This article is the most precise information on the rock garden and Ryoanji temple. The garden is the most famous dry garden in the world. We discuss about its history, the meaning of the garden, other must-sees, and what Zen is.

Zen garden or Karesansui? 枯山水庭園英語で説明

"Zen garden" sounds strange for us. It is a Karesansui (garden). In this post, we learn what Karesansui is overviewing a short history of it.

kyotokankoyagi.com

2023.06.12

A short history of Ryoanji temple

The history of Ryoanji dates back to the 15th century. In 1450, Katsumoto Hosakawa (細川勝元),  a General  of the eastern Army that lead the largest civil war called “Onin war (応仁の乱 1467-1477) in the middle ages of Japan, inherited a villa build by Saneyoshi Tokudaiji (徳大寺実能). He made the villa his residence and built Ryoanji temple. He invited a monk named Giten Gensyo (義天玄承)  from Myoshinji, the largest Zen temple of Rinzai school, and make him as a founder of the temple.

The Onin war made Ryoanji temple into ashes and Masamoto Hosokawa, a son of Katsumoto’s rebuilt it in 1499. In 1797, a fire burnt down Ryoanji anew. During the Meiji restoration, the Meiji government gave an order: Shrines and temples  must be separated in terms of law. (As I indicated in the article on Gion matsuri festival, shrines and temples were fused.) The order caused destruction of Buddhist temples though it intended nothing but a separation of both religion and put Ryoanji temple into decline. In 1975, Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ of Grate Britain paid a visit and praised “the rock garden” of the temple and her admiration made the garden famous. In 1994, UNESCO enlisted Ryoanji and its garden as a world heritage site.

 The secrets of the zen rock garden

When was the garden built?

A source shown in a Ryoanji temple (The Picture above. It is a copy of a book on the rock garden.) tells that the origin of the rock garden was build in the days of Hosokawa Katsumoto. The garden of his villa has strange rocks and no trees because he wanted to see Iwashimizu Hachimangu shrine every morning over the garden. The book explains the rock garden of the villa of Katsumoto Hosokawa’s and does not exactly tell the dry garden of the Ryoanji (The garden in the picture has a resemblance with “The rock garden” of today.). I suspect “The rock garden” was constructed on the that of Katsumoto’s villa. Some source says that the original garden had a corridor that pass through south to north side to admire the both side of the garden. As I stated before, the temple was caught in fires at least two times and these fires burnt out the documents that prove that what the origin of the garden was like.

Who did make the garden?

The builder of the garden reminds to be a mystery. It is believed that Soami, a gardener designed the garden. On a stone in the garden, the names of persons are engraved. They read “小太郎・口二郎 (Kotaro, Kuchijiro)” but we cannot tell whether they are builders of the garden or not (We cannot see these Kanjis from a veranda.). We can not say who build the garden.

The inspection of the garden

Take a look at the garden before discussing about it. The picture above is a miniature of the rock garden you can find at Ryoanji temple.

The actual size of the rock garden is around 83 feet from east to west and 33 feet from north to south.The garden has 15 stones ans they are put into 5 groupings.

Around the groupings of rocks, there are moss islands.

These island and rocks are floating on the sea of carefully raked white sand.

The garden has no plants except moss because we can enjoy the same view of the garden in every season. This is a typical construction of Karesansui teien (枯山水庭園), or a dry rock garden.

Let us make a close inspection on Japanese garden. We can see these plants behind a wall. They are outside of the garden. The garden itself has no plants and flowers except moss.

The plants and flowers are called Syakkei (借景) . Syakkei literally means “Borrowing scenery”. It is an art of dry rock garden. We usually “borrow” trees and mountains behind a garden and see them as parts of it. See the picture above. This is a garden of Tenryuji temple. It “borrows” the Mt. Arashiyama stands outside of the garden.

Now let us talk about the wall. This wall are made of clay boiled in seed oil. The oil seeped out of it and make “scenery” on the wall. It gave us a “wabi (poverty)-sabi (solitude) impression.

The peculiar thing about the wall is its height. From east to west, the wall gradually loses its height for drainage. Precisely, the garden is not horizontal in order to drain water.  It is said that the constructor had another intention; To gave us an impression that the garden broader than the actual size taking advantage of the gradual change of the height of the garden.

The meaning of the garden

The intention of the garden is also controversy. We have many hypotheses. I show you three of them.

