Kitano Tenmangu
Kitano, Kyoto
- Daily
- 7:00 to 17:00
Gate hours. The Sanko-mon gate closes 30 minutes earlier. The gates stay open at night during the maple light-up and at New Year, and the plum and maple gardens keep their own hours.
Source: kitanotenmangu.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Kitano Tenmangu is the head shrine of the roughly 12,000 Tenjin shrines across Japan, founded in 947 for Sugawara no Michizane, the scholar students still pray to before exams. Toyotomi Hideyori built the main hall in 1607 and it's a National Treasure. About 1,500 plum trees of 50 varieties flower here from January to late March.
More photos of Kitano Tenmangu
Insider tip
The grounds are free, and you can go in from 7:00 to 17:00. Come on the 25th, when stalls fill the approach all day and 350 stone and 250 hanging lanterns are lit after dark. The plum garden (early February to late March) and the maple garden on Hideyoshi's 1591 earthwork (31 October to 6 December 2026, ¥1,500) both charge entry. If you're coming by Randen, Kitano-Hakubaicho station is a 5-minute walk.
What the guides say about Kitano Tenmangu
12. Pray the way the shrine expects. At the water basin, rinse your left hand, then your right, then pour a little into your left palm to rinse your mouth, and never put your lips to the ladle. At the hall, bow twice, clap twice and bow once. That's how Kitano Tenmangu sets it out for visitors. You'll often take your shoes off in the halls, as at Sanjusangendo, so wear decent socks.
Kitano, for Kitano Tenmangu at 7:00 and the lanterns on the 25th. All but one of the 70 or so licensed places within a kilometre of the shrine hold the simple-lodging licence.
What's on at Kitano Tenmangu
Upcoming events at Kitano Tenmangu, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Tenjin-san Market at Kitano Tenmangu
天神市（北野天満宮）
Time 7:00 to sunset Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus), 1 min walk
Kitano Tenmangu's market on the 25th, the date tied to Sugawara no Michizane's birth and death, is Kyoto's other big fair alongside To-ji's, strong on antiques, old tools and secondhand clothes. On market days the shrine buildings are lit after dark.
z tanuki, CC BY 3.0 Tenjin-ichi Market at Kitano Tenmangu
天神市（北野天満宮）
Time All day, lanterns lit from sunset Station Kitano-Hakubaicho (Randen Kitano Line), 5 min walk
The 25th is Kitano Tenmangu's monthly fair day, and stalls line the approach all day. From sunset the shrine lights its 350 stone and 250 hanging lanterns, and 25 January and 25 December are the busiest of the year, with about a thousand stalls.
z tanuki, CC BY 3.0 Kitano Tenmangu Momiji-en Maple Garden
史跡御土居のもみじ苑
Time 9:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:40), to 20:00 during the light-up from 13 Nov (last entry 19:40) Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 50), 1 min walk
About 350 maples grow on the Odoi, the earth rampart Toyotomi Hideyoshi built round Kyoto, and the garden opens for the season with a light-up after dark from 13 Nov. Look out for the vermilion Uguisu Bridge over the Kamiya River, and the ticket comes with a sweet based on fu-no-yaki, said to have been devised by Sen no Rikyu.
z tanuki, CC BY 3.0 Shimai-Tenjin, the Last Tenjin Market of the Year
終い天神
Time 7:00 to sunset Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus), 1 min walk
The year's last Tenjin-san market at Kitano Tenmangu is busier than any other, with antiques, old tools, secondhand clothes and New Year goods. From 13 Dec to about this day the shrine also offers Obuku-ume, pickled plums for the first tea of New Year's Day.
z tanuki, CC BY 3.0 Plum Garden at Kitano Tenmangu
梅苑「花の庭」公開（北野天満宮）
Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 50), right by the stop
The shrine has about 1,500 plum trees of 50 kinds, and it opens its plum garden, with a tea stall and a viewing deck, while they flower. Opening depends on the blossom, usually early February, and the garden stays open to late March.
z tanuki, CC BY 3.0 Nearby
Around Kitano
Tenjin's head shrine, Kyoto's oldest geisha district and Daitoku-ji
Start at Kitano Tenmangu, head shrine of about 12,000 Tenjin shrines, founded in 947 for Sugawara no Michizane, the scholar students still pray to before exams. Come on the 25th, when the Tenjin-san Market fills the approach and the lanterns are lit after dark. Kamishichiken, Kyoto's oldest geisha district, lines the shrine's east approach, and Daitoku-ji's Zen temples are about 1.7 km north-east.
Kitano has 25 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 10 shrines and temples, 3 cafes, 3 shops, 2 restaurants, 2 bathhouses, 1 viewpoint, 1 neighbourhood, 1 museum, 1 bar and 1 market. Read the Kitano guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kitano Tenmangu?
- Bakuro-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市上京区馬喰町).
- What are the opening hours of Kitano Tenmangu?
- Daily 7:00 to 17:00. Gate hours. The Sanko-mon gate closes 30 minutes earlier. The gates stay open at night during the maple light-up and at New Year, and the plum and maple gardens keep their own hours.
- How do I get to Kitano Tenmangu?
- The nearest station is Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 10, 50, 51, 55, 203). Kitano Tenmangu is in Kitano, Kyoto.
- How much does Kitano Tenmangu cost?
- Nothing. Kitano Tenmangu is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Kitano Tenmangu?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Kitano Tenmangu?
- The 25th of the month.
Stay near Kitano Tenmangu
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