Japan: Tofukuji

We came upon the Tofukuj temple by accident as we were walking from the Toyokuni Shrine towards the Fushimi Inari Shrine.  We could have taken the rail or the bus, but we decided it was more fun to explore more and walk.  I am so glad that we did.  This next temple had some of the most beautiful landscaping and gardens.  The zen garden was so serene, and it wasn't as crowded as most of the other temples/shrines we visited--don't get me wrong--it was still pretty busy, and looking at the map, I don't think we covered the whole of the temple grounds.

Out of all of the temples and shrines we visited, I think that this one is my favorite.  The landscaping is breathtaking and there was just such an aura of tranquility that surrounded us.  I felt at peace.  I could easily lose myself there for hours, meditating, writing, creating.  

Tofuku-ji is a temple of the Zen sect of Buddhism which was built in the middle of the 13th century. The large triple temple gate which stands at the entrance to the precincts, the oldest in Japan, is designated as a National Treasure. There are gardens on the north, south, east and west sides of the temple, each of which has been created to have its own atmosphere. The garden on the north side, with its moss and stones, is particularly famous. The four gardens is collectively known as the Hasso Garden, a now famous representation of modern Zen Buddhist gardens. In the precinct are the Doju-in, which enshrines the seated image of the Fudo Myo-o (the Buddha who protects the laws of Buddhism), and Reiun-in, with its beautiful Karesansui-style (stone and sand) garden. Next to this is the Hosho-ji, which enshrines a Senju Kannon-zo (a "thousand-handed" statue of the goddess of mercy) designated as a National Treasure. Also contained here are many other National Treasures and cultural properties, including architectural structures, Buddhist images, and paintings, and writings.

This is how we discovered the temple--we thought, "oooh, a bridge, let's look!"  We found a beautiful sight, and what was cool, was when we wound our way through the grounds and found the other bridge across the way!

From one side....

....looking to the other!

 

One end...

....to the other!

 

 

Tofuku-ji has many sub-temples spread in or around its outer walls. Tofuku-ji itself consists in three areas: (1) the main grounds, which can be accessed freely (2) the hojo and its gardens and (3) the bridge and the founder's hall (kaizan-do).
The main grounds include several important buildings, such as the main hall and the main gate.

The Hojo is surrounded by gardens on its four sides, something uncommon (the docs even say "unique"). All four gardens have a very different design and feel. The first one that can be seen is on the right of the entrance path, and is called the east garden. Like the other gardens, it is a karesansui (dry landscape) garden. Its simple design consists in two-tone grounds (one part moss, one part sand) with four vertical stone cylinders planted in the sand. It is a very simple, modern and unique design, typical of Shigemori-san. To the left of the entrance is a large rock garden dominated by the hojo terrace, the south garden. The rocky part of the garden is very classic, with rocks depicting dragons and islands. But the far end has several mossy hills sharply separated form the rocky area, and this again is more modern and a signature of Shigemori's style. The third garden follows, on the west of the hojo. It is much smaller, with an "inverted bell-flower" window and squarely trimmer azalea bushes, in a checker pattern. Lastly, the north garden is one of the most famous in Japan, with is pixelized moss yard surrounded by azalea bushed and closed by taller trees. Azalea play a big role in the design of the two last gardens, which are therefore best viewed in late spring when pink/red flowers dot the garden and add a nice colourful touch.
The other part of Tofuku-ji is the long wooden bridge that overlooks a valley covered by a grove of maple trees. It is definitely best in autumn.  Note also that you can get a very good view of this bridge from the smaller bridge located on the road that passes in front of Tofuku-ji's gates, next to Ikkai-in.  Lastly, the founder's hall (Kaizan-do) is further up the hill after the (crowded) bridge. The courtyard in front of the hall is half white raked sand, half satsuki-and-stones style. The sand is raked in a checker pattern, the signature of Shigemori for this temple.

 

 

Emily's wondering what happened to me--I just thought it would be cool to get a shot of her on the bridge

I found my favorite Georgia flower, growing in the wild in Japan  :-)

We didn't follow the path up.  It had started to rain again, and it was starting to get late, so we wanted to get to our next destination before we lost sunlight.  Sunset is before six pm in Kyoto even in the summer, so we had to take advantage of the daylight while we had it!

Teeny tiny car--it would be crushed by our big vehicles

It would be a very tight fit for Emily in the truck!