Daisen-in
Kitano, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 16:30
Open every day, but hours change on some days for temple events. Closed until 13:00 on 24 February, the fourth Sunday of March and the first Sunday of August.
Source: daisen-in.net, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Daisen-in, founded in 1509, is a Daitoku-ji subtemple you can visit any day of the year. Its abbot's hall of 1513 is a National Treasure and the oldest Zen guest hall in the complex, and the dry garden around it turns a waterfall, a river and the open sea into standing rocks and white sand.
Insider tip
Entry is ¥500, and a bowl of matcha is another ¥500. The temple says Takuan, the monk takuan pickles are named after, taught Miyamoto Musashi the secrets of the sword in its study. Hours change on some days for temple events, so check the calendar on its site before you go.
What the guides say about Daisen-in
10. Daitoku-ji's Daisen-in. It's open every day for ¥500, and its dry garden turns a waterfall, a river and the open sea into standing rocks and white sand. Book lunch at Daitokuji Ikkyu, which has cooked the temple's vegetarian shojin ryori since the late 1400s (the fuchidaka box is ¥6,050).
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Daisen-in
Upcoming events at Daisen-in and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Kokei Memorial Tea at Daisen-in
古渓忌(こけいき)お茶でくつろぐ会
Time 09:30 to 15:30 Station Daitokuji-mae bus stop, 8 min walk
Daisen-in serves tea in its tea room in memory of Kokei, linked to Sen no Rikyu. Visitors can join freely. The fee includes admission to the temple.
Bigjap, CC BY-SA 3.0 Spring Zen experience class at Daisen-in
大仙院 禅寺体験教室（春）
Time 10:00-12:30
Zen experience class at Daisen-in, a Daitoku-ji sub-temple, on 28 March from 10:00 to 12:30 (reception from 9:30).
Bigjap, CC BY-SA 3.0 Daitoku-ji Juko-in 460th Anniversary Special Opening
大徳寺 聚光院 開創460年 特別公開
Time 9:30 to 15:30 (last entry) Station Daitokuji-mae bus stop (City Bus 1, 204, 205, 206), 5 min walk
Sen no Rikyu's family temple at Daitoku-ji opens for the first time in about three and a half years, with copies of the National Treasure wall paintings by Kano Eitoku and his father Shoei, Senju Hiroshi's waterfall panels and the tea room Kan'in-seki. It's cash only, preschool children can't enter, and it's closed on 14, 16 to 18, 27 and 28 Oct and 21, 22 and 27 to 29 Nov.
Eric Salard, CC BY-SA 2.0 Yasurai Matsuri at Imamiya Shrine
やすらい祭（今宮神社）
Time Processions arrive at the shrine about 14:00 Station Imamiya-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 46), right by the stop
Demons in red with wild red or black hair dance through the streets with bells and drums to calm the sickness spirits of spring. Step under the big flower parasol and you're said to be safe from illness for a year.
Torsodog, CC BY 3.0 Genbu Yasurai Festival
玄武やすらい祭
One of the three odd festivals of Kyoto and an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Four flower umbrellas parade with gongs and drums through the parish.
Smaller local events nearby
Issy Wood and Evelyn Taocheng Wang at Korin-in Exhibition
5 to 10 Nov · Korin-in, Daitoku-ji, Murasakino
An Art Collaboration Kyoto partner exhibition of works by Issy Wood and Evelyn Taocheng Wang in the Korin-in temple of Daitoku-ji.
Free · 10:00 to 16:30 · Map · Source: Art Collaboration Kyoto · A03 Issy Wood and Evelyn Taocheng Wang
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 Daisen-in?
- 54-1 Murasakino Daitokuji-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市北区紫野大徳寺町54-1).
- What are the opening hours of Daisen-in?
- Daily 9:00 to 16:30. Open every day, but hours change on some days for temple events. Closed until 13:00 on 24 February, the fourth Sunday of March and the first Sunday of August.
- How do I get to Daisen-in?
- The nearest station is Daitokuji-mae bus stop (City Bus 1, 101, 204, 205, 206). Daisen-in is in Kitano, Kyoto.
- How much does Daisen-in cost?
- Daisen-in is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Daisen-in?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Daisen-in?
- Right at opening.
Stay near Daisen-in
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