Tenryuji Temple

Movie and Tenryu-ji Temple

With its samurai-like appearance, nearby Togetsu Bridge and gorge, Tenryu-ji has been a favorite of Kyoto filmmakers since the Meiji era (1868-1912), and has been used as a film location for many movies.

Precincts

The Imperial Gate (a gate from Fushimi Castle, relocated in 1641) stands at the east end of the temple grounds, and the approach to the west is flanked by temples on both sides, with the Hatto Hall in front and the Daihojo, Kohojo, Koriuchi, and Tahouden at the rear.

Kori (storehouse): The building was rebuilt in 1899 with a triangular gabled roof and white walls divided vertically and horizontally by beams, and has become a symbol of the Tenryuji temple landscape.

Daihojo: The largest building at Tenryuji, rebuilt in 1899. It has a wide porch in the front and back with a view of the garden.
The interior is a six-room Hojo style, with a 48-tatami mat room in the center and 24-tatami mat rooms on the left and right sides, which can be used as three separate rooms.

Zen garden, a masterpiece of Karesansui (dry landscape garden)

The pond garden centering on Sogen Pond was created by Zen monk and gardener Muso Soseki.

The garden is a borrowed landscape garden (a technique of blending the beautiful mountains behind the garden into the background), incorporating Arashiyama across the Katsura River and Kameyama (Mt. Ogura) located to the west of the garden.
While taking advantage of the natural view and landscape, the garden expresses the essence of Zen, which places importance on the spiritual condition of the land, through the use of stonework and other elements.

Soseki Muso was one of the world's greatest gardeners of all time, and his Zen gardens formed the standard of beauty in Japan from then on as wabi, sabi, and yugen.

Soseki Sado was a great teacher of Ashikaga Takauji, and Emperor Godaigo bestowed on him the title of "Soseki Sado" (a title bestowed by the Imperial Court on high priests).

The Emperor’s Villa

In the early Heian period (794-1185), the Emperor Saga ran his villa "Kameyama-den" at Tenryu-ji Temple.
The name "Turtle Mountain" refers to Mt. Ogura, located to the west of Tenryu-ji Temple and known for its beautiful autumn leaves, which resembles the back of a turtle.

Tenryu-ji Temple's official name is Tenryu Shisei-zenji Temple, which is also named after the mountain "Mt.

Founding of the Bodhidharma Temple

Ashikaga Takauji and Emperor Godaigo were at odds with each other, and Ashikaga Takauji won the Kenmu Rebellion in 1336, which led to the establishment of the Muromachi shogunate.
Ashikaga Takauji became a barbarian general in 1338, and Emperor Godaigo died the following year.

Soseki Muso, a Zen monk and gardener who was also revered by the warrior class, strongly advised Ashikaga Takauji to build Tenryu-ji Temple in honor of Emperor Godaigo, and he converted Kameyama-den, a detached palace, into a temple.

Name of the Dragon of Heaven

The name of the temple was originally planned to be "Rekio Shisei Zenji" after the year,
However, Ashikaga Takauji's younger brother, Ashikaga Naoyoshi, dreamed of a golden dragon dancing on the Katsura River south of the temple, and the temple name was changed to "Tenryu Shisei Zenji" (meaning "the temple of the heavenly dragon").

Financing Trade Ships

The Muromachi Shogunate, which had just been established after winning the battle, did not have enough funds to build Tenryuji Temple.
Soseki Muso and Naoyoshi Ashikaga had a trading ship, the Tenryuji ship, built by the Mongolian empire Yuan, which had conquered China, to raise funds for the construction.

Although passage between Japan and the Yuan was disrupted, they were able to land and successfully trade.
The Tenryuji ship returned to Japan with enormous profits. The profits from this time were used to build Tenryuji Temple.
A place associated with the Ashikaga Shoguns and Emperors

In 1394, Emperor Go-Kameyama met for the first time at Tenryuji Temple with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third great general of the Muromachi Shogunate, and was given the title of "Emperor Taisho" (Emperor who did not ascend to the throne) as the "Non-Tokyoku Emperor.

Extensive Temple Domain

Tenryu-ji Temple prospered as the first of the five temples of Kyoto, covering a vast area of approximately 9.5 million square meters, with 150 temples as branch temples.
In 1585, Toyotomi Hideyoshi donated 1,720 koku of the temple's territory, and in 1604, Tokugawa Ieyasu approved 7,020 koku of the temple's territory.

The temple was involved in numerous fires and wars, and all the buildings from the time of its foundation were lost, with most of the existing buildings dating from the late Meiji period (1868-1912).
The garden by Soseki Muso (a special place of scenic beauty and a historic site) shows only a trace of the original buildings.

Dragon and Cloud Painting

In 1899, Shonen Suzuki created the ceiling painting of the Dharma Hall by painting on Japanese paper and affixing it to the ceiling.

In 1997, due to severe damage, Matazo Kayama replaced it with a painting of a dragon staring in all directions (the dragon appears to be staring in the direction of the viewer from all angles). The eight directions are the four directions and the four corners.
A portion of Shonen Suzuki's dragon and cloud paintings is preserved in the Daihojo.

vegetarian food

In the building that recreates the Ryumon-tei (Dragon Gate Pavilion) located on the south side of Sogen Pond, you can enjoy vegetarian cuisine prepared with fresh seasonal vegetables and wild plants at the vegetarian restaurant "Shigetsu".

Places of Interest in Sagano

South of Tenryuji Temple is the Togetsu Bridge and Arashiyama, while the north gate leads to the bamboo grove path, Okochi Villa, Jojakkoji Temple, and Rokkakisha Temple.