Genko-An

Unclaimed

I was lucky to go when almost no one was there. The temple is a jewel in so many ways. Take a moment to enjoy the natural landscape, the spaciousness, the soft fragrance of Japanese incense, the golden light, and the view through the windows. Take a moment to decipher the Chinese calligraphies... It's fine take some time... Take a moment to contemplate the perfect nature of enlightenment and the edgy nature of confusion. Take a moment to wish that all beings may reach perfect and complete awakening. Take a moment to pray for those whose bloody footprints and handprints have been enshrined within the ceiling. Take a moment to admire the exquisite ornaments and details of the interiors. Take a moment to observe how even the gardener embodies the spirit of zen. Or just take a picture of the Sakura, plum blossoms or momiji. The gardener will be happy to help you.

One of the most famous place is Genko-an sutuating Norse-western portion of Kyoto city. The round enlightenment window and the square Window of confusion. I dropped in the place on Wednesday this week. Beautiful Buddhist decoration were scattered everywhere, no inhibbit for photo shooting. Every visitor will not be disappointed to come here with a distance. Smell of Northern Kyoto would so tasty. 400 yen per an adult is reasonable. Public Kyoto City bus is supplied for every 20 minutes. Shijo-Omiya is a suitable Hankyu Railway St.. Middle of November will be favorable for Reddish leaves.

Genko-an is one of temple which bring me the peaceful mind. There are two windows - square one make me look back my life and circle one associates with space and gives me a peace. In the fall, in particular, the time the colour of leaves changes to the red, would be the best time which is generally mid to late November.

Small temple but very calm, pretty and full of history. The staff were nice and gladly answering our questions.

We visited Genko-an Temple as part of a guided E-bike tour, and it turned out to be one of the more fascinating stops of our trip. When we arrived, there were no other tourists around, which made the experience even more peaceful and immersive. The temple itself is beautiful, but what makes it truly unique is the ceiling—known as a “blood ceiling” (chitenjō). These wooden boards originally came from Fushimi Castle and were repurposed at Genko-an in the 1600s. They still bear the bloody handprints and footprints of samurai who died during the castle’s siege, choosing to commit seppuku rather than be captured. The ceiling serves as a memorial and a haunting reminder of their sacrifice. I had read something about these blood-stained ceilings before coming to Japan but didn’t know where to find one. Genko-an is actually one of three temples in Kyoto where you can see these historic boards. It was a powerful and unexpected surprise—and a deeply memorable part of our visit.