Discovering the History and Tea of Uji in Half a Day : A Trip Along the Kyoto-Nara Line

Servicing both local and rapid trains along the JR Nara Line between Kyoto and Nara, Uji Station is our first stop on the route (be careful not to confuse this with Keihan Uji Station, another nearby station). Construction of the Nara Line began in 1879 and Uji Station was opened 17 years later in 1896. The current station building was constructed in 2000 and is designed to imitate the famous Phoenix Hall at the World Heritage site Byodo-in Temple (a location that we will visit later on in this route).

Although records show of settlements in the Uji area since the 5th century, Uji as a city was founded in 1951. At the foot of the station steps you will find a large tea pot mailbox which was put in place in 2001 to commemorate 50th anniversary of the founding of Uji City, and next to this is the Uji Tourist Information office.

Kyoto boasts no less than seventeen UNESCO World Heritage Sites, one of which is the Byodo-in Buddhist Temple by the west banks of the River Uji. The Heian era (794-1185) courtier Minamoto no Shigenobu once owned land for a mansion here, which was bought by Fujiwara no Michinaga from Shigenobu’s widow after his death. Fujiwara no Michinaga was a high-ranking statesman of the court. The character Genji from Murasaki’s novel The Tale of Genji is believed in part to have been based on Michinaga, and it was his son, Fujiwara no Yorimichi, who then constructed Byodo-in and converted it into a Buddhist temple in 1052.

The most famous of its buildings the Phoenix Hall, was built in 1053, and is featured on one side of the 10 yen coin. The Phoenix Hall has, as would be expected, been through a number of renovations over the centuries, but remains as the only existing building dating from the the time of its original construction. It takes its name from the fact that the building resembles the fabled bird with its main rectangular structure flanked by two L-shaped wing corridors and a tail corridor. And although its official name is Amida-do, it began to be called the Phoenix Hall around the early Edo period (1603-1868).

In the grounds of Byodo-in is also the Hoshokan Museum which opened in 2001. The museum exhibits include 26 statues of the Praying Bodhisattva on Clouds and a pair of phoenixes from the rooftop of Phoenix Hall. When designing the museum, it had to blend in with the main hall and other complexes within the temple, and so the majority of the museum buildings are underground.

Along with its beautifully landscaped and scenic gardens, the Byodo-in Temple and grounds are a must for any visitor to Uji.

Exiting Byodo-in Temple via the museum gate brings us out onto the main road which leads east and after a left turn to the Kisen-bashi Bridge and over to two small islands connected by a bridge in the middle. The smaller island is called Tonoshima, the longer north island is Tachibanajima. Collectively they are called Nakanoshima, or Uji Park.

On Tonoshima is the magnificent 13-storied pagoda, Jusanju Sekito, built by the monk Eison of Saidai-ji Temple in 1286. At that time, the flow of Uji River was causing damage to Uji Bridge, it was believed that the angry spirits of the fish caught in the river with wicker fishing traps were causing this. This style of fishing was banned on the river, equipment was buried on Tonoshima and the stone pagoda erected on the site to quell the angry spirits and pray for the safety of Uji Bridge. During floods in 1756 the pagoda was carried away, but was later discovered in the early 1900’s and rebuilt on the island in 1908. At 15 metres high, it is the tallest stone pagoda in Japan.

Uji, and the Uji River, are famous for another form of fishing, cormorant bird fishing (ukai). Although the summer event takes place during the evening, on this walk you will be able to see the caged birds on the island. The birds dive down into the river, catch a fish which is held in their throats and then upon returning to the boats the fish is removed by the ‘bird masters’.

Our route continues on the east side of the Uji River, which means crossing from the Uji Park islands to the east bank via the Asagiri Bridge.