Whispered Shadow·Rakusai / Saga

Gio-ji (Gio and Taira no Kiyomori)

This Sagano convent is known for its link to Gio, the dancer of the Tale of the Heike. By tradition Gio, once favored by Taira no Kiyomori, was cast off when his affection turned to Hotoke Gozen and, by the same account, was driven from the capital to take vows here alongside her mother and sister. The site was once part of the temple Ojo-in; after that temple fell into ruin, a former governor of Kyoto, Kitagaki Kunimichi, donated a villa building in 1895 to form the present hermitage.

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These notes come from desk research. Local traditions vary.