Crossing the river with tiger cubs

This hypothesis depends on an old Chinese anecdote. When a tiger gives birth to three cubs, one of them is a leopard. The tiger family wants to cross a river. The mother tiger can cross the river with only one cub. The leopard eats tiger cubs without the presence of the mother tiger. So, the mother tiger crosses the river in this fashion;

A tiger family. A cub that has a fork is a leopard.

The mom crosses the river with the leopard.

The mom comes back.

The mom brings a cub to the other side.

The mom comes back with the leopard.

The mom brings another cub to the other side.

The mom comes back to the leopard.

The mom crosses the river with the leopard.

At Ryoanji temple, there is a miniature of the rock garden and a guidance beside it. The guidance explains that the garden indicates this hypothesis.

15

The rock garden has 15 stones. In the East, 15 is a numeral that means perfection. because the moon becomes full moon in 15 days. Seated on the veranda of Hojo, the main hall of the temple, we can see only 14 stones (If we stood there, we can see all of them). The constructor or designer of the garden intended to show imperfection in perfection (This is one of the typical conception we Japanese have.) .

Heart

Seeing the groupings of rocks as a Kanji letter “心”. The Kanji means “heart” or “mind”. In Zen, we prefer communicate without words.

あ

More information!

The meaning of Ryoanji Zen Rock Garden

No one tells the meaning of "The Rock Garden" of Ryoanj in Kyoto precisely despite its fame. Fortunately, we have some hypotheses. In this article, we make an inspection on the garden with them.

kyotokankoyagi.com

2019.08.05

THE GIST OF THIS ARTICLE

• This page　Introduction, what is religious syncretism, Shinto found in The Rock Garden
• Page 2　Four kinds of Niwa, Buddhism found in The Rock Garden, Conclusion　

The following is the contents of this page.

Introduction

The Zen garden/Rock Garden of Ryoanji temple is one of the most famous gardens in Japan.

In this post, we learn about the religious syncretism it hides behind in historical point of view.

七里ヶ浜親方

It’s gonna be a long story, O.K.?

What is religious syncretism?

Religious syncretism means a fusion of diverse religious belief.

Japan has Shinto, the indigenous religion to it for centuries. No one can tell when it was originated but some ruins tell us that it has over 2,000 years of history.

In the 6th century, Buddhism was brought to our country from India. Since then, both of them have been fused and coexisted in a phenomenon called Shinbutsu Shugo(神仏習合).

We can find an example of this coexistence in “The rock garden” of Ryoanji.

Shinto found in The Rock Garden

Niwa and Kami

“The Rock garden” is a kind of Teien (Garden in English). The word is derived from “Niwa.”

In the authentic sense, Niwa means a place where some activity is carried on. The most important thing took place there were ritual and prayer.

In prehistoric times, our ancestors considered mountains as one of the places to which Kami descend. Kami, known as Shinto Deity today, is spirit(s) we found in natural phenomena or nature itself.  For example, mountains provided our ancestors with wild food resources and were very closed to them and they showed respect and gratitude for nature.

They left the mountains

In Yayoi period (300 BC to 300 AD), rice cultivating was brought to Japan from ancient China, our ancestors left mountains and started to live in plains for rice paddy but they still considered mountains as one of the most sacred places.

『古事記(Kojiki)』, the earliest chronicle on Japanese history, describes Kami and the history of the Japanese Imperial family, puts it: 於御諸山 拜祭意富美和之大神前.

The sentence shows us the way a priest carries out a ritual in the mountain (山).

In the 6th century, Shinto shrines were developed as permanent place to hold ritual under the influence of Buddhism. They were build with Chinshu no Mori forest (糺の森) as a substitute for the mountains because they still wanted the sacred place for rituals and prayers though they left the places they used to live in.

Niwa for rituals

『古事記(Kojiki)』also puts it: 爾出雲國造之祖・名岐比佐都美、餝青葉山而立其河下、將獻大御食之時、其御子詔言「是於河下、如青葉山者、見山非山。若坐出雲之石之曾宮、葦原色許男大神以伊都玖之祝大廷乎。」

It narrates a ritual held in a garden where a tree ornamented with lots of leaves and the tree is a substitute for mountain. It shows us that the garden was a place for ritual but a mountain was still in need as a place for ritual.

『日本書記(Nihon Shoki)』, the second oldest chronicle on Japanese history puts it: 天照大神、手持寶鏡、授天忍穗耳尊而祝之曰「吾兒、視此寶鏡、當猶視吾。可與同床共殿、以爲齋鏡。」復勅天兒屋命・太玉命「惟爾二神、亦同侍殿內、善爲防護。」又勅曰「以吾高天原所御之穗、亦當御於吾兒。」

This is one of the most famous episodes in Japanese mythology. It describes Amaterasu Ohomikami (天照大神), the ancestor of the Imperial family, gave Ameno Oshihomimi (授天忍穗耳尊) a rice plant and an order to feed Japan with it. Now Ameno Oshihomimi is permitted to reign the country. The rice plant he were given used to belong to Yuniwa(齋庭), the sacred garden.

