Tenryuji (Tenryu Temple)

Tenryuji (Tenryu Temple) Tenryuji (Tenryu Temple)

The Tenryu Temple is located in Arashiyama, an area to the west of Kyoto City's urban area. Its gate stands facing the street lined with souvenir stores and restaurants extending north from the Togetsu Bridge over the Katsura River. It is the headquarters of the Rinzaishu-Tenryuji sect and the number one Kyoto Gozan temple. It was built in 1345 by Ashikaga Takauji, the general who established the Muromachi Shogunate, to console the spirit of the Emperor Godaigo. To raise funds to build the Tenryu Temple, Takauji resumed trade with Yuan (China) which had been ceased since the Mongolian invasion attempts against Japan in 1274 and 1281. It is a well-known fact that the ship used for commerce was called Tenryuji-sen (Tenryuji ship).
Because it was burnt down many times since construction due to fire disasters and many wars, most of the buildings which stand today have been rebuilt after the mid-Meiji era. Only the garden behind the Ohojo has remained untouched since it was first made by the Buddhist master Muso Soseki upon initial construction.
On the temple grounds are the Hatto (Dharma hall), the Ohojo behind it, Kohojo on the west side, and others such as the Tahodo (treasure hall), and the Saga and Kameyama imperial mausoleums. An impressive drawing of a dragon casting a fierce glance in many directions is painted on the ceiling of the Hatto. Behind the Ohojo stand the two mountains, Arashiyama and Kameyama, while a garden spreads around the Sogen-ike (pond). The temple is also famous for its magnificent cherry blossoms in spring and crimson foliage in autumn. Its Chisen Kaiyushiki-style garden is one of the country's historic sites and the first to be designated as an extraordinary scenic beauty.