Kennin-ji
Gion, Kyoto
- Daily
- 10:00 to 17:00
Last entry 16:30.
Source: kenninji.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Kennin-ji is Kyoto's oldest Zen temple, founded in 1202 with the monk Eisai as its first abbot. Look up in the Dharma Hall at Koizumi Junsaku's twin dragons, finished in 2002 for the 800th anniversary and painted across a ceiling 11.4 by 15.7 metres. The Wind and Thunder Gods screens you see are high-definition copies, because Sotatsu's original is deposited at the Kyoto National Museum.
More photos of Kennin-ji
Insider tip
Entry is ¥800 (¥500 for schoolchildren), rising to ¥1,000 on 1 January 2027. You can get in until 16:30. In heavy rain, staff may turn you away if your clothes or socks are soaked, to protect the halls.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Kennin-ji
Upcoming events at Kennin-ji and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Kyushoin Hidden Cultural Properties Opening
久昌院 京都非公開文化財特別公開
Time 9:00 to 16:00 (reception hours) Station Gion-Shijo Station (Keihan) about 8 min walk
A Kennin-ji sub-temple opens its hojo hall, the Takamatsu-ken study, a tea room and a Nagashino battle screen in the 62nd Kyoto Hidden Cultural Properties programme.
663highland, CC BY 2.5 Toka Ebisu at Kyoto Ebisu Shrine
十日ゑびす大祭
Station Shijo-Kawaramachi bus stop (City Bus), 10 min walk
Kyoto Ebisu Shrine's big New Year festival runs from 8 to 12 Jan, and around the 10th you can get lucky bamboo branches for business. In 2026 the shrine stayed open all night on the 9th and 10th.
masato_photo, CC BY-SA 2.0 Last Konpira Festival of the Year at Yasui Konpira-gu
終い金比羅祭
The year's last monthly rite. From this day until the first Konpira on 10 January the shrine gives out the lucky charm Inehorai (paid, limited numbers).
663highland, CC BY 2.5 Onshukai Recital of Gion Kobu
祇園甲部 温習会
Station Gion-Shijo (Keihan), 8 min walk
Gion Kobu's geiko and maiko dance the Inoue-school Kyomai handed down since the Edo period, with a different programme on each of the six days.
Ono no Takamura Memorial Service at Rokudo Chinno-ji
小野篁忌ご命日法要と特別寺宝展
Time Service from 8:30 Station Bus Kiyomizu-michi, 5 min walk
A memorial service starts at 8:30 for Ono no Takamura, with a special treasure display and a special seal handwritten on seal books brought by visitors.
663highland, CC BY 2.5 Smaller local events nearby
Andrew Cranston: Birds, beasts and flowers Exhibition
6 to 22 Nov · Ryosoku-in, Higashiyama
An exhibition of paintings by Andrew Cranston inside the Ryosoku-in temple, with last entry at 16:30.
13:00 to 17:00 · Map · Source: Art Collaboration Kyoto · B05 アンドリュー・クランストン「Birds, beasts and flowers」
Senkokai zazen morning at Kennin-ji Festival
Sun 8 Nov, Sun 13 Dec, Sun 10 Jan · Kennin-ji, Gion
Kennin-ji holds a zazen and Dharma talk session on the second Sunday of each month at 7:30, with no booking and no fee, and pauses it in August.
Free · Map · Source: Kennin-ji · 千光会（建仁寺）
Nearby
Around Gion
The teahouse streets below Yasaka Shrine, best early or at dusk
Gion grew up as the town at the gate of Yasaka Shrine, and it's still where Kyoto's geiko and maiko live and work. Gion Kobu, the largest of the city's five geiko districts, keeps its teahouses along Hanamikoji-dori, and the Shirakawa canal runs through Gion Shinbashi to the north. Go early for the shrine and the temples behind it. Come back at dusk for the streets.
Gion has 25 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 6 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 4 neighbourhoods, 3 cafes, 2 landmarks, 2 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 museum, 1 park or garden and 1 bathhouse. Read the Gion guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kennin-ji?
- 584 Komatsu-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区大和大路通四条下る小松町584).
- What are the opening hours of Kennin-ji?
- Daily 10:00 to 17:00. Last entry 16:30.
- How do I get to Kennin-ji?
- The nearest station is Gion-Shijo (Keihan). Kennin-ji is in Gion, Kyoto.
- How much does Kennin-ji cost?
- Kennin-ji is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kennin-ji?
- Plan for 1 hour.
- When is the best time to visit Kennin-ji?
- Right at opening.
Stay near Kennin-ji
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