Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine
Higashiyama, Kyoto
- Daily
- 8:00 to 17:00
The graves open at 9:00. Open to 21:00 on 13 to 16 August.
Source: gokoku.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine was founded in 1868 on Emperor Meiji's order to honour the men who died fighting for the Meiji Restoration. On the hill above it, the Ryozen graves honour 1,043 of them, Sakamoto Ryoma and Nakaoka Shintaro among them, with bronze statues of the pair. The road up from Higashioji-dori is called Ishin no Michi, the Restoration Road.
Insider tip
The graves cost ¥300 (¥200 for children), cash only. Sakamoto Ryoma's memorial festival is held at his grave on 15 November, the anniversary of his killing, at 15:30 in 2026. It's free to attend, but you still pay the ¥300, and other visits to the graves stop from 15:30 to 16:30 for the rite.
Tickets and tours
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What's on at Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine
Upcoming events at Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine and within a ten-minute walk, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Ryoma Festival
龍馬祭
Time 15:30 Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 86, 206), 7 min walk
On the anniversary of Sakamoto Ryoma's death, fans gather at his grave above Higashiyama, and shamo chicken hotpot, the dish he was about to eat the night he was killed, is offered and shared with visitors. The festival is free, but the grave area costs ¥300.
Oilstreet, CC BY 2.5 Spring Night Viewing at Kodai-ji
春の夜間特別拝観（高台寺）
Time 17:00 to 21:30 (gates close 22:00) Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206), 7 min walk
Hideyoshi's widow Nene's temple lights its garden for spring evenings: the Garyu pond and the bamboo grove past the Kasa-tei and Shigure-tei tea houses are the ones to see. You follow the same route as by day.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Autumn Night Viewing at Kodai-ji
秋の夜間特別拝観（高台寺）
Time 9:00 to 22:00, lit from 17:00 (last entry 21:30) Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus 206, 207)
Kodai-ji stays open after dark through the autumn season, with the grounds lit from 17:00. One ticket covers day and night, ¥800 for adults in 2026, but you can't go back in once you've left.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Kodai-ji Museum: Hideyoshi's Daizuigu Bosatsu on Show
高台寺掌美術館 秀吉天下一統の念持仏 大随求菩薩公開
Time 9:00 to 17:10 (reception to 17:00), to 21:10 during the 23 Oct to 13 Dec night viewing Station Higashiyama Yasui bus stop (City Bus), 7 min walk
The museum shows the Daizuigu Bosatsu, the personal Buddhist image of Hideyoshi, together with Nene's thousand-Jizo and other treasures from Kodai-ji and related temples.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 New Year's Eve Bell at Kodai-ji
高台寺 除夜の鐘
Time 22:00 to 02:00 Station Higashiyama-Yasui bus stop, 7 min walk
Kodai-ji hands out 108 numbered tickets, one per group, from about 22:00 for the New Year's Eve bell. The grounds are lit and open for a first visit from 22:00 to 02:00.
Tetsuhiro Terada, CC BY 2.0 Smaller local events nearby
Autumn Exhibition: Sakamoto Ryoma and the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance Exhibition
On now, until 23 Nov · Ryozan Museum of History, Higashiyama
An exhibition at the Ryozan Museum of History on Sakamoto Ryoma and the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, shown in two periods and closed Mondays except holidays.
¥1,000, students ¥600, children ¥300 · 10:00 to 17:30 · Map · Source: Ryozan Museum of History · 2026年 秋の企画展「坂本龍馬と薩長同盟」
Nearby
Around Higashiyama
Kiyomizu-dera at opening, then the temples and pottery below it
Higashiyama is a whole ward, but this guide covers the slope from Kiyomizu-dera down to Shichijo-dori. Go early. The temple's gates open at 6:00, and if you're there then, you'll reach its wooden stage long before the day's crowds. Later, walk down past the pottery shops of Gojozaka to Sanjusangendo, where 1,001 statues of Kannon stand in a hall 120 metres long.
Higashiyama has 22 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 10 shrines and temples, 4 shops, 2 museums, 2 neighbourhoods, 1 cafe, 1 viewpoint, 1 restaurant and 1 landmark. Read the Higashiyama guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine?
- 1 Seikanji Ryozan-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市東山区清閑寺霊山町1).
- What are the opening hours of Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine?
- Daily 8:00 to 17:00. The graves open at 9:00. Open to 21:00 on 13 to 16 August.
- How do I get to Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine?
- The nearest station is Kiyomizu-michi bus stop (City Bus 206, 207). Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine is in Higashiyama, Kyoto.
- How much does Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine cost?
- Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine is cheap, marked ¥ on the site's price scale.
- How long do you need at Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine?
- Plan for 45 min.
- When is the best time to visit Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine?
- On 15 November.
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