Kyoto Daitokuji Temple Main Temple: Special Public Opening of Sub-temples in Succession to Mark the 700th Anniversary of its Founding! Autumn 2026 Temple Special Opening Information Released

Daitokuji Jukoin Main Hall National Treasure Wall Paintings "Kacho-zu" [National Treasure, Reproduction]

Kyoto Shunjyu Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto City; Representative Director: Yutaka Ichikawa), a company that plans and operates special public openings of private temples and high-quality Kyoto cultural experiences with the corporate philosophy of "connecting Kyoto's traditional culture with the world," has released information on the special public opening of Daitokuji Temple's sub-temples in autumn 2026. This year, four sub-temples, including Jukoin, which will be open to the public for the first time in approximately three and a half years, will be sequentially opened from Saturday, September 5, 2026.

Daitokuji Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple boasting one of the largest scales in Kyoto, is a place associated with Sengoku warlords such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who are currently attracting attention in historical dramas. It was the forefront of culture at the time, where tea master Sen no Rikyu, who served these warlords, and Kano Eitoku, one of the most important figures in Japanese art history, and the Kano school were active, and it greatly influenced later Japanese culture.

At Jukoin, a sub-temple of Daitokuji Temple and known as the family temple of tea master Sen no Rikyu, National Treasure wall paintings (reproductions) by Kano Eitoku, the pinnacle of Japanese painting, and his father Shoei, as well as "Waterfall" by Hiroshi Senju, a top runner in contemporary Japanese painting, and the tea room "Kanin-seki" (Important Cultural Property), said to have been donated by Joshinsai, the 7th head of the Omotesenke school, for Sen no Rikyu's 150th memorial, will be exhibited. Please enjoy this valuable opportunity to experience the spirit of the tea ceremony and contemporary art resonating in a tranquil space that is usually closed to the public.

At Obai-in, Korin-in, and Soken-in, which are specially opened every spring and autumn, you can visit buildings and important cultural properties that are usually closed to the public, along with the changing seasons. Among them, Soken-in is known as a temple built by Hashiba (later Toyotomi) Hideyoshi to mourn Oda Nobunaga, and you can see the gravestones of the Nobunaga family and the powerful wooden seated statue of Oda Nobunaga (Important Cultural Property) up close.

While gazing at the beautifully colored autumn leaves, please spend time reflecting on history by viewing historical buildings that convey the life of Kyoto at that time.

◾️ Daitokuji Temple Sub-temple Public Opening Schedule List

[Daitokuji Jukoin Public Opening Schedule] September 18 (Fri) - December 6 (Sun), 2026

[Daitokuji Korin-in Public Opening Schedule] September 5 (Sat) - September 27 (Sun), October 3 (Sat) - December 15 (Tue), 2026

[Daitokuji Obai-in Public Opening Schedule] October 9 (Fri) - December 6 (Sun), 2026

[Daitokuji Soken-in Public Opening Schedule] October 10 (Sat) - November 30 (Mon), 2026

Autumn 2026 Special Public Opening Temple Introduction | Daitokuji Jukoin

Jukoin was founded in Eiroku 9 (1566) by the Sengoku warlord Miyoshi Yoshitsugu to mourn his adoptive father Nagayoshi. Since its founder, Shōrei Sōkin, was Sen no Rikyu's Zen master, Rikyu made Jukoin his family temple. It is also the burial ground for successive generations of the three Senke schools of tea ceremony (Omotesenke, Urasenke, Mushakojisenke), making it a special place for those who practice the tea ceremony.

Daitokuji Jukoin Hojo "Hyakuseki no Niwa" Garden

[Special Opening Overview]

Opening Period: September 18 (Fri) - December 6 (Sun), 2026

Closed Days: September 27 (Sun), 28 (Mon), October 14 (Wed), 16 (Fri) - 18 (Sun), 27 (Tue), 28 (Wed), November 21 (Sat), 22 (Sun), 27 (Fri) - 29 (Sun)

*Closed days may increase due to temple duties.

Viewing Hours: 9:30 - 15:30 (Last admission)

Admission Fee: Adults 1000 yen, Elementary/Junior High/High School students 500 yen *Preschool children are not permitted.

Exhibition Contents: [National Treasure, Reproduction] Main Hall Wall Paintings by Kano Eitoku and Shoei [Important Cultural Property] Main Hall, Tea Rooms "Kanin-seki" and "Masudoko-seki" [Scenic Spot] Hojo Garden "Hyakuseki no Niwa" Shoin: Fusuma Paintings "Waterfall" by Hiroshi Senju

[National Treasure, Reproduction] Main Hall Wall Paintings by Kano Eitoku and Shoei

The wall paintings in the main hall of Jukoin were painted by the genius artist of the Momoyama period, Kano Eitoku (4th generation of the Kano school), and his father Shoei (3rd generation of the Kano school). In particular, Eitoku, though young at 24 years old at the time, was entrusted with the central room of the main hall and completed the masterpiece "Kacho-zu" (Birds and Flowers).

Genius Kano Eitoku is still cited as one of the important figures in Japanese painting today, but few of his existing works remain, as Azuchi Castle, Jurakudai, and Osaka Castle, which he worked on, were all destroyed by fire or demolition. The only work of this scale that remains is the Jukoin wall painting "Kacho-zu." In 1979, the "Mona Lisa" came to Japan from the Louvre Museum in Paris for exhibition, and in return, Eitoku's "Kacho-zu" was exhibited in France. It is truly a masterpiece representing Japanese art.

All 46 panels of the wall paintings by the Kano father and son are designated as National Treasures. (Reproductions are on display. The original wall paintings are currently stored at the Kyoto National Museum.) The dynamism is conveyed precisely because these wall paintings were calculated and painted for the space of the Jukoin main hall.

Daitokuji Jukoin Kano Eitoku and Shoei Wall Paintings "Kacho-zu" [National Treasure, Reproduction] Daitokuji Jukoin Kano Eitoku "Kin Ki Sho Ga Zu" Panorama [National Treasure, Reproduction]