『万葉集(Manyoshu)』, the oldest compilation of Waka poem and known as the source of the name of the Imperial period Reiwa, puts it: 尓波(Niwa)奈加能 阿須波乃可美尓 古志波佐之 阿例波伊波々牟 加倍理久麻泥尓.

The poem is roughly translated in modern Japanese as 庭中の阿須波の神に小柴さし我れは斎はむ帰り来までに. It means that I hold a small ritual and pray that I shall come back here again in Niwa.

The Wakas in Manyoshu were composed by people in various classes. It tells us that Niwa was a popular place for rituals those days.

The most appropriate example for the usage of Niwa is Gion Matsuri festival. It was started as a Buddhist ritual called Gion Goryoe held in a private garden of the emperor called Shinsen-en. It may sound strange to you but it is very appropriate in terms of the role of Niwa.

A new figurine of Daikokusan appeared!!

Passing through Todorokimon gate of Kiyomizudera, we catch a glimpse of a Kawaii statute. He is Shusse Daikokuten, a Buddhist deity who welcomes the visitors of the temple for over 500 years. We call him Daikoku-san with respect. In this post, let us learn who he is.

Who is Shusse Daikokuten? 出世大黒天とは？

Daikokuten

Daikokuten is one of the seven deities who bring us fortunes, especially wealth. He is originaly a Hindu deity Mahakala, aka Shiva adopted by Buddhism.

Mahakala means “great black one.” In Japanese, it is translated as “Daikoku.” “Ten” of Daikokuten is a suffix for a guardian deity of Buddhism.

In Shinbutsu Shugo, Daikokuten fuses with Okuninusu no Mikoto because Okuni (大国）can be pronounced as “Daikoku.”

As Daikoku-san of Kiyomizudera, Daikokuten usually smiles but some of his statues are angry because he is originally a deity of creation and destruction.

The ability to create made him a deity of prosperity and fertility. The fertility was so  emphasized he was known for a guardian of kitchen.

Shusse

Shusse means promotion (in career) in Japanese. As described before, he is a deity of prosperity. Daikoku-san of Kiyomizudera is well-known for his Goriyaku (Good fortunes deities gave us) of Shusse.

七里ヶ浜親方

In the next chapter, make sure his other Goriyaku respectively.

Goriyaku of Shusse Daikokuten  出世大黒天のご利益

Economic fortune 財運

Take a look at the hummer he has. It is Uchide no Kozuchi. With one shake, we could have anything we need. In Japan, it is a symbol of economic fortune and wealth.

He has a bag in his left hand. It contains treasures.

シカさん

In Gion Ebessan, a priestess shakes a Uchide no Kozuchi for us. And Jishu shire, we can shake a Uchide no Kozuchi by ourselves.

Fertility 五穀豊穣

Uchide no Kozuchi also gives us fertility in cultivation. He is on two Komedawaras. Komedawara is a container of rice and the symbol fertility.

Enmusubi  縁結び

Goen is a bond. As indicated before, he fuses with Okuninushi. Okuninushi is a Shinto deity who give us bond among persons. Love-seekers want his Goen.

Daikoku-san welcomes us over 500 years  500年前から参拝者をお出迎え

Today, Daikoku-san is located in Kiyomizudera but he used to be in a small temple in the island of Kamo river. The picture describes Daikoku-san in the 16th century.

The island is on the tip of the secular world. The inside of the white walls is the sacred world. The visitors prayed for Daikoku-san and got into the other world.

The statue was made in around 15th century. He is very beautiful because re-painted recently.

Amulet 大黒天お守り

Many Daikoku-san amulet is available in Kiyomizudera. And small “puni-puni” Daikokusan is strongly recommended. Small one is 350 JPY and large one is 900 JPY.

シカさん

I can’t translate “puni-puni.” I suppose cat beans has a “puni-puni” touch.

About Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺基本情報

Access to Kiyomizu-dera 清水寺へのアクセス

The nearest bus stop is Kiyomizu Michi bus stop. It takes about 20 minutes to Kiyomizu-dera.

THE GIST OF THIS ARTICLE

• Page 1 Intorduction, a short history of the stage
• Page 2 The construction of tha stage, Tobiochi Gankake
• Page 3 About Kiyomizudera, access, and bibliography

The following is the contents of this article.

