Chishakuin Temple
TO RESERVE
Morning Scripture Service
【Exclusive to Overnight Guests of the Chishakuin Kaikan Temple Accommodations】
The morning after your stay in our accommodations, you can participate in our morning scripture service and a monk-led walk within the temple grounds (viewing the scenic garden). (Participations is free of charge). Why don’t you start your day with this extraordinary experience in the serene air of the early morning? You will feel a new sense of gratitude for the life you are given and surely will learn something new about yourself. This is the type of morning you can only experience while staying at a temple.
5:40am(Mar 1st ～ Nov 30th)
6:10am (Dec 1st ～ End of Feb)
Meeting place: Lobby
Gather in the lobby The overnight guests will be guided together to the Kondō Main Hall. You will be greeted by priests.
6:00am(Mar 1st ～ Nov 30th)
6:30am (Dec 1st ～ End of Feb)
Kondō Main Hall
Participate in the daily morning scripture service. The sound of many priests chanting sutras before the principal buddha Dainichi Nyorai echoes throughout the hall. In the early morning, amid a solemn atmosphere, venture out of the everyday world to experience the extraordinary.
After the service in the Kondō Main Hall, you will walk to the Myōōden Hall next door. On the way, you will get a brief view of the Shōrōdō Bell Tower.Please enjoy the clarity of the early morning sky.
Myōōden Hall
Next, you will participate in a Homa ritual at Myōōden Hall. We burn Homa prayer sticks before our principal buddha Fudō Myōō (Acalanātha), who has been handed down to us from Negoro Temple. We pray for Fudō Myōō’s flames of wisdom to assist us in realizing our desires. The roaring flames and the echoes of the taiko drums and chanted sutras reverberating throughout the hall have a powerful impact. Please experience this atmosphere completely different from the morning scripture service at the Kondō Main Hall.
After the Goma Fire Ritual (Homa) prayer in the Myōōden Hall, each participant will be granted a substitute amulet(as pictured on the left). This amulet contains the power of your prayers’ merit as well as the Kajiriki, the blessing and protection from Fudō Myōō. We hope that every day you will feel the presence of Fudō Myōō in your life.
Around 7:00am(March 1st ～ November 30th )
Around 7:30am(December 1st ～End of February)
End of Morning Service, Tour of Temple Grounds
A monk will lead a guided tour of the temple grounds. The morning service happens every day, but that does not mean it is always the same. The guiding monk will be different depending on the day, meaning the sutras chanted will also differ. Please be aware that the events may be a little ahead or behind of the schedule. (If there is no reservation, the explanation will be in Japanese only.)
Tour Highlight “Scenic Garden”
Chishakuin’s scenic garden, which is said to have been a favorite of the famous tea master Rikyū.After the morning service, this garden is exclusively available to overnight guests of our accommodations. A monk will explain the garden’s history and points of interest. One of the tour’s charms is that each monk who leads it has different style, giving it a different feel each time you take it. This makes it enjoyable for repeaters as well as first timers.
Scenic Garden
Hasegawa Tōhaku’s “Maple” and Hasegawa Kyūzō’s “Cherry Blossom” (Both National Treasures)
Our treasury’s wall paintings of the Hasegawa school founded by Hasegawa Tōhaku. Of particular interest are the works “Maple” and “Cherry Blossom.” These representative works of father (Hasegawa Tōhaku) and son (Hasegawa Kyūzō) are on display side by side. Here you can enjoy a luxurious world in splendid gold leaf.
(Note: An admission fee is required. There will be closed to the public on certain days for in-house events.)
Hasegawa Tōhaku’s “Maple”(National Treasure)
Hasegawa Tōhaku’s “Cherry Blossom”(National Treasure)
Around 8:00am (Mar 1st to Nov 30th)
Around 8:30am(Dec 1st to End of Feb)
Breakfast（Only for those who ordered）
After the end of the tour, you will be guided to the breakfast hall by a monk, after that the guiding priest will depart.
We often take for granted the food we eat every day, when the truth is it may not always be there. If you eat your meal while remembering this, you can find yourself feeling grateful again for what you have.
After the meal, the group will disperse. Check-out is at 10:00am.You may leave right away, or you may take one more walk through the temple grounds. Please spend the rest of your time as you wish.
