Rokudo Chinnoji
Higashiyama, Kyoto
Source: rokudou.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Rokudo Chinnoji stands at Rokudo no Tsuji, on the old road to the Toribeno burial ground, where Kyoto once sent off its dead. The legend is that the courtier Ono no Takamura used the well behind the main hall to travel to the underworld every night. From 7 to 10 August, for Rokudo Mairi, people come to ring the mukaegane bell and call their ancestors home for Obon.
Insider tip
The grounds are free. The halls, with the Enma figure said to be carved by Takamura, open only on special viewing days, or to groups of five or more by appointment (¥1,000 each). Rokudo Mairi runs 6:00 to 22:00.
What's on at Rokudo Chinnoji
Upcoming events at Rokudo Chinnoji and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
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 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 Hatsuka Ebisu Festival
二十日ゑびす大祭
Time Eve 19 Oct from 16:00, main festival 20 Oct from 14:00 Station Shijo-Kawaramachi bus stop (City Bus), 10 min walk
The autumn counterpart of January's Toka Ebisu welcomes the god Ebisu back from the sea, and lucky bamboo branches, charms and talismans for business are handed out. The eve is on 19 Oct from 16:00 and the main festival on 20 Oct from 14:00.
masato_photo, CC BY-SA 2.0 Toka Ebisu at Kyoto Ebisu Shrine
十日ゑびす大祭
Station Shijo-Kawaramachi bus stop (City Bus), 10 min walk
Kyoto Ebisu Shrine's big New Year festival runs from 8 to 12 Jan, and around the 10th you can get lucky bamboo branches for business. In 2026 the shrine stayed open all night on the 9th and 10th.
masato_photo, CC BY-SA 2.0 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.
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 Rokudo Chinnoji?
- 595 Komatsu-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区大和大路通四条下ル4丁目小松町595).
- How do I get to Rokudo Chinnoji?
- The nearest station is Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206, 207). Rokudo Chinnoji is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Rokudo Chinnoji cost?
- Nothing. Rokudo Chinnoji is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Rokudo Chinnoji?
- Plan for 20 min.
- When is the best time to visit Rokudo Chinnoji?
- 7 to 10 August.
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