Introduction 概要

　いちきしま　ひめ

This site and article don’t recommend outing though the state of emergency was lifted. Make your decision with extreme care.

The information of shrines and temples are subject to be changed.

This site is not responsible for any disadvantages you have at all.

たけちよ

Kiyomizu dera had been under renovation for years. Check the link!!!

Kiyomizu-dera renovation finished in 2020

Kiyomizudera consists of about 15 buildings and some of them were renovated in the name of "Heisei no Daikaisyu 2008-2020(Reconstruction in Heisei period). "

kyotokankoyagi.com

2019.03.06

A short history of the stage 清水の舞台の歴史

Why stage? なぜ舞台と呼ばれるのか

See the photo. It is the iconic stage of Kiyomizudera temple. It is a place where performances to be practiced for Kannon, the Deity enshrined in the main hall. Between the stage, there are 2 places with an independent roof. They are called Noh dai where musicians to be placed.

The line indicated with white is a floor of Nainaijin, the most important place where Kannnon and other Deities are enshrined. We can’t be there usually except Sennnichi Mairi in August. The black line is a floor of Naijin. Nainaijin and Naijin consists of the Seido in the main hall and are on the edge of the cliff.

The blue line is a floor of the Raido. We can be there usually with shoes off. We can have a good view of the Omaedachi statue of Kannon. The authentic statue is enshrined in the Zushi (looks like a Mikoshi) and open to us every 33 years.

The red one is a corridor and the green one is the stage.

When the stage constructed? 舞台はいつつくられたか

Kiyomizudera was founded in the 8th century. A monk called Enchin (延鎮) make a figurine of Kannnon with a holy wood and enshrined it in a small hut on the cliff. By the end of the 9th century, the hut became a temple.

Like many temples in Kyoto, Kiyomizudera lost its documents due to fire and we can’t tell when the stage was constructed exactly. The oldest record is Naricmichikyo Kuden Nikki (『成通卿口伝日記』), a memoir of an aristocrat in the 12 the century. He was a Kemari master and boasted that his Kemari ball juggling on the fence of the stage.

In addition to it, other famous books in the century refer to the stage. For example,  Gikeiki (『義経紀』) , the story of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, one of the most popular historical figures, put it that he met Benkei at the stage.

On the other hand, Makura no Soshi (『枕草子』), the compilation of stories written by Seisho Nagaon says nothing about the stage.

七里ヶ浜親方

Makura no Soshi was finished in 1002. At least, Kiyomizudera developed a stage between the 11th and 12th century. But I can’t guarantee the stage was the same in size and construction.

In Honen Shonin Eden (『法然上人絵伝』) in the 14 th century, the Emaki describes the life of Honen Shonin, the founder of Jodo school, tells us the way he held a ritual. The Emaki shows us that the ritual carried on on the stage of the main hall though it took place on the stage of Okunoin.

シカさん

I’m sure the stage was iconic at least in the 14th century.

Kiyomizudera Sankei Mandala (『清水寺参詣曼荼羅』) in the 16th century narrates the renovation of Kiyojmizudera after Onin no Ran, the largest civil war in Japanese history. Its a picture of Kiyomizudera and its neighborhood. They are put in a sheet of paper and they are not described exactly but the the main hall, the stage, and other buildings resemble the ones we can see today.

The stage we can see today was constructed with a huge donation of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the 3rd Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

What is Gyokei no Gi?

Saiohdai Gyokei no Gi (斎王代御禊の儀) is a ritual held on 4th of May, prior to Aoi matsuri festival. In this ritual, “Saiohdai” purifies herself at a stream of Kamigamo shrine or Shimogamo shrine in every other year. In 2024/ Reiwa 6, it will be held at Shimogamo shrine.

Who is Saiohdai?

Saiohdai (斎王代) means that a substitute of Saioh. Saioh is a priestess served for Aoi matsuri festival in ancietn times. She was chosen in the royal family (mostly a daughter of the emperor) usually. Today, we don’t have the priestess. On the other hand, a lady plays a role of Saioh in Aoi matsuri fesitival and the other rituals belong to it. We discuss about her later in historical point of view.

The video of Saioh da Gyokei no gi

Before making an inspection of the ritual, enjoy Goyokei no Gi.

Gyokei no Gi at Kamigamo shrine 御禊の儀於上賀茂神社

Along the video we saw, let us make sure what Gyokei no Gi is.

The stream in front of Saiohdai is the Nara no Ogawa. There are streams called Omonoigawa and Mitarashi gawa in Kamigamo shrine.

