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Kyoto · City

Uji

宇治市うじしUji-shi

Phoenix Hall, tea and the Uji River

Uji is a riverside city south of Kyoto, famous for the Phoenix Hall of Byōdō-in and Ujigami Shrine – both World Heritage components – and for Uji tea, the benchmark of Japanese matcha and gyokuro for some eight centuries.

Overview

Uji lies where the Uji River – the outflow of Lake Biwa – leaves the hills and enters the Kyoto Basin. In the Heian period its riverbanks were a retreat for the aristocracy, and the Fujiwara regent Yorimichi turned his father's villa into the temple Byōdō-in in 1052. Its Phoenix Hall (Hōō-dō), completed in 1053, with its gilded Amida by the sculptor Jōchō, is one of the finest surviving works of Heian architecture and appears on the Japanese ten-yen coin.

Across the river, Ujigami Shrine has Japan's oldest surviving shrine building. The last ten chapters of The Tale of Genji, the "Uji chapters", are set here, and the city maintains a museum dedicated to the novel.

Tea has been grown around Uji since the Kamakura period, and the shading technique developed here in the 16th century produced matcha and gyokuro of a quality that made Uji tea the standard for the tea ceremony. Today the city is also a residential suburb of Kyoto and Osaka, but its riverside centre remains lined with tea merchants.

Landmarks

  • Byōdō-in

    平等院Byōdō-in

    Temple with the Phoenix Hall reflected in its Pure Land garden pond; the Hōshōkan museum shows the original roof phoenixes, the temple bell and half of the 52 cloud-borne bodhisattvas.

  • Ujigami Shrine

    宇治上神社Ujigami Jinja

    Small shrine whose main hall, dated to the late Heian period, is the oldest surviving shrine building in Japan.

  • Manpuku-ji

    萬福寺Manpuku-ji

    Head temple of the Ōbaku Zen school, built in Ming Chinese style, known for its fucha-ryōri vegetarian cuisine.

  • Mimuroto-ji

    三室戸寺Mimuroto-ji

    Temple in the hills famous for its gardens of azaleas, hydrangeas and lotus.

  • Uji Bridge

    宇治橋Uji-bashi

    One of Japan's oldest bridge sites; a guard post on it once drew water for the shogun's tea.

  • Tale of Genji Museum

    宇治市源氏物語ミュージアムUji-shi Genji Monogatari Myūjiamu

    Museum on the world of the novel and its Uji chapters.

  • Kōshō-ji

    興聖寺Kōshō-ji

    Sōtō Zen temple associated with Dōgen, approached by the maple-lined Kotozaka slope.

Districts

  • Byōdō-in Omotesandō

    平等院表参道Byōdō-in Omotesandō

    Approach to Byōdō-in lined with tea merchants and cafés.

  • Naka-no-shima

    中の島Naka-no-shima

    Islands in the Uji River with a thirteen-storey stone pagoda, base for cormorant fishing.

  • Ōbaku

    黄檗Ōbaku

    District around Manpuku-ji in the north of the city.

  • Shirakawa

    白川Shirakawa

    Tea-growing hills south-east of the centre.

History

Uji was the gateway south from the capital, and the Uji Bridge, first built according to tradition in 646, was fought over repeatedly – most famously in the battles of 1180 and 1184 recounted in The Tale of the Heike. The Fujiwara made the area their pleasure ground, building Byōdō-in and other temples. From the 14th century the Ashikaga shoguns promoted Uji tea, and under Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Tokugawa the tea masters of Uji supplied the shogunate, whose annual "tea-jar procession" (ochatsubo dōchū) carried new tea to Edo.

  1. 646

    The Uji Bridge is built, according to the inscription on the Hashidera stele.

  2. 1052

    Fujiwara no Yorimichi converts his villa into Byōdō-in.

  3. 1053

    The Phoenix Hall and its Amida statue by Jōchō are completed.

  4. 1180

    First Battle of Uji opens the Genpei War.

  5. 1661

    Manpuku-ji, head temple of Ōbaku Zen, is founded by the Chinese monk Ingen.

  6. 1951

    Uji becomes a city.

  7. 1994

    Byōdō-in and Ujigami Shrine are inscribed as part of the Kyoto World Heritage site.

Culture

Uji's identity rests on tea and literature. Tea merchants' houses line the approach to Byōdō-in, and the city hosts tea ceremonies and a tea festival honouring the tea pioneers Eisai, Myōe and Sen no Rikyū. The Genji connection is celebrated in the museum and in walking routes past the sites of the Uji chapters. In summer, cormorant fishing (ukai) is performed by night on the river.

Festivals

  • Uji cormorant fishing

    宇治川の鵜飼Ujigawa no ukai

    Summer evenings on the Uji River, watched from pleasure boats.

  • Uji Tea Festival

    宇治茶まつりUji-cha Matsuri

    October festival with the ceremonial drawing of water from the Uji Bridge and a memorial service for used tea whisks.

  • Agata Festival

    県祭Agata Matsuri

    Night festival of Agata Shrine on 5–6 June, with a portable shrine carried in darkness.

Food

  • Uji matcha

    宇治抹茶Uji matcha

    Stone-ground powdered tea from shaded tencha leaves, served in tea houses along the river.

  • Gyokuro

    玉露gyokuro

    Shade-grown leaf tea with a sweet, rich flavour, a refinement developed in the Uji area.

  • Matcha sweets

    抹茶スイーツmatcha suītsu

    Matcha parfaits, dango and soba – modern variations sold throughout the town.

  • Fucha-ryōri

    普茶料理fucha-ryōri

    Chinese-style Buddhist vegetarian banquet served at Manpuku-ji.

Getting around

  • JR Nara Line from Kyoto Station to Uji takes about 20–30 minutes; the Keihan Uji Line links Uji with Chūshojima and central Kyoto.
  • Byōdō-in is about ten minutes' walk from either station; the riverside sites can all be visited on foot.
  • JR continues to Nara, making Uji an easy stop between Kyoto and Nara.

Day trips

  • Kyoto

    The old capital, 20–30 minutes north.

  • Nara

    The Nara-period capital, under an hour south on the JR Nara Line.

  • Wazuka

    Terraced tea fields in the hills east of Uji.

  • Otsu

    Upstream to Lake Biwa and Ishiyama-dera.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalKyotoKyōto-shiThe thousand-year capitalCityMiyazuMiyazu-shiThe city of the bridge to heaven

Frequently asked questions

Is Uji worth a day trip from Kyoto?

Yes. Byōdō-in and Ujigami Shrine are World Heritage components, and the tea shops and riverside walks fill a half or full day. Uji can also be combined with Fushimi Inari or Nara.

Why is Byōdō-in on the ten-yen coin?

Its Phoenix Hall is regarded as a masterpiece of Heian Pure Land architecture and was chosen as a national symbol for the coin's design.

What is the difference between matcha and gyokuro?

Both come from shaded tea plants. Matcha is ground into a powder and whisked, while gyokuro is a rolled leaf tea steeped at low temperature.

Can I visit tea farms in Uji?

Some farms and merchants in the Uji region offer tours and tastings; the scenic tea fields are mostly in neighbouring Wazuka and Ujitawara.

Related

Sources

  1. 1.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — Statistics Bureau of Japan
  2. 2.Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities) (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  3. 3.宇治市公式ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 宇治市
  4. 4.平等院 (opens in a new tab) — 平等院

Editorial team · Published: