Hosenin

Apolinaras ŠKIKŪNAS 2 months ago

An exclusive place with a special energy, cozy gardens and all lovely surroundings. It's definitely worth a visit to indulge your soul.

Alysa Brexaet 3 months ago

I came here for the special fall light up. The temple is very small but the garden is very beautiful. This is very for from downtown Kyoto. I don’t think you should spend the time, money, or energy to come here and instead do the illuminations closer to downtown. The fee to enter was ¥800 which was quite expensive for how small it is. The handwritten goshuin was also ¥800 which is very very expensive. They are normally ¥300. This was not a special edition nor a 2 page one. It felt very expensive and not worth it in my opinion.

Liz Mudry 4 months ago

There are so many beautiful things to see in this little temple. And the staff is so sweet! I've lived in Kyoto and have visited many temples; Hosen-in has always been my favorite.

Ashton Lee 10 months ago

What is worth dying for? As you walk past tranquil rock gardens & enter the tea room under the shade of the Mount Fuji shaped pine tree you notice the ceiling wood’s beautiful coloring stained by a great sacrifice. A bloody footprint here… The death mask print of a warrior long gone there... For over 400 years ago the Lord Samurai Tototado and 370 of his samurai defended Fushumi castle in Kyoto from a great siege by opposition forces. Vastly outnumbered Tototado’s samurai held the castle for 11 days of bloody combat. With nothing left to give the Samurai finally ritually commuted sepukku on the 11th day. With their lives forfeit they would not become hostages or trading pieces. What did they die for? Everything. They held off a greater forces & gave their lord Tokugawa Ieyasu the time needed to rally his forces for the decisive battle. Which they won. Ushering in 200 years of a continuous peace. The blood stained floor boards of Fushimi castle during now peaceful time were used at three separate temples one of which you are now reading about here. Not as flooring beneath ones feet but as ceilings. To keep above one’s head. Top of the mind. To not forget. To honor. So think of this as you drink your freshly ground tea and enjoy your sweet snack. The sacrifices that shape battles. The battles that shake history. The actions that echo on into eternity.

Xian Jie Lee (XJ) 5 years ago

Hosenin has a beautiful garden just behind the ticketing counter that most visitors miss out on. The main garden with the 700-year-old tree shaped like Mt Fuji with its blood ceilings from Fushimi Castle are the main attraction, bjt don’t miss out on the other garden either! Entry is expensive at ¥800, but it comes with a bowl of matcha.