Ninnaji Temple

Ninnaji was founded in 888 by Emperor Uda, who later took vows and built a monk's residence here called Omuro — a name that passed to the whole district. The Nio gate, built in the Edo period, is an Important Cultural Property and one of Kyoto's three great gates. The grounds hold the National Treasure main hall and a five-storey pagoda, while the palace buildings — Shinden, Kuroshoin and Shiroshoin — are built in the manner of an imperial residence and carry the atmosphere of Heian court culture. The Ryokakutei and Hitotei teahouses are Important Cultural Properties. Eighty-eight small shrines dot the hill behind, and the temple's late-blooming Omuro cherries are famous in their own right.