Jiko-in

Temple

Prefecture

Nara

Type

Temple

N/A

0 reviews

¥1,000

Entry Fee

Restaurant Train Access

About This Destination

A small Zen temple in Yamato-Koriyama built in 1663 by the tea master and local lord Katagiri Sekishu, laid out as one long tea gathering from the gate to the tea rooms. The 1,000 yen entry includes a bowl of matcha in the thatched shoin, looking over a clipped garden toward the Yamato basin. The view now takes in a fair amount of suburb, and it is cash only.

You climb a short stone slope off the main road, pass through a thatched gate that once stood at Ibaraki Castle in Settsu, and a few minutes later you are kneeling on tatami with a bowl of matcha while the garden falls away in front of you. That is the whole visit, and it is a good one.

Katagiri Sadamasa, the second lord of the small Koizumi domain and better known as the tea master Katagiri Sekishu, built Jiko-in in 1663 as the family temple for his late father. He later taught tea to the fourth Tokugawa shogun, Ietsuna, and the Sekishu school of tea goes back to him. The place was laid out less as a temple than as one long tea gathering: the slope, the gate, the approach, the reception room, the garden and the small tea rooms beyond, all arranged by one man and still in place more than 350 years later.

The shoin, a low thatched building that looks more like a farmhouse than a temple hall, is an Important Cultural Property, as are the two small tea rooms. The garden, a national Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty, uses almost no stones. It is clipped azalea hedges and rounded trees, with the Yamato basin and the hills beyond borrowed as the background. Expect the present day in that view: houses and roads have filled much of the plain. The temple writes about this itself, and since 1997 it has planted 500 to 600 trees on former rice fields east of the shoin.

Entry is 1,000 yen and includes a bowl of matcha made with water from a well in use since the Edo period. Allow about 40 minutes, and bring cash. The tea room seats around 35 at a time, so if a school group gets in just before you, you may wait a little.

For lunch the temple serves Sekishu-men, flat somen noodles recreated from an old Koizumi speciality, for 1,500 yen. It is limited to 10 people a day and needs a phone booking by the day before. A 7,000 yen vegetarian kaiseki is offered on only a few days and must be booked several days ahead, with the entry fee on top.

On 15 November 2026 the temple is closed to general visitors for its annual memorial to its founders.

Location

Prefecture: Nara

Address: Yamatokoriyama, Nara, Japan

Nearest Station: JR Yamato-Koizumi Station

Best time to visit: Year-round; the garden is clipped shrubs and trees rather than flowers, so no single month makes or breaks it. The temple's moon-viewing tea is on the evening of 23 October in 2026 (from 17:00, 3,000 yen)

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Visitor Information

Credit Cards: Unknown

Official Website

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the matcha really included in the entry fee?

Yes. The 1,000 yen fee covers entry and a bowl of matcha served in the shoin, an Important Cultural Property, while you look at the garden. Children of elementary school age pay the same; the temple's English page says children under six are free. It is cash only, and the visit takes about 40 minutes. Hours are 9:00 to 17:00.

Which bus stop should I use?

Katagiri-nishi Shogakko, which the temple says is closer than the stop named after it. Do not confuse it with Katagiri Shogakko on the same route. Many people skip the bus and walk the 18 minutes from JR Yamato-Koizumi Station.

Can I have lunch at Jiko-in?

Only with a booking. Sekishu-men, flat somen noodles recreated from an old Koizumi speciality, costs 1,500 yen, is limited to 10 people (three groups) a day, and must be booked by phone (0743-53-3004) by the day before. The 7,000 yen vegetarian kaiseki is offered on few days and must be booked several days ahead. Meals are for visitors, so the 1,000 yen entry is charged on top. No meals are served from 29 December to 5 January.

Are there days when I cannot visit, or special events?

The temple is open every day, but on 15 November 2026 general visits stop for the memorial service to its founding priest and Katagiri Sekishu. From 2026 the moon-viewing tea moved a month later, to the 13th night of the ninth lunar month; this year that is 23 October from 17:00, for 3,000 yen. The prefecture's tourism site lists a viewing of the dragon painting on the main hall ceiling from 1 to 3 January.