Autumn Special Night Viewing Opens at Kodai-ji in Kyoto, with the New Work “KODAI-JI: Momoyama Ryoran” in the Hashintei Garden

The autumn special night viewing, running until Sunday, December 13, began on Friday, October 23 at Kodai-ji Temple in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto. In the Hashintei Garden in front of the abbot’s quarters, the new video “KODAI-JI: Momoyama Ryoran” is projected, and the gardens, designated a Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty, the Kaisando (Founder’s Hall), the Otamaya (mausoleum) and other buildings are illuminated. The lights come on at 17:00, admission is accepted until 21:30, and the admission fee (800 yen for adults) is the same day and night. Nearby Entoku-in Temple also holds night viewings during the same period, and a combined discount ticket covering Kodai-ji, Entoku-in and the Sho Museum is also available.

The new “KODAI-JI: Momoyama Ryoran”: from a starry sky to a moonlit garden

According to the press release, the new work is a story of light depicting the glory and prayers of the Momoyama period, set in the Hashintei Garden. The video opens with a scene of twinkling stars and flowing golden clouds. Flowers and plants adorn the water’s surface like maki-e lacquerwork, and after rafts of fallen petals drift by, it moves to scenes of the era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his wife Kita-no-Mandokoro Nene. Gorgeous designs appear and vanish, eventually reflecting impermanence. At the end, flowers bloom in a moonlit garden, and clouds and tones envelop the whole.

The staging combines light, video, sound and expressions of water. The images released show the work in progress and may differ from the actual work. The length of the video, the screening interval, the creators and the equipment used are not given in the October 14 press release.

The water mirror of Garyuchi Pond and the lights of the Otamaya: illuminating the gardens and halls

The Kodai-ji Garden, a Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty, is lit with a warm brightness inspired by Hideyoshi’s death poem, “a dream within a dream.” At Garyuchi Pond, the scenery reflected on the water and the surrounding autumn leaves are brought out, and around the bamboo grove and Engetsuchi Pond, the pine trees.

At the Kaisando, the Kangetsudai (moon-viewing pavilion) and the Otamaya, light is shown inside the buildings. In the lawn garden, the artificial hill and rock arrangement representing the back of a crane are accentuated, reportedly expressing the atmosphere of Kodai-ji maki-e.

Admission and hours: no rotation, but no re-entry once you leave

During the period, viewing starts at 9:00, the lights come on at 17:00, admission ends at 21:30 and the gates close at 22:00. The temple’s official website says the admission fee is the same day and night. There is no rotation system, but once you leave through the exit, you cannot re-enter with the same ticket.

Admission to Kodai-ji is 800 yen for adults and 400 yen for junior high and high school students, or 700 yen for groups of 30 or more. Entoku-in is 500 yen for adults and 200 yen for junior high and high school students. There is also a combined discount ticket (1,200 yen) for three sites: the two temples and the Sho Museum. Elementary school students and younger are free when accompanied by an adult guardian. At least one adult is required for every five children, and after 17:00 in November, elementary school students on school excursions or school trips are not admitted regardless of group size.

By bus, get off at the Kyoto City Bus “Higashiyama Yasui” stop and walk east for 7 minutes. From Kyoto Station it takes about 15 minutes on City Bus 206, and from Gion-Shijo Station on the Keihan Line about 5 minutes on City Bus 207. Kodai-ji’s parking lot charges 600 yen for up to one hour for cars, and tour buses must reserve.

The temple of Hideyoshi and Nene, and a new work drawn from its own history

Kodai-ji is a temple of the Kenninji school of Rinzai Zen. It was founded in 1606 by Kita-no-Mandokoro Nene, the principal wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, to pray for his repose. The press release introduces it as a temple that conveys Momoyama culture through its gardens and architecture. This year’s new work takes as its subject the era of Hideyoshi and Nene, which is bound up with the temple’s founding. The special night viewing was announced on October 14 by CMA Co., Ltd. (Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto).

Kyoto nights that began the same day, including the Nijo-jo Castle light-up

In Kyoto, the “Nijo-jo Castle Festival 2026” also began on the same day, Friday, October 23, at the Former Imperial Villa Nijo-jo Castle. At night, the 2026 edition of the light-up “NAKED meets Nijo-jo Castle” is held. According to the Nijo-jo Castle official website, the light-up runs until Saturday, December 5, from 18:00 to 22:00 (last entry 21:00). For tickets bought on or after October 23, admission is 2,000 yen Monday to Thursday and 2,400 yen on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays, and same-day tickets are also sold at the Nijo-jo Castle ticket office from 18:00. The Kodai-ji night viewing continues until Sunday, December 13, overlapping for most of its run.

Night viewings and light-ups in Kyoto are introduced in our roundup of night viewing in Kyoto, and the Nijo-jo Castle event in our Nijo-jo Castle article. The process of fitting video to gardens and buildings is summarized in our explainer on how projection mapping works.

Overview

Name: Kodai-ji Temple 2026 Autumn Special Night Viewing (new projection mapping “KODAI-JI: Momoyama Ryoran”)
Dates: Friday, October 23 – Sunday, December 13, 2026
Hours: 9:00 to 21:30, last admission (gates close at 22:00). Lights on at 17:00
Venues: Kodai-ji Temple (Hashintei Garden in front of the abbot’s quarters, Kodai-ji Garden, Kaisando, Kangetsudai, Otamaya and more), Entoku-in Temple
Admission: Kodai-ji: adults 800 yen, junior high and high school students 400 yen (groups of 30 or more 700 yen) / Entoku-in: adults 500 yen, junior high and high school students 200 yen / Elementary school students and younger free when accompanied by an adult guardian / Combined discount ticket (Kodai-ji, Entoku-in and Sho Museum) 1,200 yen
Access: 7-minute walk east from the Kyoto City Bus “Higashiyama Yasui” stop
Official website: https://www.kodaiji.com/

*Information as of October 23, 2026. Please check the official website for the latest information.

*Top image: An image of the new projection mapping “KODAI-JI: Momoyama Ryoran” in production; the actual work may differ (from a press release by CMA Co., Ltd.)

*This article was compiled by the TOKYO ART SPHERE editorial team based on materials released by CMA Co., Ltd. (October 14, 2026) and information on the official websites of Kodai-ji and the Former Imperial Villa Nijo-jo Castle (as of October 23, 2026).

Text: TOKYO ART SPHERE Editorial Team