Senbon Enma-do
Kitano, Kyoto
Source: ja.kyoto.travel, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Senbon Enma-do's hall holds a 2.4 m wooden statue of Enma, king of the underworld, flanked by two clerks like a court of judgement. It stands at the head of the old Suzaku-oji avenue, where the dead were once carried out of the city, so Kyoto families come here in August to welcome their ancestors' spirits home. The 6 m stone stupa of 1386 in the north-west corner is said to be a memorial to Murasaki Shikibu.
Insider tip
The Enma statue is unveiled on the 16th of every month, with services at 10:30 and 14:00 that you can join without booking. The Enma-do kyogen plays on 1 to 4 May are one of Kyoto's three great nenbutsu kyogen, and unusually, the actors speak. Each April the temple holds an evening for the Fugenzo cherry, which started here and drops whole flowers instead of petals.
What's on at Senbon Enma-do
Upcoming events at Senbon Enma-do and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Senbon Enma-do Kyogen
千本ゑんま堂大念佛狂言
Time Weekdays 19:00, holidays 12:00 and 18:00 Station Senbon-Kuramaguchi bus stop (City Bus 206), right by the stop
The only one of Kyoto's three nembutsu kyogen with spoken lines, so it's the easiest to follow, and plenty of the pieces are comic. Free.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY 4.0 Daikon-daki at Senbon Shakado
成道会法要と大根（だいこ）焚き
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Kamishichiken bus stop (City Bus 50), 3 min walk
Daikon radishes marked with Sanskrit letters are blessed, cut into rounds and simmered with fried tofu in huge pots, and a bowl is said to keep illness away. The temple holds it on 7 and 8 Dec to mark the Buddha's enlightenment.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY-SA 4.0 Pottery Fair at Senbon Shakado
陶器市（千本釈迦堂）
Time 10:00 to sunset Station Kamishichiken bus stop (City Bus 50)
Pottery sellers from around Japan fill the temple grounds for four days, with a handmade market alongside from 10:00 to 16:00 and a memorial service for pottery in the main hall on the 10th.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY-SA 4.0 Okame Setsubun at Senbon Shakado
おかめ福節分会（千本釈迦堂）
Time Rites and bean throwing from about 15:00 Station Kamishichiken bus stop (City Bus 50, 55, 203)
Setsubun at the temple of Okame, the carpenter's wife whose advice saved the main hall: a kyogen demon-chasing play in which her good fortune makes the demons bow, then bean throwing with the actors and maiko.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY-SA 4.0 Kitano Odori
北野をどり
Time 14:00 and 16:30 (doors open an hour before) Station Kitano Tenmangu-mae bus stop (City Bus 50, 51, 55, 203), 3 min walk
Kamishichiken, Kyoto's oldest geisha district, opens the spring dance season in the Kamishichiken Kaburenjo, a Japanese-style theatre that's not normally open to the public. Each show runs about 90 minutes.
mrhayata, CC BY-SA 2.0 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 Senbon Enma-do?
- 34 Enmamae-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市上京区千本通蘆山寺上ル閻魔前町34).
- How do I get to Senbon Enma-do?
- The nearest station is Senbon-Kuramaguchi bus stop (City Bus 206). Senbon Enma-do is in Kitano, Kyoto.
- How much does Senbon Enma-do cost?
- Nothing. Senbon Enma-do is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Senbon Enma-do?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Senbon Enma-do?
- The 16th of the month.
Stay near Senbon Enma-do
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