Kyoto has a high status and is the highest Zen temple in Japan – Nanzenji Temple

Many temples in Kyoto were originally the emperor's villa (that is, palaces outside the Imperial Palace). This time, we will introduce Nanzen-ji Temple, which was converted from the villa of Emperor Kameyama after his abdication.

Nanzen-ji Temple is the main temple of the Nanzen-ji School of the Rinzai sect, so in Kyoto, which is dotted with temples, Nanzen-ji Temple is one of the largest in scale.

Another reason why Nanzen-ji Temple is well-known is because it appears in a scene in the fifth act of the Kabuki Kyogen "Ginmon Gosan-tōri". Ishikawa Goemon sits on the gate tower of Nanzen-ji Temple in Higashiyama, Kyoto, holding a long pipe, gazing at the beautiful pink scenery of cherry blossoms in full bloom, and can't help but exclaim, "What a beautiful view! What a beautiful view!" This shows how beautiful Nanzen-ji Temple is.

To enter Nanzenji Temple, you first have to pass through the huge "Sanmon", also written as "Sanmon", which represents the main entrance of the temple. The 22-meter-high Sanmen of Nanchan Temple is a two-story building. The upper floor is the Five Phoenix Tower, which houses statues of the Crowned Sakyamuni, the Sixteen Arhats, and other Buddhas. So in addition to entering the temple through the Sanmen, you can also pay to go up to the second floor and overlook the entire Nanchan Temple.

After passing through three gates, you will arrive at the Waterway Pavilion built of red bricks and granite. Suirokaku was built because the waterway for draining Lake Biwa passes through Nanzenji Temple, and they did not want the canal to affect the landscape of Nanzenji Temple, so it was specially designed to be integrated into the temple. The arch bridge, full of ancient Roman style, looks even more quaint against the backdrop of red maple leaves in autumn. When visiting Suirokaku, you will easily see many people wearing kimonos to take photos.

In addition to Sanmon and Suirokaku, Tenjuan is also a beautiful spot for viewing red leaves. With the embellishment of red leaves, the dry landscape garden is dyed red and yellow. Take a stroll in the garden, appreciate the elegance and learn about the style of Emperor Kameyama in his day.


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Post by RoadRoamer | Dec 26, 2022