Kodai-ji Temple

Kodai-ji Temple, a member of the Kennin-ji School of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism, is famous for its works of maki-e lacquer art.
To pray for the repose of her late husband, the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Kodaiin (Nene or Kita no Mandokoro), founded the temple in 1606, courtesy of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The temple incorporated structures and materials once used in buildings owned by Hideyoshi, so they were very elaborate and impressive. However, due to repeated fires, a number of the buildings have been lost. Today, Omotemon (the Main Gate), Kangetsudai (the Moon-viewing Platform), Kaizando (the Founder’s Hall), Otamaya (the Mausoleum), and two tea houses, Karakasatei and Shiguretei, are the only remaining original buildings and all of them have been designated as Important Cultural Assets.
Otayama, the mausoleum of Kita no Mandokoro, where wooden statues of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his wife, Kita no Mandokoro (originally known as Nene), are enshrined, is decorated with superlative examples of Japanese lacquer work, representing the pinnacle of Muromachi-era aesthetics.
The strolling garden around the lake was reportedly designed by Kobori Enshu and has been designated as both a Historic and a Scenic Site by the government.
The temple treasures include the statue of Kita no Mandokoro (later known as Kodai-in; Important Cultural Asset), the statue of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, lacquered furnishings, paintings, and other numerous cultural assets of art and craft. A selection of these treasures are open to the public in the Kodaiji Sho Museum, located across Nene-no Michi (Nene’s Lane).
Kyoto City