Gioji (GIO-JI is a historic shrine and temple in Sagano, Kyoto. 33 traveler-shot videos let you feel the atmosphere and catch the highlights before you go.
Gioji is a small thatched-roof temple deep in Sagano, famed for its luminous moss garden shaded by maples and bamboo. It takes its name from Gio, a Heian-era dancer who, in the Tale of the Heike, retired here as a nun — lending the hermitage a quiet melancholy.
History & Culture
History & Culture
Tale of the Heike
Gio's Hermitage
The temple is tied to Gio, a dancer cast aside by Taira no Kiyomori, who withdrew here to a life of prayer — a story that has drawn visitors for centuries.
