Kodaiji Temple

Kodaiji was founded by Kita-no-Mandokoro, principal wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to pray for her husband's soul. Its garden, designed by Kobori Enshu, is a nationally designated place of scenic beauty, and the founder's hall, the moon-viewing platform and the Kasa-tei and Shigure-tei teahouses are all Important Cultural Properties. The temple is best known for the Kodaiji maki-e inside the mausoleum: gold powder laid into black lacquer, and among the finest surviving craftwork of the Momoyama period. Zen sitting and tea ceremony sessions can be booked in advance. It's an easy walk up from Gion, so it folds naturally into a Higashiyama stroll.