worldwonders: August 2012

Tenryuji Temple Tours - A World Heritage Site and one of the most historic site in Kyoto. Tenryuji Temple is the most important Zen Temple in Kyoto.

Tenryuji Temple (天龍寺, Tenryū-ji) more formally known as Tenryū Shiseizen-ji (天龍資聖禅寺, Tenryū Shiseizen-ji) is the head temple of the Tenryū sect of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, located in Susukinobaba-chō, Ukyō Ward, (Arashiyama region), Kyoto, Japan. The temple was founded by Ashikaga Takauji, primarily to venerate Gautama Buddha, and its first chief priest was Musō Soskice. As a temple related to both the Ashikaga family and Emperor Godaigo, the temple is held in high esteem, and is ranked as the most important (Rinzai) Zen temple in Kyoto. In 1994, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as one of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto".The Sgen Pond (foreground) created by Musō Soseki is one of the highlights in the Tenryuji Temple complex.

Tenryuji Temple Walking Tours

Arashiyama is a pleasant, touristy district in the outskirts of Kyoto. Its landmark is the Togetsukyo Bridge which was rebuilt in 1934 exactly like the original. Walk through the Sagano Bamboo Grove, then onto Jojakkoji Temple, final home of Empress Dowager Kenrei-mon-in. Later visit Tenryuji Temple, a leading Zen temple built in 1339 famous for its landscape gardens. Arashiyama is particularly beautiful during the cherry blossom and autumn leaf seasons.
More information and online bookings for this tour.

Tenryuji Temple - Cultural Properties

The "important cultural properties" of Tenryū-ji include:

Three portraits of Musō Soseki, and paintings of Avalokitesvara and Seiryō Hōgen Zenji/Yunmen Daishi
The wooden carving of Gautama Buddha.
Various illustrations and writings in the document archive, such as Shanaingoryō-ezu (遮那院御領絵図, Shanaingoryō-ezu), Ōkoshokyōkanji-no-ezu (往古諸郷館地之絵図, Ōkoshokyōkanji-no-ezu), Ōeikinmyō-ezu (応永鈞命絵図, Ōeikinmyō-ezu), Tōryōeiyo-bakuseki (東陵永與墨蹟, Tōryōeiyo-bakuseki), and various writings of Kitabatake Chikafusa
The garden, created by Musō Soseki, features a circular promenade around Sōgen Pond (曹源池, sōgenchi), and is registered as both a special place of scenic beauty and a historical landmark.

Tenryuji Temple - History

In the early Heian Period, Empress Tachibana no Kachiko, wife of Emperor Saga, founded a temple called Danrin-ji (檀林寺, Danrin-ji) on the site of present-day Tenryū-ji. The temple fell into disrepair over the next four hundred years, before, in the mid-thirteenth century, Emperor Gosaga and his son Emperor Kameyama turned the area into an imperial villa they christened "Kameyama Detatched Palace" (亀山殿, kameyamadono). The name "Kameyama", which literally means "turtle mountain", was selected due to the shape of Mt. Ogura, which lies to the west of Tenryū-ji it is said to be similar to the shape of a turtle's shell. All Japanese temples constructed after the Nara period have a sangō, a mountain name used as an honorary prefix. Tenryū-ji's sangō, Reigizan (霊亀山, Reigizan lit. "mountain of the spirit of the turtle"), was also selected due to the shape of Mt. Ogura.

turtle"), was also selected due to the shape of Mt. Ogura.

Cherry Blossom in Tenryuji Temple garden

The palace was converted into a temple at the behest of Ashikaga Takauji, who wished to use the temple to hold a memorial service for Emperor Go-daigo. Ashikaga became the shogun in 1338, and Go-daigo died in Yoshino the following year. Ashikaga opposed the failed Kemmu Restoration, which was started by Emperor Go-daigo, and the emperor decreed that Ashikaga should be hunted down and executed. When his former-friend-turned-enemy passed away, Ashikaga recommended that Zen monk Musō Soseki construct a temple for his memorial service. It is said that the temple was originally going to be named Ryakuō Shiseizen-ji (暦応資聖禅寺, Ryakuō Shiseizen-ji), Ryakuō being the name of the reign of the emperor of the northern court at that time. However, Ashikaga Takauji's younger brother, Tadayoshi supposedly had a dream about a golden dragon flitting about the Ōi River (also known as the Hozu River), which lies south of the temple, and the temple was instead named Tenryū Shiseizen-ji the term "Tenryū" literally means "dragon of the sky" . In order to raise the funds to build the temple, a trading vessel called "Tenryūjisen" was constructed and set asail. A ceremony was held on the seventh anniversary of Emperor Go-Daigo's death in 1345, which functioned as both a celebration of the completion of the temple, and as Go-daigo's memorial.

The temple prospered as the most important Rinzai temple in Kyoto, and the temple grounds grew to roughly 330,000 square meters in size, extending all the way to present-day Katabira-no-Tsuji station on the Keifuku Railway. At one time, the massive grounds were said to contain some 150 sub-temples, however, the temple was plagued with numerous fires, and all of the original buildings have been destroyed. During the middle ages, the temple met with fire six times: in 1358, 1367, 1373, 1380, 1447 and 1467. The temple was destroyed again during the Ōnin War and subsequently rebuilt, but in 1815 it was lost to yet another fire. The temple was severely damaged during the Hamaguri Rebellion in 1864, and most of the buildings as we see them today are reconstructions from the latter half of the Meiji period. The garden to the west of the abbey, created by Musō Soseki, shows only traces of its original design.

The tombs of Emperors Gosaga and Kageyama lie within the temple grounds.

Tenryuji Temple - Layout

On the eastern boundary of the temple grounds lie two gates: Chokushi Gate (勅使門, chokushimon) and Middle Gate (中門, chūmon), from which the path to the temple itself leads west. Generally, Zen temple grounds are designed