Kurodani Ô-Tera (Konkaikômyôji)

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Kurodani Temple is a Jodo Sect Buddhist temple in northeastern Kyoto just south of Ginkakuji. Founded in 1125, it is home to a statue of the Jodo sect founder Honen, and it is known for its statue of Monju Bosatsu, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. The temple itself has had an unfortunate history of being susceptible to fires throughout its history. The main hall was rebuilt in 1605 under the patronage of renowned samurai lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

For the casual: 9. For the educated: 7.

Looking for someplace to go with great views and no crowds? Kurodani Temple is one of my favorite little treasures along the way. It's not easy to get to with out a major bus or subway line nearby, but it is near the end of the Philosopher's Path (a beautiful little stroll for any and all interested) which starts near Ginkakuji and ends just north of the Gion District. Kurodani Temple is actually a rather large temple complex but is hidden behind a small wall of apartment buildings and stores along the street. Situated atop a small hill, visitors have a great view south of the city, other temples nestled in the hills, and the great mountains that surround the Kansai plain. With done, Heian Jingû is a short walk away.

 

Ginkakuji (Higashi Jishoji)- The Silver Pavilion

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Ginkakuji, or the Silver Pavilion as it is more widely known, is a Zen temple in Higashiyama in northeastern Kyoto. It was founded in 1482 by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, who built the Silver Pavilion to resemble the grand Golden Pavilion founded by his predecessor Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Like the Golden Pavilion, the Silver Pavilion was built as a place of spirituality and relaxation for the shogun. The temple was originally designed to be covered in silver in reference to the Golden Pavilion, but silver at the time was far more valuable than gold and the shogunate did not have the funding for the final silver gilt of the temple hall. The Silver Pavilion stands as it did then, not covered in the precious metal, but still a masterpiece of woodwork and an inspiring landscape of rock gardens, dominating trees, and lush mossy hills.

For the casual: 10, for the educated: 10.

Though nowhere near as ostentatious as the Golden Pavilion founded by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the Silver Pavilion is dominant in its subdued and tranquil environment. I've been asked which temple I would prefer to return to, the Golden Pavilion or the Silver Pavilion, and to be honest it isn't a hard question. I would much rather spend my time at the Silver Pavilion than the Golden Pavilion and it's not for the reasons you might think. For one, the Silver Pavilion is a better temple. Sure, the Golden Pavilion has real gold adorning the main hall of the complex, but the rest of the complex didn't match that same level of glamor. The Silver Pavilion on the other hand is a better complex because the main hall fits with the rest of the complex. It stands out in design and location, but it doesn't overshadow the rest of the temple. Then there is the question of environment. The Golden Pavilion is open and draws massive crowds for the obvious reason, but the Silver Pavilion is secluded, and though similarly host to large crowds, they're not the same as the overwhelming magnitude that is drawn to the Golden Pavilion. Because of this, as a visitor, I felt like I was given the opportunity to make a personal connection with the Silver Pavilion, a connection I was not given the chance of at the Golden Pavilion. I know this has been rather preachy, but between the two, I would rather visit the Golden Pavilion only the one time but return often to the Silver Pavilion.

 

Tenryûji (Kyoto Gozan #1)

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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. 

Tenryûji from the outside.

The meditation hall next to the garden pond.

Statue of Emperor Go-Daigo in his mausoleum on the temple grounds.

The main pond at Tenryûji. The pond is in the shape of a Chinese character but I'll let you try to figure out which it is.

The bamboo forests of Arashiyama. Fun word: Komoreibi, it has to English equivalent but means "the light that filters through tree leaves".

 

Daisen-in (Daitokuji)

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Daisen-in, one of many small buildings in the Daitokuji complex, is located in northern Kyoto near Kinkakuji. Although the Daitokuji complex in general is rarely open to the public, Daisen-in is open to public visits for its major role in Japanese late medieval history. Daisen-in is a famous tea house surrounded by one of the premier rock gardens in the world. The rocks in the garden reference a whole array of literature and mythology from Chinese classics, sacred mountains, auspicious animals, and Zen philosophies. In addition to the gardens, the tea house was known to be one of the primary meeting venues for legendary samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi (ruled the Momoyama period in the late 16th century) and his tea master Sen no Rikyû, the inventor of the Japanese tea ceremony. 

For the casual: 5, for the educated: 10.

I'm not sure this building can properly be understood without some understanding of basic Chinese classics, cultural motifs, and the influence of Sen no Rikyû. It's a complex issue of a rock looking like a thing which references a certain type of theory proposed by a famous philosopher from a famous school of thought which relates to an icon who's meaning was brought to Japan by another famous person which changed the nation in this way to make the nation like that. Sadly, I actually was thinking of an actual stone when writing that previous statement, and unlike Ryôanji which only has 15 rocks, Daisen-in has roughly 50. For this reason I'm just not comfortable proposing this as a must-see for casual viewers, although I do not in any way wish to imply that casual visitors would be unable to pick up some of the significant references which make the tea house so important. If I had the time I would be more than happy to explain the significance to each and every one of you, but there just isn't enough room. 

That being said, if you have taken general Japanese history and/or Japanese art history, you should be able to understand a fair bit. 

The marker for Daisen-in within the Daitokuji complex.