Gioji Temple

Gioji is said to be where Gio — known from The Tale of the Heike — took vows, along with her sister Ginyo, their mother Toji, and Hotoke Gozen. Gio and Hotoke Gozen had both lost the favour of Taira no Kiyomori and became nuns together. Inside the hermitage stand the principal Dainichi Nyorai and wooden figures of all four women. The thatched hut sits above a moss garden where light filters down through maple and bamboo — exactly the mood the old story calls for. The large round window in the antechamber throws shadows that break like a rainbow depending on the light, and is known as the rainbow window.