Daisen-in (Daitokuji)

January 26, 2016 by Brennan Duff in Temples

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.

Ninnaji

January 24, 2016 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Settled in on the northern side of Kyoto not too far down the road from Ryoanji is the Imperial villa which was converted into a temple by Emperor Koko in the early Heian period as the public interest in the growing Amida Buddha worship of the Shingon sect of Buddhist. The buildings are 17th century restorations of the original 9th century buildings funded by Prince Kakushin with additional backing from the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ninnaji is known for the grand nature of the buildings in particular the main gate, the villa, and a five story pagoda near the end of the main path. Ninnaji was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 10.

So I figure I might as well say this here, but for the majority of the places I visited in Kyoto, I have a feeling that they're all going to be ranked very high. Maybe not all 10/10 like this, but I can't imagine too many below 8/8. Ninnaji is not one of the temples that draws the major crowds like Kinkakuji or some of the others, but because of that the crowds should be rather small. Now as I've said before in other Kyoto posts, going to many of these sites will cost some money to enter, not even a medium amount, but they will ask for some money for tickets (usually about 500 yen or so). Why am I talking money? Because I had the unfortunate experience of being behind two other Americans realizing that going to the temple is free, but all the real stuff is in the villa off to the right which costs money. Sadly, they said no, and they made a huge mistake doing so. Again, this is another reason why I hope you are reading this, to help decide what to spend money on a what not to. Missing the villa is like passing the Mona Lisa, its beauty is screaming out to you, and yet you don't even look. The villa is Imperial which means that it is super well kept. Beautiful painted sliding doors, the best woodwork, hanging scrolls of emperors and other patrons adorn the wall, and finally the small but intimate prayer hall for Amida. Ninnaji doesn't seem like much of a temple compared to other complexes, but who cares, it's awesome!

A small statue of Amida Buddha in the final hall of the villa.

The villa rock garden looking at the Imperial Gate with the main gate in the background.

The villa's pond with the Amida hall up the hill just off to the left with the five-story pagoda in the distance.

Ryôanji

December 16, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Temples

Ryôanji is one of the most famous Zen temples in Japan for its rock garden. Founded in 1450 by Hosokawa Katsumoto, deputy to the Ashikaga Shogunate. It is believed that the hojo, or the main hall, was built in 1499 along with the rock garden, but what is known is that the temple was burned down several times during the Onin War (1467-1477) and rebuilt by Katsumoto's son Masamoto.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 10.

Well, to say the least, Ryôanji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of course, most of the major places in Kyoto are, but that's why they're so important to go visit. Ryôanji is one of the greatest places to go visit. It's far more relaxing than other major temples like Kinkakuji or Kiyomizu-dera because it is far more secluded and it doesn't have the over the top tourism drawing factor like gold. That being said, the architecture, the rock garden, pond, and so much more make the temple a huge attraction for those that know about it. Expect crowds but nothing like that of Kinkakuji.

In this UNESCO rock garden, there are 15 stones but only 14 are ever visible.

Kinkakuji (Rokuonji)- The Golden Pavilion

December 14, 2015 by Brennan Duff in Temples

One of the most widely known temples in Kyoto, Kinkakuji was built in the late 14th century by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu to serve as his retirement villa until his death in 1408 when it was turned into a temple complex for the Rinzai Zen sect in accordance with his will. Built to mirror temples of the Imperial Court in Kyoto and to display the lavish wealth of the Ashikaga Shogunate who established the Muromachi Period (1392-1573) in Kyoto, the main hall of the complex is three stories tall with a public reception on the first floor, a private prayer room on the second, and a reflective villa room on the third floor. The main hall has burned down several times including twice during the Onin Wars of the Muromachi Period and as recently as 1950 when a monk accidentally set it on fire then unsuccessfully attempted suicide. The current building was constructed in 1955. Though gold is one of the most valued metals in modern society, traditionally in East Asia, gold was second to silver. And yes, the building is covered inside and out in gold leaf.

For the casual: 10. For the educated: 9.

A warning, Kinkakuji is one of the most famous sites in Kyoto and will be busy when you visit. To beat the crowds, go as early as you can or go in the colder seasons, although the pond and park do still draw massive crowds despite the time of year. So my tip of advice, go because there's no other like it, and try to be patient. The rest of the complex is just as beautiful even though it's not covered in gold, so keep your eyes open and find the beauty in the micromanagement of the temple grounds.

Some of you educated readers may be wondering why I actually gave this temple a 9 instead of a 10, and the reason really comes with the level of tourism. Kinkakuji is naturally a major tourist attraction and anything that becomes that popular will cater towards those sorts of crowds. There is no reason why you shouldn't go, but I felt that there were more interested in temples in the Kyoto area that are just as visually amazing, have a richer history, and yet are not as crowd heavy as Kinkakuji.