# Kairyuo-ji

> A small temple in the north-east corner of what was Empress Komyo's palace, a couple of minutes from Hokke-ji. Its West Golden Hall holds a five-storey pagoda 4.01 metres tall, listed as a National Treasure building and, the temple says, the smallest such pagoda in Japan. The Kamakura-period Eleven-faced Kannon in the main hall is normally behind a curtain and opened in spring and autumn.

- Prefecture: Nara
- Type: Temple
- Address: Nara, Japan
- Admission: 500 yen
- Official site: https://kairyuouji.jp/

You walk in through a Muromachi-period gate and along a short path between earthen walls, and the noise of the road behind you drops away fast. That path is half the reason I like Kairyuo-ji. The other half is in a plain little building beside the main hall, the West Golden Hall, where a five-storey pagoda 4.01 metres tall has stood indoors since the Nara period. You cannot go into the hall; you look at the pagoda through the open doors. It was designated a National Treasure in 1951 as a building, not as a craft object, and the temple calls it the smallest National Treasure five-storey pagoda in Japan. The details, from the bracketing to the way each storey is made slimmer than the one below, follow the building methods of the early eighth century. The spire on top is a 1906 replacement. A matching pagoda once stood in an East Golden Hall facing it, until that hall was lost in the early Meiji years; only its platform is left. The West Golden Hall keeps its Nara-period size and plan, though it was heavily repaired in the Kamakura period.

The temple sat in the north-east corner of Empress Komyo's palace, which is why it was also called Sumidera, the corner temple. Tradition dates it to 731. The monk Genbo, back from China after surviving a storm by chanting the Sea Dragon King sutra, became its head priest, and the temple took that sutra's name. It also holds an eighth-century copy of the Heart Sutra known as the Sumidera Shingyo, and calls itself the original home of Heart Sutra copying; you can copy it yourself in the hall beside the West Golden Hall.

The main hall's Eleven-faced Kannon, 94 cm, made by a Kei school sculptor in the Kamakura period, is normally seen through a curtain. It is opened in late March to early April, early May, and late October to early November; the autumn 2026 dates are 24 October to 10 November. Photography and lights are banned in the main hall, and it gets crowded during openings. From late March into early April the grounds turn white with snow willow.

## FAQ

### Can I see the five-storey pagoda on any day?

Yes, on any day the temple is open. You view it from outside the West Golden Hall through the open doors; you cannot go inside. Only the main hall's Eleven-faced Kannon is limited to the special openings.

### When is the Eleven-faced Kannon opened?

Usually late March to early April, early May, and late October to early November. In 2026 the spring openings ran 23 March to 7 April and 1 to 9 May, and the autumn one is 24 October to 10 November. The 2027 dates had not been announced at the time of writing; the temple posts them on its news page.

### Can I copy the Heart Sutra here?

Yes. The sutra-copying hall stands beside the West Golden Hall, and the model text is based on the temple's own Sumidera Shingyo. Copying is paused on some days, which the temple lists on its news page, so check before you go.

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Source: Kairyuo-ji — Japan Voyage