In Japan, we think water purify something evil. These stream go around the main hall of the shrine to tell the border of the sacred and the secular world. They get together and make Nara no Ogawa. So, the stream is also sacred. So, Saohdai make herself purified herself, touching the water of the stream. At Gyokei no Gi, only Saiohdai does this though many ladies participate in the ritual.

On the same reason, rituals to make attendants purified take place in front of the stream and a building called Tsuchinoya, located by it.

After that, all the ladies move to a bridge called Hashidono. On it, they put evil things inside of them on a human-shaped object called Katashiro. The Katashiro for Saiohdai is made of wood though the others are made of paper.

Gyokei no Gi at Shimogamo shrine 御禊の儀於下鴨神社

At Shimogamo shrine, Gyokei no gi is held at Mitarashi ike, a small stream in front of Inoue sha, the sub-shrine of Shimogamo shrine.

You see a white tent. There are seats of relatives of Saiohdai under it. The place where red corns located is for press.

For us, there is a small room left to see the ritual. The ritual starts at 10 a.m. and she touches the stream around 11 a.m.

After the ritual, they move to Shinpukuden to have a photo session.

Saiou-dai in Aoi matsuri festival in historical point of view

Who is Saioh?

Saioh-dai is a most famous lady in Aoi matsuri festival (The lady in the picture above.). The word “dai” means a substitute for someone/something in Japanese. So let me tell you about “Saioh”.

Saioh is a Shinto priestess works as a deputy of the emperor. In the Heian period, when the new emperor was enthroned, a fortune-teller chose Saiou among unmarried ladies in the imperial family on a special fortune-telling.

Once a lady was elected as Saioh, she moved to a small palace called “Hatsu sai in” to purify herself for three years. After the purification of three years, she moved to a small palace temporary built for Saiou called “Nomiya” and purified herself at the river Kamo. After these purification, she was in a state to serve as a deputy of the emperor.

Saiou became extinct in Kamakura period (1185–1333) and was restored as “Saiou-dai” We call her “Saiou-dai” i.e. the substitute for Saiou because she was not erected among the members of the royal family nor is Shinto priestess.

Nomiya or Murasakino Saiin 紫野斎院

Nomiya is build each time Saioh was chosen by Onmyoji, a fortune-teller belonged to the Imperial court. It is believed that Ichiidani Nanano shrine is a debris of one of them which stands the test of time.

Goyokei of Saioh in The Tale of Genji

If you were interested in Japanese culture or literature, you might know The Tale of Genji written by Murasaki Shikibu. In the chapter ‘Aoi’, you can find a incident called “Kuruma arasoi”. That is a small conflict took place at Aoi matsuri festival.

In ancient times, Saioh departs Saiin (the red Torii in the map) heading for south. On Ichijoohji street, she met Chokushi, the messenger of the emperor, and his colleagues (the red alien). They joined together to go to the river Kamo.

The blue alien indicates the supposed place where Gyokei took place. It is “supposed” because the palce was chosen by Onmyoji each time and Gokei was carried out in many places along the river.

People only see Saioh when she was on the way of Gyokei.

How was Gyokei carried on?

The Nenjyu Gyoji Emaki, the guide book of the rituals in Heian period, tells us the ritual.

Around the river Kamo (RIVER in the photo), walls of cloth (3) were made. Inside of the wall, there was a tent (1). (2) is a train of outfit for court ladies. (4) is a torch. It indicates the ritual was held at twilight or night. (5) is a priest.

How to get to Shimogamo shrine?

From JR kyoto station

Take Kyoto city bus no.4 and get off at Shimogamo Jinjamae bus stop.

About Shimogamo shrine

THE GIST OF THIS ARTICLE

• Page 1  Introduction, About Kinkakuji, the golden pavilion (Shariden), the 1st floor.
• Page 2  The 2nd floor, the 3rd floor, the way to admire Sahriden
• Page 3  The prolific garden, night illumination on post card
• Page 4  Other Must-sees
• Page 5  Autume leaves and snow, access, etc.

The following is the contents of this article.

Introduction

In this post, I’ll show you what the Golden Pavilion (Shariden) is with a inside view, the meaning of the garden and other must-sees. 合掌

What is Kinkakuji (金閣寺)?

A Buddhist temple known as Kinkakuji (金閣寺)is “Hokuzan Rokuonji (北山鹿苑寺)” with many facilities and one of them is “Shariden (舎利殿)” also known as “the Golden pavilion.”

