Kodai-ji Temple, located in Higashiyama ward of Kyoto city, is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Kennin-ji Temple school of the Rinzai Sect. It’s formal name is Kodai Jushozen-ji Temple. After Hideyoshi Toyotomi passed away, his wife Kita no Mandokoro (also known as Nene, a priestess and assumed the name of Kodaiin Kogetsuni) built the temple in 1606 to pray for his soul.
Due to the political consideration, Ieyasu Tokugawa, as the ruler at the time, financed the construction of the temple, resulting in its magnificent appearance. However, after several times of fire, most of it had been destroyed. What being preserved are the front gate, Otamaya (special memorial hall enshrining Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Kita-no-Mandokoro), Kaisan-do, the tea rooms Shigure-tei and Kasa-tei, and Kangetsu-dai, which are all designated as Important Cultural Properties. The garden with Kaisan-do in the central, spreading out from east to west, is Enshu Kobori’s work.
