Nanzenji, Kyoto
Gate (Sanmon) of Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto.
Zuiryusan Nanzenji is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyama established it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace. It became a temple in 1291.
Nanzenji is one of the Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto. As the headquarters of the Nanzenji branch of the Rinzai school of Zen, it is also one of the most important Zen temples in the world.
Nanzenji's main building, the Seiryo-den, is famous for a beautiful rock garden and sliding doors (fusuma), which are decorated by paintings of the Kano School. The temple's large entrance gate (pictured above) is called Sanmon and was completed in 1628. Several subtemples and a water aqueduct, which is part of the Lake Biwa Canal dating from 1890, are in the vicinity of Nanzenji's main buildings.
Among the subtemples open to the public are Nanzenin, directly behind the water aqueduct, whose small but pretty garden is particularly spectacular with autumn leaves (usually best in the second half of November), and the scarcely visited Konchiin, standing southwest of the Sanmon gate.
More Information
|
|
|