Sep 22, 2014 - 1 min read

Gio-ji: A Rustic Temple in Okusaga

A tragic nunnery hidden deep in a bamboo grove

By Masayoshi Hirose

Community writer

Translated by Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

The whole place was silent, except for the sound of an intermittent breeze and the fluttering of bamboo leaves

In mid autumn, this rustic wooden hut stands silently in the bamboo grove

Brilliant maple leaves on a mountain behind the temple

Maple leaves turning pale yellow, and deep-green moss in the ground

A thatched roof and moss-covered garden...a totally different world spreads out in front of your eyes

This rustic old temple is located deep in Saga, Kyoto. The serenity and austerity permeate the entire grounds

'Yoshino-mado (Yoshino Window)' in a waiting room. It is also known as 'Window of Rainbow', named so as shadows reflected on this window are rainbow-colored

Probably a stray cat, but her back looks somehow sensuous. Her sensuous back reminded me of a mother and her daughter (Gio) who, at the age of twenty-one, forsook the world and became a nun

Yellow and vermilion maple leaves cover the entrance of the nunnery

The temple is surrounded by green moss, colorful maple leaves, and a bamboo grove. Whenever I visit here I feel as though I become purified

In the Heian period, this place, from the Palace in Kyoto, was filled with resort villas of aristocrats and imperial families, and they often enjoyed hunting here

Gio-ji Temple is a nunnery located deep in the Sagano district of Kyoto, at the back of 'Sagano Bamboo Forest'. This temple is renowned for its beautiful moss garden, but there is one more thing that makes this temple very famous, which is the sad story that goes with it.

A long long time ago, in the Heian period (794-1185), a Shirabyoshi (female dancer prominent in the Japanese Imperial Court) was loved dearly by a powerful samurai leader, but she was later deserted by this lover. In deep despair, she forsook the world, and became a nun together with her sister, who was also a popular dancer.

The above mentioned deserted lover was Gio, and her sister Gijo, her mother Toji, and Gio's ex-lover's new lover (who replaced Gio) Hotoke-goze; ALL of these four women became nuns and spent the rest of their lives here in this nunnery...because of the callous lover Taira no Kiyomori, who deserted Gio, replaced her with Hotoke-goze, breaking everyone's heart on the way!

I wonder how they looked up these brilliant maple leaves here while living a quiet nun's life.