To-ji Temple 【Kyo-o-gokoku-ji】 Head temple of the Shingon sect *UNESCO World Heritage Site*

To-ji is the only remaining structure from Heian-kyo, the ancient capital. It was built about 1,200 years ago, when the capital moved to Kyoto, as a national temple.

Emperor Saga, who became emperor after Emperor Kanmu, gave the temple to the monk Kobo Daishi (Kukai). Kukai had returned from China, where he had studied a new kind of Buddhism called Esoteric Buddhism. To-ji became the first Esoteric Buddhist temple in Japan.

The grounds have three National Treasures: the Kondo (Main Hall), the Five-Story Pagoda, and the Miedo Hall. The pagoda is a symbol of Kyoto. At 55 meters, it is the tallest wooden pagoda in Japan. In 1994, To-ji was registered as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.”