Myōshin-ji Temple
A bell cast in 698 still rings here — the oldest working bell on Earth, predating the temple itself by six centuries.
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This former imperial palace was donated by the abdicated Emperor Hanazono in 1342 and grew into the head of the largest school within Rinzai Zen — roughly as big as all other Rinzai branches combined. Nearly all buildings were destroyed in the Ōnin War of 1467, then rebuilt over the following 150 years; the gardens now carry a national designation as a Place of Scenic Beauty and Historic Site.
What to look for
- The Okikicho bell, cast in 698 — the oldest surviving Buddhist temple bell in Japan and the oldest bell in the world still in use
- The post-Ōnin War buildings dating from the late 15th through early 17th century, built under the leadership of the sixth patriarch Sekko-Soshin Zenji
- The gardens, nationally designated as both a Place of Scenic Beauty and a Historic Site
The complex is sprawling — allow at least a half-day to move through it without rushing.
Myōshin-ji Temple is one of 39 sights worth the detour in Kyoto, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Kyoto pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Kyoto
- Kiyomizu-dera TempleA monk traced a golden stream to its source on Mount Otowa in 778. Pilgrims are still arriving.
- Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)A gold-wrapped pavilion torched by a novice monk in 1950 and rebuilt by 1955 — every gleaming surface you see is modern.
- Fushimi Inari-taishaTen thousand orange gates, every single one paid for by a Japanese business, tunnel up a sacred mountain.
- Heian-kyō (Kyoto)Japan's capital for over a thousand years — and by one legal argument, still.
- Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion)The silver coating was never applied — and that unfinished state became the point.
- Kyoto Imperial PalaceJapan's imperial seat for 538 years — until the emperor moved his residence to Tokyo and the palace lost its central role.