Feb 16, 2014 - 1 min read

Kyoto Rokkaku-do Temple

Hexagonal pagoda in the middle of the city

By Tomoko Kamishima

Community writer

Rokkaku-do is a hexagonal pagoda in the middle of Kyoto City

Nice breeze fluttering the colorful curtain

Rokkaku-do has been quite popular among locals for more than one thousand years

This temple with a hexagonal pagoda in the middle of Kyoto City is commonly called Rokkaku-do, because of its unique shape. Roku means six in Japanese. Some people believe that the hexagon is connected to the purification of the six senses. Before Kyoto became the capital of Japan, Rokkaku-do was already there. Legend has it that later, when Emperor Kanmu asked the temple to move a little bit to make room for the construction of an important new road, Rokkaku-do's temple buildings magically changed to a new location on their own. Rokkaku-do has been quite popular among locals for more than one thousand years and is always crowded with worshippers.