Shariden was covered with sheets of gold actually. This is the reason we call it Kinkakuji. Kinkakuji means “a temple with golden pavilion.

Kinkakuji used to be a residence belonged to Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third Shogun of Ashikaga Shogunate. After his death, the temple was named “Rokuonji” after his Buddhist name and became a temple of Rinzai school. Kinkakuji, its garden, and belongings represent so called “Kitayama period/culture.”

Rokuonji was designated as a World Heritage site in 1994.

A Short History of Kinkakuji

The place now Kinkakuji is located was called “Saionji temple” which belonged to the Saionji family, one of the most prosperous court noble clans in the Heian period(794-1185).

In the 13th century, Saionji Kinmune planned to invite the Emperor Godaigo to Saionji temple and to assassinate him in order to overthrow the status quo. Finally his plan failed and he was executed and his property, including Saionji temple, was confiscated.

After the incident, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu bought Sainoji temple when his political career was at the zenith in the 14th century. He constructed “Kitayama-den” as his residence. This is the origin of Kinkakuji (Shariden). At that time, there was a pavilion called Tenkyo-kaku. It is believed there was a roofed wooden bridge connected these two pavilions.

He exercised his political power though he had gave up his “Shogun throne” to his son many years ago. Shariden also worked as “Kasiyo,” a place where people gather. Yoshimitsu invited people there for cultural enjoyments.

In the 15th century, “Ohnin-no ran,” the largest civil war in the middle ages in Japan was broke up. The war burned down the whole Kyoto city but Kinkakuji escaped narrowly these fires.

In the 19th century, the Meiji government ordered the separation of Shinto and Buddhism (In Japan, Shinto and Buddhism had been fused for centuries.) and Kinkakuji, as same as other temples,  lost the privileges they had.

七里ヶ浜親方

Shinbutsu Shugo? Check this out.

Sinbutsu Shugo :Shinto and Buddhism co-existence or fusion 神仏習合英語で説明

Shinbutsu Shogo (神仏習合) is a Shinto and Buddhism co-existence or fusion in Japan. It has over 1,600 years of history.

kyotokankoyagi.com

2021.09.02

Due to these incidents, Kinkakuji fell into decline. In 1950, a trainee monk set a fire on Shariden. The fire burned Shariden, including the Buddhist statues, down to ashes.

After the fire,  Shariden was reconstructed in 1952.

The construction of Syariden　舎利殿

We are not allowed to enter Shariden. The pictures of the inside of the pavilion are the photos of postcards I bought at a souvenir shop in Kinkakuji temple.

Shariden is a facility enshrined the ashes of Siddhartha Gautama. As I tell you later, it is on the third floor. The garden of Saihoji temple affected the land scape of Kinkakuji: It is the first garden has a pavilion at a pondside.

七里ヶ浜親方

Saihoji temple paved the way for a pavilion located at a pondside.

When it was reconstructed after the fire, the surface of the 2nd and 3rd floor was covered with sheets of gold.  About 45lbs. of solid gold made 200 thousand of sheets.

Unfortunately, in a decade, these sheets came off due to the sunbeam. A sheet of gold has a large number of small, invisible holes. Through them, the ultraviolet light destroyed the plaster under the sheets.

シカさん

But the pavilion didn’t look miserable. It rather looked “Shibui.”

In 1986, “the renovation of (the Imperial period) Showa” started. This time, the sheets are five times the thickness of those in 1950. About 400 lbs. of gold made 200 thousand of sheets. It cost 100 million JPY.

Hossui-in, the 1st floor 第一層　法水院

The 1st floor is called “Hosui-in”. The wall (It is a kind of door actually) of the floor reveals that it was built in the “Shinden-zukuri (寝殿造)’ fashion, the style of residence for the court nobles. The wall is called “Haji-tomi (半蔀)” (The picture above is the Haji-tomi of Daikakuji temple.).

In summer time we can take the lower part out of the pillars (It is installed into the ditches of the pillars), in spring and fall we can open only the upper part. On the other hand, in winter time, we put the lower part into pillars and close the upper part.

Haji-tomis are so thick and heavy that it needs servants to remove, install, and open them. They are suitable for the four seasons in Japan. This shows a good example about our idea on house. We, Japanese, do not tell the “outside” from the inside of house exactly.

You can see them in front of Shariden over the pond.

From left to right:

1. A statue of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the founder of Kinkakuji.
2. A statue of crowned Siddhartha Gautama (宝冠釈迦如来像).
3. A hand scroll. It reads, “開山夢窓国師 (A name of monk who established Kinkakuji),” “開祖達摩円覚大師 (The founder of Zen),” and “歴代祖師諸位禅師 (All Zen monks).”

