Jurinji: Home of Famous Poet Narihira!

Jurinji Temple belongs to the Tendai sect of Buddhism. It is also called “Narihira temple“. Jurinji Temple is located in the rural Oharano area of Kyoto along the road leading to Yoshimine-dera. The original temple built was built in 850 for the purpose of praying for the birth of a Fujiwara successor, and the prayers were believed to have worked, because the empress later gave birth to a boy, Emperor Seiwa. The temple you see today dates back to 1750. The temple’s garden is really nice and especially beautiful in the fall. Ariwarano Narihira, one of the six famous poets from the Heian era (794-1192). He lived in here in his final years. He is the legendary lover and hero/author of Tales of Ise. One of Narihira’s pastimes was making salt by boiling seawater. According to legend, when his lover Nijo no Kisaki visited nearby Oharano shrine, Narihira coloured the smoke purple as a sign of his love. In a bamboo grove behind the temple are the remains of the salt-making kiln.