Top > Gardens Overview > Secret Gardens > Kyoto Area > Entsū-ji Entsū-ji（圓通寺） The Emperor Go-Mizuno abdicated in 1629 and began to built this villa and garden as a retirement residence. It took him 13 years to find the right place for it with a nice view on Mt. Hiei...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Secret Gardens > Kyoto Area > Chion-in Chion-in（知恩院） The Chion-in is the headquarters of the Jōdo-shū (Pure Land Sect of Buddhism) founded by priest Hōnen (1133–1212). The original temple was built in 1234 by Hōnen’s disciple, Genchi (1183–1238). It’s Sanmon is the oldest Mountain gate...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Shūgaku-in Rikyū Shūgaku-in Rikyū（修学院離宮） Shūgaku-in Rikyū is an exception among Kyoto’s imperial gardens. There is not only one garden on its grounds, but three separate gardens. The gardens are connected by gravel paths, which lead through vegetable patches and...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Other Regions > Shōmyō-ji Shōmyō-ji（称名寺） The Shōmyō-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon school of Buddhism in Yokohama, Kanagawa-Ken. It was founded in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) as a family temple of the Hojo clan, the powerholders of the Kamakura period....Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Sentō Gosho (Sentō Imperial Palace) Sentō Gosho (Sentō Imperial Palace)（仙洞御所） The Sentō Imperial Palace was built in 1630 as Emperor Go-Mizunoo’s retirement residence. Several fires have burnt down the buildings over the time, and the Sentō Imperial Palace was...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Mibu-dera Mibu-dera（壬生寺） Mibu-dera was established in 991 by the monk Kaiken and is one of Kyoto’s oldest temples. Since Kyoto has see a lot of wars, fires and other catastrophes over the centuries, none of the original building has...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Kōzan-ji (Ikō-an) Kōzan-ji (Ikō-an)（高山寺, 遺香庵） Kōzan-ji is one of the oldest temples in the larger Kyoto area. It belongs to the Shingon sect of Buddhism and is said to have been founded first in 744 by the imperial orders...Continue Reading
Top > Gardens Overview > Famous Gardens > Kyoto Area > Kōrin-in (Daitoku-ji) Kōrin-in (Daitoku-ji)（興臨院） Kōrin-in is a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji. It was founded in 1520 as a family temple for the Hatekeyama family. The temple building (Hōjō, 方丈, abbot’s quarter) built in the Shoin architectural style of the Muromachi period....Continue Reading
Just after I started the new series about the secret gardens of Tokyo, I already took a break and wrote a book about a really nice temple in Kyoto. As we do from time to time, we had a business trip to Kyoto in early winter in 2015 to study...Continue Reading
