Hyakumanben Chion-ji
Demachiyanagi, Kyoto
- Daily
- 9:00 to 16:30
Hours are for the gates and the main hall. The handmade market on the 15th runs 8:00 to 16:00.
Source: chionji.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Chion-ji is one of the head temples of the Jodo sect, and its nickname goes back to 1331, when Emperor Go-Daigo had its priest chant the nembutsu a million times (hyakumanben) to end an epidemic after an earthquake. On the 15th of every month the grounds fill with the Hyakumanben Tezukuri-ichi, a handmade market, from 8:00 to 16:00, rain or shine.
Insider tip
There's no market in August. At 13:15 on the 15th, a giant rosary is turned during the service in the main hall (in August it's on the 25th). In spring (March to May) and autumn (October to early December), a guided visit at 13:30 on the first Sunday and fourth Saturday opens the treasure hall and the great hojo garden, ¥800. It's about 10 minutes' walk from Demachiyanagi Station.
What's on at Hyakumanben Chion-ji
Upcoming events at Hyakumanben Chion-ji, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Hyakumanben Handmade Market at Chion-ji
百万遍さんの手づくり市
Time 8:00 to 16:00 Station Hyakumanben bus stop (City Bus 206), 1 min walk
Makers sell their own crafts, ceramics, clothes and food in Chion-ji's grounds on the 15th of each month. Places are allotted by lottery among applicants, and it runs in the rain.
Daderot, CC0 1.0 Autumn Secondhand Book Fair at Chion-ji
第50回 秋の古本まつり（百万遍知恩寺）
Time 10:00 to 17:00 (first day opens after the memorial) Station Hyakumanben bus stop (City Bus 206), 1 min walk
About 200,000 secondhand books fill Chion-ji's grounds for five days, with an auction and a corner of complete sets. On the first morning, before the stalls open, there's a memorial service for old books with the temple's giant rosary.
Daderot, CC0 1.0 Juya Memorial Service and Autumn Gathering at Chion-ji
十夜法要・秋の集い
Station Bus Hyakumanben, or 10 min walk from Demachiyanagi
An old-style service with chanting and the Hyakumanben giant prayer-bead rite, followed by an autumn gathering with live music.
Daderot, CC0 1.0 Image-Wiping Rite at Hyakumanben Chion-ji
百萬遍知恩寺 御身拭式
Before the afternoon sutra-copying and service, the portrait of Honen is wiped clean of a year's dust with purified cloth.
Daderot, CC0 1.0 Autumn Used Book Fair at Chion-ji
秋の古本まつり（百万遍知恩寺）
Station Demachiyanagi (Keihan), 10 min walk
The autumn one of Kyoto's three big used-book fairs, run in the temple grounds by the antiquarian booksellers who've belonged to the association since it began. It opens with a memorial service for books, which the organisers say is the only one in Japan, and has a charity auction and a corner of complete sets.
Daderot, CC0 1.0 Nearby
Around Demachiyanagi
Stepping stones, a shrine forest and the trains to Kurama
Demachiyanagi is where the Kamo and Takano rivers meet, and where the Keihan line from Osaka ends. Come up out of the station and the Kamogawa Delta is right there, with stepping stones shaped like turtles and birds. Walk north from its tip and you're in Tadasu no Mori, the forest round Shimogamo Shrine. Eizan trains for Kurama and the foot of Mt Hiei leave from the platforms above ground.
Demachiyanagi has 15 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shrines and temples, 2 landmarks, 2 parks and gardens, 2 cafes, 1 shop, 1 neighbourhood, 1 restaurant and 1 bathhouse. Read the Demachiyanagi guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Hyakumanben Chion-ji?
- 103 Tanaka Monzen-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区田中門前町103).
- What are the opening hours of Hyakumanben Chion-ji?
- Daily 9:00 to 16:30. Hours are for the gates and the main hall. The handmade market on the 15th runs 8:00 to 16:00.
- How do I get to Hyakumanben Chion-ji?
- The nearest station is Demachiyanagi (Keihan, Eizan). Hyakumanben Chion-ji is in Demachiyanagi, Kyoto.
- How much does Hyakumanben Chion-ji cost?
- Nothing. Hyakumanben Chion-ji is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Hyakumanben Chion-ji?
- Plan for 1-2 hours.
- When is the best time to visit Hyakumanben Chion-ji?
- The 15th of the month, morning.
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