The temple was founded in 1602 when Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu split the Jōdo Shinshu sect into two in order to diminish their influence. The other part of the original sect became Higashi Honganji.
While it’s free to walk around the grounds, there may be a small charge for admission to some of the inner buildings.
西本願寺
60 Horikawa-dōri Hanaya-chō Kudaru Honganji Monzen-machi, Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto-shi
5:30 - 17:00
Free
- 0.8 km from Gojō Station Karasuma Line (K10)
- 0.9 km from Tambaguchi Station Sagano Line (E3)
- 0.9 km from Kyoto Station Tōkaido ShinkansenJR Kyoto Line (A31)Nara Line (D1)Karasuma Line (K11)Kyoto Line (Kintetsu) (B1)Biwako Line (A31)Sagano Line (E1)
