Kyoto - Daitoku-ji Temple

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Daitoku-ji Temple Description

The Daitoku-ji Temple is one of the principal temples of the Rinzai sect. The temple, founded in 1324, was destroyed during the Civil Wars of the 15th C; the present structures date from the 16th and 17th C. Of the total of 22 buildings seven are open to the public. Of particular interest are the Zen gardens (dry gardens in kare sansui style).

The original main entrance to the temple precinct was the Chokushi-mon (now closed), originally the south gate of the Imperial Palace, which was moved here in 1640. Beyond this is the kara-mon, a Chinese-style gate with magnificent carvings; an outstanding example of the architecture of the Momoyama period, it came from the Fushimi Castle. The two-story main gate (Sammon) was built by

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Sen-no-Rikyu in 1589. The ceiling paintings on the lower floor were the work of Hasegawa Tohaku; on the upper floor are statues of Shakyamuni and the 16 Rakan (disciples of Buddha) - booty from the Kato Kiyomasa's Korean campaign - and a portrait (said to be a self-portrait) of Rikyu.

The main hall, the Butsuden (or Daiyu-den), built in 664, contains a statue of Shakyamuni with his disciples Anna and Kayo and a figure of Daito-kokushi, first Abbot of the temple. Beyond the main hall is the Lecture Hall or Hatto (1636), which is based on Chinese models, and to the northeast of this is the Hojo (Abbot's Lodging). This contains paintings by Kano Tanyu and a wooden tablet with an inscription ("Incomparable Temple of Zen") in the hand of the Emperor Godaigo. The adjoining garden was designed by Kobori Enshu.

The old Abbot's Lodging or Shinju-an (rebuilt 1638), once occupied by Ikkyu (1394-1481), can be seen only by prior arrangement. It contains a statue of Ikkyu and writings in his hand. The wall paintings are by Soga Dasoku (d. 1483). Here too are the tombs of sarugaku dancer Kan'ami (1333-84) and his son Zeami (1363-1443), who achieved a great reputation as a master of the No theater.

West of the Shinju-an is the Daisen-in, with a garden - probably laid out in 1513 to the design of the founder, Kogaku Soko (1465-1548) - which is rated an outstanding example of a Zen garden. The models for these gardens were provided by Chinese paintings. The garden was divided into four parts, and with only the most sparing use of plants, a mountain landscape with a waterfall was built up, mainly from rocks and sand, in a carefully contrived arrangement designed to produce an effect of space and depth. The sliding doors in the interior of the building have paintings by Kano Motonobu, Soami and Kano Yukinobu; particularly interesting are the scenes of country life (shikikosaku-zu).

In the Shuko-in, to the west of the Abbot's Lodging, is the tomb of Sen-no-Rikyu, and to the west of this again in the Soken-in, are the tombs of Oda Nobunaga and his sons and of Hideyoshi's widow. The west end of the temple precinct is occupied by the Koho-an, famous Zen garden designed by Kobori Enshu which contains the tombs of Enshu and his family.

Hobbies & Activities category: Buddhist site or artifact collection; Typical of the region