Otani Hombyo
Higashiyama, Kyoto
- Daily
- 5:30 to 17:00
These are the main and north gate hours. Muryoju-do hall 8:00 to 16:30.
Source: otani-hombyo.hongwanji.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Otani Hombyo is the mausoleum of Shinran, founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, moved here, to Higashiyama-Gojo, in 1603. You come in over the Entsukyo, a stone bridge of 1856 with two arches that's nicknamed the spectacles bridge, above a pond of Oga lotus said to be grown from a 2,000-year-old seed.
Insider tip
It's right by the Gojozaka bus stop. Come in summer and look down on the pink lotus from the bridge.
What's on near Otani Hombyo
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Otani Hombyo, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Gojo Wakamiya Pottery Fair
五条若宮陶器祭
Time 10:00 to 21:00 Station Kiyomizu-Gojo (Keihan), 5 min walk
Potters and kilns, about 130 of them in 2026, sell along the pavements of Gojo-dori between Yamatooji and Higashioji and at Wakamiya Hachimangu. The fair ran for about a century from the Taisho era and was revived in 2023, and it goes ahead in the rain.
Kuya's Dancing Nembutsu at Rokuharamitsu-ji
空也踊躍念仏
Time 15:00 on 13 to 15, 19, 20 and 26 to 30 Dec Station Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206), 7 min walk
The dancing nembutsu that Kuya, the temple's founder, started to drive away an epidemic in the Heian period is an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. It's held at 15:00 on 13 to 15, 19, 20 and 26 to 30 Dec, and the 31 Dec service is closed to the public.
Hikomi Moneru, CC BY 3.0 Rokudo Mairi at Rokudo Chinno-ji
六道まいり（六道珍皇寺）
Time 6:00 to 22:00 Station Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206), 3 min walk
Before Obon, Kyoto families come to this temple at the old crossroads to the underworld to ring the mukae-gane bell and call their ancestors home, carrying sprigs of koyamaki bought from stalls on the approach.
663highland, CC BY 2.5 Seiryu-e Blue Dragon Procession at Kiyomizu-dera (March)
青龍会（清水寺）
Time About 14:00 to 15:30 Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (City Bus 207)
An 18 m blue dragon leads a procession in ceremonial robes from the Okunoin past the Otowa waterfall and down into the shops of the approach, then back up through the Niomon gate to the main hall. You can watch it free from the street.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 3.0 Kiyomizu-dera Spring Night Viewing
清水寺 春の夜間特別拝観
Time Open to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 100, 206) or Kiyomizu-michi (City Bus 207)
The temple stays open to 21:30 while its 1,500 or so cherries are out, and a blue beam of light from the grounds shines out over the city. No booking needed.
ito1117, CC BY-SA 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 Otani Hombyo?
- 6-514 Gojobashi-higashi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区五条橋東6丁目514).
- What are the opening hours of Otani Hombyo?
- Daily 5:30 to 17:00. These are the main and north gate hours. Muryoju-do hall 8:00 to 16:30.
- How do I get to Otani Hombyo?
- The nearest station is Gojozaka bus stop (City Bus 206). Otani Hombyo is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Otani Hombyo cost?
- Nothing. Otani Hombyo is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Otani Hombyo?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Otani Hombyo?
- Summer, for the lotus.
Stay near Otani Hombyo
Browse live availability and compare prices around Higashiyama.
See hotels near Otani Hombyo on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 17 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Kyoto earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.