Ninna-ji

Ninna-ji is an imperial temple complex in Kyoto's Ukyo Ward with a founding history intertwined with the imperial court at the highest levels: established in 888 CE by Emperor Uda, who upon abdicating the throne entered Buddhist orders and became the temple's first head priest, inaugurating the Omuro Monseki tradition by which imperial princes served as head abbots for over a thousand years until the Meiji period. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, Ninna-ji contains a remarkably complete complex of historical buildings spread across extensive grounds. These include the Chokushimon (Imperial Messenger Gate, rebuilt in the Edo period from original Kyoto Imperial Palace gates), the Kon-do (Main Hall) originally from the Imperial Palace complex and one of the oldest surviving structures in Kyoto, and the Goten (Omuro Imperial Palace) buildings housing a series of interconnected garden rooms and painted screen chambers. The five-story pagoda, visible from outside the compound walls, is one of Kyoto's finest examples of Momoyama-period pagoda architecture. The principal attraction for many visitors is the Omuro Cherry Blossom garden, planted with approximately 200 dwarf Omuro cherry trees (Prunus jamasakura var. sphaerocarpa) that bloom approximately two weeks later than the Somei Yoshino cherry trees filling most of Kyoto's other famous cherry-viewing spots. This late blooming typically occurs in mid-April, allowing cherry blossom visitors to extend their seasonal viewing well beyond the main Kyoto peak. The short, multi-trunk Omuro trees with low-hanging blossom branches create an unusually intimate cherry-viewing experience distinct from the towering trees elsewhere in the city.