Tenryu-ji

photo by くろふね · CC BY 3.0

photo by Ray Swi-hymn from Sijhih-Taipei, Taiwan · CC BY-SA 2.0

The garden uses Mount Arashiyama as a borrowed backdrop, with no walls to separate them.

The Sōgen-chi garden, around an irregularly shaped pond, applies the technique of shakkei (‘borrowed scenery’), framing the Arashiyama hill behind it as if it were part of the garden itself, with no walls to separate it from the view. It is attributed to the monk Musō Soseki, the same one who designed the Saihō-ji garden, and of all the gardens in Kyoto it is the oldest still preserved in its original fourteenth-century layout. The temple is first in the official ranking of the Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto (Kyoto Gozan).

Founded in 1339 by the shogun Ashikaga Takauji in memory of Emperor Go-Daigo, with whom he had fought; the proceeds of a trade mission to China, authorised to fund its construction, paid for part of the work. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994, it stands at the entrance to the Arashiyama district, a short walk from the bamboo path.

ℹ️ Garden open 8:30–17:00 (last entry 16:50), 500 yen; entry to the buildings (main hall, study, treasure hall) an additional 300 yen. Early opening at 7:30 from 14 to 30 November.

🚉 Torokko Arashiyama Station · 6 min walk

Sources: tenryuji.com · tenryuji.com

All series · Open the map