Taizoin Temple Kyoto

Taizoin is the oldest subtemple within Myoshinji, Kyoto’s vast walled city of Zen, and it distils everything people hope a Kyoto temple will be: painterly gardens, real art history and a scale intimate enough that you can hear the water. While tour groups besiege the famous names, Taizoin rewards those who walk a little further.

Gardens and a famous catfish

The temple’s treasure is the Hyonenzu, a National Treasure ink painting posing a Zen riddle: how do you catch a catfish with a gourd? Its spirit runs through the grounds, from the dry landscape gardens attributed to the painter Kano Motonobu to the modern Yoko-en garden, where a weeping cherry cascades over terraced plantings that step down to a carp pond. Azaleas, irises and maples take turns through the seasons, and the garden’s designer built it to be beautiful from every single step of the path.

Slow down properly

Taizoin offers experiences that use the setting as it was intended, including zazen meditation and matcha in view of the garden, with availability listed on the booking page. Wandering greater Myoshinji’s lanes afterward, past dozens of subtemple gates, is one of Kyoto’s quietest pleasures.

Getting there

Take the JR Sagano Line two stops from Kyoto Station to Hanazono, then walk ten minutes to Myoshinji’s south gate; Taizoin is signed within the complex. The Randen tram and city buses also serve the temple’s north side, connecting toward Arashiyama and Ryoanji.

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