たけちよ

A statue of Siddhartha Gautama doesn’t have a crown usually becaue he is an enlightened person who has no need to be ornamented. This statue wears crown. It tells us he is still on the way to the enlightenment.  I suppose it tells us the importance of the Buddhist training.

シカさん

There are two types of founder. One is a person (s) who makes financial contribution. The other is a monk(s) who establishes a facility as a temple.

Ginkakuji temple a.k.a. as the silver pavilion represents the origin of the Japanese cultural inheritance. Let us learn about what to see like dry garden, its history, and the way to access with a precise map.

What is Giknakuji (銀閣寺)?

Ginkakuji temple a.k.a. Jisyoji

Giknakuji’s formal name is “Tozan Jisyoji”. It is a sub-shrine of Shokokuji and was built by Ashikaga Yoshimasa, the 8th shogun of Ashikaga Shogunate, in the 15th century as his retirement villa named Higashiyama-sanso. After his death, it is named “Jisyoin” after his Buddhist name and became a Buddhist temple of Rinzai school. Ginkakuji and the garden adjacent to it represent so called “Higashiyama period/culture” and was listed as a World Heritage site in 1994.

Why is Jisyoji called “Ginkakuji” temple, the silver pavilion?

Ginkakuji never seems to be “Silver” though Kinkakuji glitters gold. (“Gin” means silver and “Kin” means gold in Japanese.)There were some disputes on the issue. Some says Gikukakuji was plastered with silver actually and some says financial problems prevented Yoshimasa from plastering it with silver. In 2007, an investigation team x-rayed the surface of the pavilion only to found no trace of silver on it.  There are many hypothesis on the matter but the reason remains secret.

Ginkakuji temple and Higashiyama period/culture(東山文化)

Higashiyama period/culture was established as a fusion of cultures of court nobles, samurai-warriors and Buddhists who learned the Buddhism overseas. Before the period, aristocrats and court nobles cultivated most of Japanese culture. For example, The Tale of Genji was written by a lady who served imperial court. Samurai-warriors had special interests in the Buddhism, mostly Zen. You might think Zen is not suitable for war-time philosophy. Samurai lead a highly disciplined life and Zen was accomplished through daily life. Zen was fascinating for them as a code of Samurai. Buddhists studied in China and brought the Chinese latest culture.

The fusion of these three cultures made a foundation of traditional Japanese culture we know today. Tea-ceremony, Noh, Kado (Japanese flower arrangement), dry garden, and so on. For example, the rock garden in Ryoanji temple was built in the period.

In the period, infamous Onin-no-ran, the largest civil war in the middle ages of Japan occurred. Many people escaped from Kyoto to the provinces. Thanks to them, the cultures born in Kyoto spread all over the archipelago.

 What to see in Ginkakuji temple?

Ginkakuji-gaki

An approach of Ginkakuji. It leads visitors into the Nirvana which Ashikaga Yoshimasa wanted to find in Higashi yama sanso.

A dry garden in front of Kuri

Kuri is a residence for monks (the house in the pictures above). The dry garden gives us modern impression because it has nearly symmetric construction.

Kannnon-den a.k.a. Ginkakuji（National treasure）

So called “Ginkakuji”/ The silver pavilion. The formal name of the pavilion is “Kannon-den”. As I indicated before, NO silver was plastered. People did not call Konnon-den the silver pavilion before the 17th century. Kannon-den is a two storied pavilion. The first floor is “Shin-ku-den (心空殿)” which has a construction resembles residence. Shin-ku-den means “The hall where we can have emptied mind”. Ashikaga Yoshimasa used to meditate there. On this floor, Kannon statue was enshrined. Kannon is the Buddhist Goddess who saves people with her mercy. The second floor is “Kaion-kak (潮音閣)”, which has a Zen-fashioned floor. We are not allowed to enter the pavilion.

At the top of the roof, there is a statue of “Ho-oh (鳳凰)” as a guardian of Kannon inside of the pavilion.

As the founder, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, intended, we can see the pavilion anywhere in the temple grounds.

Gin-syadan (銀沙灘)

The dry garden in front of Kannon-den. It stands for ripples on the sand sea. The white sand contains large quantity of quartz for the purpose of reflecting sunlight. Traditional Japanese residence does not distinguish the inside and out side of the house precisely. Dry garden often plays a role as lighting to reflect the sunlight and moonlight. In the night time, I suppose the quartz in the sand reflects moonlight and Kannon-den glimmers “Silver”. I believe that is the reason why we called Kannnon-den “the silver pavilion”.

