East Temple

Kyōto's tallest pagoda and the birthplace of Japanese esoteric Buddhism — founded 796, UNESCO World Heritage since 1994.

Tō-ji — Japanese for "East Temple" — was founded in 796 when the new capital Heiankyō (modern Kyōto) was laid out. Emperor Kammu handed it to the monk Kūkai in 823, who established esoteric Shingon Buddhism in Japan here. Since then Tō-ji has been the head temple of the Tō-ji branch of Shingon-shū. The centrepiece of the complex is the five-storey pagoda — at 54.8 metres the tallest in Japan and one of the most iconic images of Kyōto. Once a month and on special festivals the interior, housing ancient mandalas and sculptures, opens to visitors. Every morning a flea market takes place on the grounds, and an antique market every Thursday. Since 1994 Tō-ji has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".