Nanzen-ji, Konkai Komyo-ji, Eishoin and Shinnyo-do Temples in Kyoto
Nanzen-ji (南禅寺), or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly Zenrin-ji (禅林寺), is a Zen Buddhist temple complex located in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City, Japan.
Nanzen-ji Temple is the headquarters of the Rinzai school, one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, along with Sōtō and Ōbaku.
It was founded in the middle Kamakura period (1291) by kaiki (founding patron) Emperor Kameyama (9 July 1249 – 4 October 1305) and kaisan (first chief priest) Mukan Fumon. It was the first temple in Japan to be founded by the Imperial family.
Before Nanzen-ji Temple was founded, the site was the location of Emperor Gosaga’s detached palace Zenrin-ji-dono Palace, which was built in 1264.
In 1289 at age 40, Emperor Kameyama abdicated, shaved his head and became a monk.
Two years later in 1291, he converted Zenrin-ji-dono Palace into a temple and invited the 80 year old Mukan Fumon to serve as chief priest of the temple.
After the death of the founding priest Mukan, the majority of the temple’s construction was conducted under the second chief priest Kian Soen.
The temple was destroyed by fire in 1393, 1447, and 1467, rebuilt in 1597, and expanded in the Edo era.
The precincts of Nanzen-ji Temple are a nationally designated Historic Site in 2005.
Hojo Garden (方丈庭園) is considered one of the most significant examples of karesansuigardens (rock gardens), and was built in the 1600s by renowned artist Kobori Enshu. The garden mirrors natural forms, and is seventy percent gravel and has been designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty.
It was given to the temple by the Emperor Go-Yōzei. The garden contains a variety of important screen paintings on gold backgrounds, including two of tigers by Kanō Tan’yū.
Nanzen-ji Aqueduct was constructed in 1890 through the temple grounds to carry irrigation water from the Lake Biwa Canal.
Konkai Kōmyō-ji Temple (金戒光明寺) is a sacred Buddhist temple complex located in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto.
This Buddhist temple complex belongs to Jodo-shu (浄土宗, “The Pure Land School”), a branch of Pure Land Buddhism derived from the teachings of the Japanese monk Hōnen. The branch of Buddhism was founded in 1175 and is the most widespread in Japan, along with Jodo-shinshu.
Chapters:
Nanzen-ji – 0:00
Konkai Komyo-ji Temple – 20:32
Eishoin Temple – 27:52
Shinnyo-do Temple – 30:42
Video Source: 行って良かった絶景❗京都の紅葉🍁南禅寺(岡﨑)エリア~永観堂・金戒光明寺・栄摂院・真如堂🍂Autumn leaves in Nanzenji-temple area Kyoto Japan from Kyoto trip TV on Youtube ⁄ CC BY