Ginsyadan from the window

This window has “Shoji” at the both side of it. We can adjust the side of a frame of the window and enjoy many views of Ginsyadan through it. That is the way to admire the garden in the days of old.

Kogetsu-dai (向月台)

The mountain-like object in front of Kannon-den. No one knows what it is. Some says it is a platform to see the moon.

Togu-do 東求堂　（National treasure）

It was made as a “Jibutsudo” of Ashikaga Yoshimasa’s. Jibutsudo is a building to enshrine Buddhist statues and pray. The room called “Dojinsai” is the origin of a traditional Japanese tea room. Dojinsai is an excerpt of a verse composed by Han yu, the poet in Tang dynasty. The excerpt means “The great person respects equality.”.

Togu-do worked as “Kaisyo”. Kaiyo means a place in which people gather for cultural enjoyment like verse-composing, Japanese flower arrangements and tea-ceremony. We can not enter Togu-go except special occasion.

Ginkakuji-gata-tyozubachi 銀閣寺形手水鉢

It is a wash basin. It represents a garment monks wear. It is located between main hall and Togu-do. The small dry garden was built in Edo period.　

The garden

The garden was build on the construction of that of Saiho-ji. Ashikaga Yoshimasa has a special interest in Saiho-ji temple as a composer of garden.(To “compose” garden may sound strange but I believe traditional Japanese garden is a thing to “compose”.)

Kinkyo-chi pond 錦鏡池

The pond spread in front of Kannnon-den and Togu-do.

Moss

Ginkakuji is rich in moss. You would love to see it.

Sengetsusen 洗月泉

In night time, a reflection of the moon is on the surface of the water. Ripples swing the reflention with gentle caress. That movement look like as if ripples were washing the moon. So this well is named Semgetsusen, the well to wash the moon.

Tsukimachi-yama 月待山

The well for tea ceremony お茶の井

It is a debris of the oringinal garden. From the well, Ashikaga yoshimasa drew water for tea ceremony.

Observation place 展望台

We can have a good view of mountains and Kannon-do.

Flora of Ginkakuji temple

In Ginkakuji, we have many plants and flowers. Of course we can see them other places. The distinctive feature in Ginkakuji is there aren’t many flowers and are many green leaves and mosses instead. Thanks to this, we can see flowers against the green.

Autumn colors in Ginkakuji temple

Maple leaves in Ginkakuji was deliberately and exquisitely planted to go with the green leaves.

If you were interested in Autumn leaves in kyoto, see the video above.

Ginkakuji temple in snow

Ginkakuji in snow takes your breath away. We have only 1 or 2 snowing days in a year. If you are in snowing days, you better rush to Ginkakuji.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!!!!!!

Okuribi and Ginkakuji temple

The mountain behind Ginkakuji, we have bonfire called “Okuribi”. In the mid August, we believe our ancestors who passed away come back to us and stay with us in short period of time. When they go back where they belong, we wave our good-bye with Okuribi.

The bonfire tells Kyotoite summer was nealy ending.

Special admission of Ginkakuji temple

We can enter the main hall and Togu-do. It take place on one time an hour basis. The picture above was taken in 2016.

The time table of this year is different. See Shokokuji web site. (Japanese only)

General information of Ginkakuji temple

Tozan Jisyoji

Address　2 ginkakuji teramahi, sakyo-ku, kyoto 〒606-8402

Phone　+81　075-771-5725

ＦＡＸ　+81　075-771-5439

Website

Shokokuji web site  (In side of Shokokji site, there is a Ginkakuji site.)

Opening hours

March～November　8：30～17：00

December～Feburary　9：00～16：30

Admission fee　Adult and high school student　500yen

Access from Ginkakuji to Kinkakuji

From Kinkakuji to Ginkakuji, we have many buses to take. We take no.204 bus. No.204 is a loop line. We have clockwise no. 204 and anticlockwise no. 204. We take clockwise 204 because it is less crowded. Go to the bus stop (Ginkakuji michi bus stop) indicated in the map shown above.

Get off the bus at Kiknkakuji michi bus stop.

Access to Ginkakuji temple

From JR Kyoto station

At A2 in the bus terminal, take bus no.17.

Get off at Ginkakuji michi bus stop. On getting off, turn right and walk toward the mountains.

From Gion shijo sta. and Kawaramachi sta.

At Shijo kawara-machi bus stop, take bus no.17.

Get off at Ginkakuji michi bus stop. On getting off, turn right and walk toward the mountains.