Top > Gardens Overview > Secret Gardens > Kyoto Area > Tōji-in Tōji-in（等持院） Tōji-in is another garden attributed to garden designer and Zen priest Musō Soseki. The first Shogun of the Muromachi period, Ashikaga Takauji, built this temple and had Musō Soseki design it. This rather small and secret temple...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Sokushū-in (Tōfuku-ji) Sokushū-in (Tōfuku-ji) （即宗院） Sokushu-in is a small sub-temple of Tōfuku-ji. It only open in autumn, which is also the best time to visit it. Unknown to most visitors and a little off the main temples, it is a...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Shinju-an (Daitoku-ji) Shinju-an (Daitoku-ji)（真珠庵） Shinju-an was founded in 1491, in honor of the Zen priest Ikkyu, who was the head priest of Daitoku-ji from 1474- 1481. Ikkyu played the main role in reviving the Daitoku-ji temple complex after its...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Secret Gardens > Kyoto Area > Shōren-in Shōren-in（青蓮院） Shōren-in is one of the five Monzeki temples of the Tendai sect located in Kyoto. Since its sixth head priest Dokaku, until the Meiji period every head priest was a member of the imperial family. This temple,...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Secret Gardens > Kyoto Area > Hōgon-in (Tenryū-ji) Hōgon-in (Tenryū-ji)（宝厳院） Hōgon-in is a sub-temple of Tenryū-ji temple and was first built in 1461 in the middle of Kyoto (now Kamigyo ward). It burnt down during the Onin War and was rebuilt later. In Meiji period,...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Secret Gardens > Kyoto Area > Funda-in (Tōfuku-ji) Funda-in (Tōfuku-ji)（芬陀院 東福寺） Funda-in is a sub-temple of Tofuku-ji temple in Kyoto. It was built in 1321, in the Kamakura period, as a family temple for the Ichijo clan. In 1691, the buildings of the temple burnt...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Tenryū-ji Tenryū-ji（天龍寺） The temple was founded by shogun Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, primarily to venerate Gautama Buddha, and its first head priest was Musō Soseki. Construction was completed in 1345. As a temple related to both the Ashikaga family...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Saihō-ji (Koke-dera) Saihō-ji (Koke-dera)（西芳寺 (苔寺)） The garden of Saihō-ji is acclaimed by many as Kyoto’s most beautiful garden and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage. It is especially famous for its moss garden, for which reason it is...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Ryōgen-in (Daitoku-ji) Ryōgen-in (Daitoku-ji)（大徳寺龍源院） Ryōgen-in is one of Daitoku-ji’s twenty-two sub-temples. It is a rather small temple, but has several superlatives to offer: → One of its gardens (Tōkekiko) is Japan’s smallest garden (supposedly). → Another of its gardens...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Ryōan-ji Ryōan-ji（龍安寺） Ryōan-ji is maybe the most famous rock garden of Japan. Ryoan-ji was built on the grounds of a villa of the Fujiwara clan in the Heian period (794-1185). The deputy of the shogun and warlord Hosokawa Katsumoto...Continue Reading
