Daigo-ji

is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Its main devotion (honzon) is Yakushi. Daigo, literally "ghee", is used figuratively to mean "crème de la crème" and is a metaphor of the most profound part of Buddhist thoughts. Daigo-ji was founded in the early Heian period. In 874, Rigen-daishi (Shōbō) founded the temple. After having fallen ill and abdicated in 930, Emperor Daigo entered Buddhist priesthood at this temple. As a monk, he took the Buddhist name Hō-kongō; and shortly thereafter, died at the age of 46. He was buried in the temple, which is why his posthumous name was Daigo. During the Muromachi period, the temple was devastated by the Ōnin War, leaving only the five-storied pagoda as the sole surviving structure. Several subsequent reconstruction efforts took place under Hideyoshi Toyotomi, with the last reconstruction being carried out in 1606. These efforts rebuilt much of the current structures, including the Kondō and the Kaisan-dō. In 1939, a forest fire struck the Kami-Daigo portion of the temple, burning down the Buddhist Texts Library and the Juntei-dō, which was only rebuilt in 1968. In 1997, the Hokke Sanmaya-do, a hall that had been originally constructed in 949 but was burnt down in 1470, was reconstructed and renamed as the Shinnyo Sanmaya-do. Several structures, including the kondō and the five-story pagoda, are National Treasures of Japan. The temple possesses 18 specifically designated national treasures, including the buildings and other works as well; and the temple holds several dozen important cultural assets. Wall paintings at the temple were the subject of academic research which earned the Imperial Prize of the Japan Academy in 1960. As part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto", it is designated as a World Heritage Site. The five-storey pagoda at Daigoji temple was built in 951 and is the oldest building in Kyoto. It was one of few buildings to survive the Onin War in the 15th century.