Shogunzuka Seiryuden
Higashiyama, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 17:00
Last entry 16:30. Open after dark for the spring and autumn light-ups. Ask the temple for the dates.
Source: shogunzuka.com, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Shogunzuka is the mound on the Higashiyama ridge where Emperor Kanmu is said to have buried a clay general in armour to guard his new capital in 794. Beside it, Shoren-in's Seiryuden has a wooden stage of 1,046 square metres, 4.6 times the size of Kiyomizu-dera's, looking over the whole city, and from the west viewpoint you can see as far as the towers of Osaka. The National Treasure Ao Fudo painting is kept in its inner hall, and you pray before a detailed copy.
Insider tip
Entry is ¥600. It's at the top of the Higashiyama Driveway, about 20 minutes by taxi from Kyoto Station or 5 from Keage Station, or a 30-minute walk up the Higashiyama Trail from Shoren-in. Spring and autumn bring evening light-ups. Work on the stage's floorboards ran past schedule in summer 2026, so call ahead (075-771-0390) to check the stage is open.
What's on near Shogunzuka Seiryuden
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Shogunzuka Seiryuden, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Higashi Otani Mantoe Lanterns
東大谷万灯会
Time 18:00 to 21:00 Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), 15 min walk
About 10,000 lanterns, large and small, light the Higashi Otani cemetery on the hill south of Maruyama Park so families can visit their graves in the cool of the evening, with an Obon service in the main hall from 19:00.
Cherry Blossom Light-up at Maruyama Park
桜ライトアップ（円山公園）
Time 18:00 to 22:00 Station Gion bus stop (City Bus 206), right by the stop
The park's big weeping cherry, Gion no Yozakura, is lit every evening through the blossom. The tree is the second generation, tended by the 16th Sano Toemon.
lienyuan lee, CC BY 3.0 Chion-in Spring Light-up
知恩院 春のライトアップ
Time 17:45 to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
The National Treasure Sanmon gate, one of Japan's largest wooden two-storey gates, and the Yuzen-en garden are lit for the cherry season.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Gyoki Daie and Midnight Nembutsu at Chion-in
御忌大会・ミッドナイト念仏in御忌（知恩院）
Time Midnight Nembutsu 20:00 on 18 April to 7:00 on the 19th Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
A week of memorial services for Honen, the temple's most important. On the first night the upper floor of the Sanmon gate opens from 20:00 to 7:00 and anyone can join the all-night chanting, beating a wooden fish drum.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 Chion-in Autumn Light-up
知恩院 秋のライトアップ2026
Time 17:30 to 21:30 (last entry 21:00) Station Chion-in-mae bus stop (City Bus 206), 5 min walk
Chion-in lights the Yuzen-en garden, the huge Sanmon gate, the Otoko-zaka steps and the Miedo hall. This year the gallery round the Sanmon's upper floor is open at night too, so you can look out over the city.
Christian Kadluba, CC BY-SA 2.0 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 Shogunzuka Seiryuden?
- 28 Zushioku Kacho-cho, Yamashina-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都府京都市山科区厨子奥花鳥町28).
- What are the opening hours of Shogunzuka Seiryuden?
- Daily 9:00 to 17:00. Last entry 16:30. Open after dark for the spring and autumn light-ups. Ask the temple for the dates.
- How do I get to Shogunzuka Seiryuden?
- The nearest station is Keage (Tozai Line), then 5 minutes by taxi. Shogunzuka Seiryuden is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Shogunzuka Seiryuden cost?
- Shogunzuka Seiryuden is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Shogunzuka Seiryuden?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Shogunzuka Seiryuden?
- Clear days.
Stay near Shogunzuka Seiryuden
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