Kōdai-ji was founded in 1606 by Nene — Lady Kita-no-mandokoro — in memory of her husband, the warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who had died eight years earlier. The temple was designed and decorated by some of the best artists of the early Edo period (the garden by Kobori Enshū, the lacquerware by craftsmen of the imperial workshop) and survives in something close to its original form despite a series of fires elsewhere on the grounds.
Set on the western slope of the Higashiyama hills, the temple has the most atmospheric night illuminations in the city, held in spring (cherry blossom), summer, and autumn (red maples) — when projection mapping is layered over the dry-sand karesansui garden in front of the main hall and the temple opens late into the evening. The walk down through the lit lanes of the Nene-no-michi afterwards is a memorable bit of Kyoto at night.