Place of worship
Hōnenin Temple
３０番地 Shishigatani Goshonodanchō, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto, 606-8422
Moss-covered thatched gate leading to raked white sand mounds at a hillside temple born of scandal.
This guide to Hōnenin Temple in Kyoto opens on an all-night chanting service in 1207, when two of the retired emperor's court ladies were so moved they shaved their heads and renounced the court on the spot. It follows the fate of the monks who led that service, disciples of the preacher Honen, and Honen's own exile at seventy-four. Pause at the thatched, moss-covered gate everyone stops to photograph before you step through.
Audio guides are written and narrated by AI.