Gallery
The Higashi Honganji Gallery is located in the Audio-visual Hall building, the temple’s cultural hub. The gallery’s permanent exhibition recounts the life of Shinran (1173–1262), the founder of Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land) Buddhism, using bilingual (Japanese and English) explanatory panels. Special exhibitions are held four times a year and focus on topics such as the history of Higashi Honganji, the temple’s outreach initiatives, human rights, and nature. There are also small displays on how the temple structures were renovated between 2004 and 2016, and on places elsewhere in Kyoto with a connection to Shinran or Higashi Honganji. Entrance is free.
The building also includes the Audio-visual Hall, where lectures and sermons are held, as well as altar rooms and a reception area. The structure is mostly underground and has a glass ceiling that lets in ample natural light. It was designed by architect Takashima Shin, known for his futuristic buildings. It opened in 1998 in time for the 500th memorial service for Rennyo (1415–1499), the eighth head priest of Honganji. Rennyo is revered for revitalizing Jodo Shinshu and forging the foundation that allowed the school to become one of the largest Buddhist denominations in Japan.