's been performed more times than any other Kyoto geisha show.
Mariemon, CC BY-SA 3.0 Suimei-kai Recital of Pontocho
水明会（先斗町）
Time 15:30 (doors 15:00) Station Sanjo (Keihan), 5 min walk
Pontocho's geiko recital, held since 1930 and named after the clear water of the Kamo River. Reserved seats were ¥10,000 and ¥8,000 and unreserved ones ¥5,000 in 2026.
Mariemon, CC BY-SA 3.0 Kan'ei: Beauty Nurtured by Peace
特別展「寛永 太平がはぐくむ美」
Time 10:00 to 18:00, Fridays to 19:30 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 3 min walk
Marking 400 years since Emperor Go-Mizunoo's visit to Nijo Castle, the museum shows the Kan'ei culture of Hon'ami Koetsu, Tawaraya Sotatsu and Nonomura Ninsei, with scrolls and screens of the imperial procession and a Kano Sanraku hawk painting from Nijo Castle. It's closed on Mondays (open 12 Oct) and 13 Oct, and the ticket covers the permanent galleries too.
Photograph by Mike Peel www.mikepeel.net., CC BY-SA 4.0 The Indomitable Power of Go Nagai
令和6年能登半島地震復興祈念 不滅の力 永井豪 -永井豪記念館リバイバル-
Time 10:00 to 18:00, Fridays to 19:30 (last entry 30 minutes before) Station Karasuma Oike (Karasuma Line, Tozai Line), 3 min walk
When the 2024 Noto earthquake burned the Go Nagai Memorial Museum in Wajima, 108 original drawings and figures by the creator of Mazinger Z, Devilman and Cutie Honey were found intact inside. They're shown here with original manuscripts and a new manga he drew for the show, and the museum is closed on Mondays (open 11 Jan) and from 28 Dec to 4 Jan.
Photograph by Mike Peel www.mikepeel.net., CC BY-SA 4.0 Nearby
Around Kawaramachi
Downtown Kyoto, between Nishiki Market and the Kamo River
Kawaramachi is downtown Kyoto, the shopping streets round the Shijo-Kawaramachi crossing. The Teramachi and Shinkyogoku Arcades run north from Shijo-dori, Nishiki Market runs west from them, and east of Kawaramachi-dori the Takase canal and Pontocho squeeze in before the Kamo River. You'll come here to eat, mostly. Some of the tea, incense and paper shops date from the Edo period.
Kawaramachi has 26 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shops, 4 cafes, 4 restaurants, 3 shrines and temples, 3 landmarks, 2 bars, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 park or garden, 1 market and 1 bathhouse. Read the Kawaramachi guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Honno-ji?
- 522 Shimo-Honnojimae-cho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市中京区寺町通御池下ル下本能寺前町522).
- What are the opening hours of Honno-ji?
- Daily 6:00 to 17:00. Hours are for the grounds, open all year. The Daihoden museum opens 9:00 to 17:00 (last entry 16:30) and closes over New Year.
- How do I get to Honno-ji?
- The nearest station is Kyoto Shiyakusho-mae (Tozai Line). Honno-ji is in Kawaramachi, Kyoto.
- How much does Honno-ji cost?
- Nothing. Honno-ji is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Honno-ji?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Honno-ji?
- Early morning.
Stay near Honno-ji
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