Honpoji Temple

Honpoji stands on a quiet street facing the heads of the Omotesenke and Urasenke tea schools, one of the head temples of the Nichiren sect. It is the family temple of Hon'ami Koetsu and closely tied to the painter Hasegawa Tohaku. The thing to see is the garden Koetsu designed in front of the study hall, a nationally designated scenic site: bold in the Momoyama manner, with stones set as a dry waterfall so that falling water is described entirely in rock. The temple also holds Tohaku's great Nirvana painting, though a full-size reproduction hangs in its place most of the year. From 14 March to 15 April each year, a spring exhibition brings out the original — an Important Cultural Property — along with treasures not otherwise shown.