HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Winter Peonies at Sekkoji Temple
A temple known for the peony, a winter flower
Katsuragi City, Nara Prefecture
Have you ever heard of the rare winter peonies that color the winter landscape? Typically, regular peonies bloom without human intervention when it’s the right season. However, the delicate winter peony is artificially cultivated under a straw roof to protect it against the frost as it blooms against the harshness of the cold. In the world of flora, it is celebrated as a noble flower that radiates elegance and force.
Every year, Sekkoji Temple in Katsuragi City is decorated with around 200 winter peonies. Both inherited from generation to generation, the temple and these winter peonies are protected with great care. Every year from early December to early January, the sight of the blooming winter peony will take your breath away. Sekkoji Temple is famous for its flowers, especially its winter peonies but also 7,000 normal peonies which bloom in spring.
How to get there
Katsuragi city is about a 1-hour drive from Kansai International Airport. When traveling by train, take the Osaka Metro from Shin-Osaka Station to Tennoji Station (about 25 minutes), walk to Osaka Abenobashi Station on the Kintetsu Minami Osaka Line (about 3 minutes), and then take the train to Nijo-jinjaguchi Station (about 40 minutes). The destination is about a 13-minute walk from the station.
387 Someno, Katsuragi-shi, Nara-ken
