Komyo-in
Fushimi, Kyoto
Source: komyoin.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Komyo-in, a Tofuku-ji sub-temple founded in 1391, goes by the nickname moss temple of rainbows. Its main garden, Hashin-tei, is a 1939 dry garden by Shigemori Mirei, with moss, white sand and standing stones set in diagonal lines, and the tea house Ragetsu-an (1957) is placed so you watch the moon rise over it from the garden.
Insider tip
Entry is ¥500. It opens at about 7:00, so you can see it before Tofuku-ji opens. Art shows fill the rooms through the year, and from 15 to 30 November 2026 there are evening openings with ambient music (17:30 to 20:00, separate ticket).
What the guides say about Komyo-in
9. Komyo-in, then Tofuku-ji. Komyo-in opens at about 7:00, before its parent temple, and its 1939 garden of moss, sand and standing stones by Shigemori Mirei costs ¥500. Tofuku-ji's grounds are free, and the covered Tsutenkyo bridge over a valley of maples is ¥600. Tofukuji Station is on the same JR Nara Line as Inari, so pair the two.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Komyo-in
Upcoming events at Komyo-in and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
sibasi kyoto: Terry Riley, Moments from the Sound Current
sibasi kyoto Terry Riley ― Moments from the Sound Current
Time 18:00 to 21:00 Station Keihan Toba-kaido, 5 to 7 min walk
Exhibition about the composer Terry Riley in the Komyo-in temple with evening hours. Performances on 21 and 22 November are ticketed separately and the exhibition closes on those days.
bethom33, CC BY-SA 2.0 Brush Memorial Service at Shokaku-an
筆供養
Time From 14:00
Worn-out brushes, pens and pencils offered by calligraphers and families are given a memorial service in front of the temple's brush mound from 14:00.
Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 Bellflower Viewing at Tentoku-in
桔梗を愛でる特別拝観（天得院）
Time 9:00 to 16:00 (gate closes 16:30) Station Tofukuji (JR Nara Line, Keihan)
This Tofuku-ji subtemple opens while Chinese bellflowers flower in its Momoyama-period dry garden, purple and white against cedar moss, and you can frame them through the cusped window. Matcha and a sweet are ¥1,000 extra.
Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 Autumn Leaves Season at Tofuku-ji
東福寺 秋期拝観
Time Tsutenkyo 8:30 to 16:00, Hojo garden 9:00 to 16:00 (last entry 16:00) Station Tofukuji (JR Nara Line, Keihan), about 10 min walk
Tofuku-ji sets a separate autumn admission period from 14 November to 6 December, with the Tsutenkyo bridge opening at 8:30.
Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 Nehan-e and Sanmon Opening at Tofuku-ji
涅槃会・国宝三門と龍吟庵特別公開（東福寺）
Time 9:00 to 16:00 (last entry 15:30) Station Tofukuji (JR Nara Line), about 14 min walk
For the Buddha's death anniversary the main hall hangs Mincho's huge Nirvana painting, about 12 m by 6.5 m, with a life-size cat in it, free to see. The National Treasure Sanmon gate and the Ryogin-an subtemple open the same three days for ¥1,000 each.
Kimon Berlin, CC BY-SA 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Kashihara Yuka: Walking on Mountain and Water Exhibition
29 Oct to 11 Nov · Komyo-in, Higashiyama
An exhibition by Kashihara Yuka inside the Komyoin temple of Tofuku-ji, open until 21:00 from 7 to 9 November.
Map · Source: Art Collaboration Kyoto · E01 柏原由佳「山、水の上を歩く」
Nearby
Around Fushimi
Torii tunnels at dawn, then sake by the old castle moat
Fushimi is two trips in one. In the north, about 10,000 torii line the paths up Mount Inari behind Fushimi Inari Taisha, and the grounds never close, so you can walk them at dawn. Five stops south on the Keihan line, about 20 breweries still make sake in the old river port, and you can taste most of them in one alley.
Fushimi has 21 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 8 shrines and temples, 4 restaurants, 2 shops, 2 landmarks, 1 bar, 1 neighbourhood, 1 cafe, 1 museum and 1 bathhouse. Read the Fushimi guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Komyo-in?
- 15-809 Honmachi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区本町15丁目809).
- How do I get to Komyo-in?
- The nearest station is Tobakaido (Keihan), Tofukuji (JR Nara Line, Keihan). Komyo-in is in Fushimi, Kyoto.
- How much does Komyo-in cost?
- Komyo-in is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Komyo-in?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Komyo-in?
- Early morning.
Stay near Komyo-in
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