Tenryûji, located in the Arashiyama area of western Kyoto, was founded in 1339 by the first shogun of the Ashikaga Shogunate (The Muromachi period 1336-1573), Ashikaga Takauji. Tenryûji was built to commemorate Emperor Go-Daigo, the emperor who restored imperial control of the nation following his successful uprising to end the Kamakura period in 1333. Emperor Go-Daigo was later betrayed by the Ashikaga, one of the main families to aid in the emperor’s uprising. In order to appease the ghost of Emperor Go-Daigo, Tenryûji was built to honor him so that his ghost would not return and bring harm to the nation. The Emperor both in China and Japan is referred to as the heavenly dragon hence the temple name of Tenryûji: Ten meaning heavenly, ryû meaning dragon, and ji meaning temple, a.k.a. the Temple of the Heavenly Dragon. The temple gained further accolades due to the first abbot of the temple, Muso Soseki. Soseki was known for his garden architecture and designed the temple garden to become the first and by far most well known Zen garden. Such high praise established Tenryûji as temple #1 of the Kyoto Gozan.

For the casual: 9, for the educated: 9.

Though slightly tricky to get to, Tenryûji is one of the most amazing temples I ever visited. Now saying that, that means that there will probably be significant crowds of visitors to the temple. The temple gardens are designed and maintained in a way to invoke a deep sense of inner peace and tranquility while also serving as puzzles for meditation. It is important to note that every aspect of the garden is set that way for a reason, and I'm not only taking about why the pond is shaped the way it is or the number of rocks which produce a waterfall, I also mean which side of the rock is showing, how many leaves are allowed to remain on the moss covered ground, how tall the moss is, etc. The garden is meticulously maintained to evoke the right thoughts to enter the mind of the viewer. So look at the temple like one would when appraising a work of art: why did the artists choose to do that? Could it have been done differently and still be able to evoke the same feelings? Finally, I highly recommend that when you're done, you exit out the back garden gate to see the bamboo forests of Arashiyama. These forests are famous around the world and often find their way into feature films like "Memoirs of a Geisha". I've posted some of my photos below, but I would make sure you go see the forest if you're already in the area.