Description of the attraction
The Myoshin-ji temple complex is considered the center of Rinzai Zen Buddhism in Japan. The same name is given to the direction of the Rinzai teachings, in which the master selects certain koans for a particular student, and does not offer to reflect on each of them. The Rinzai School owns 3,000 temples and 19 monasteries across the country. The Myoshin-ji ensemble, located in northwestern Kyoto, has over 50 temple buildings and other structures.
The main temple of the monastery was founded in 1342 by the Kanzan-Egen monk Zenji. One of the temples of Myoshin-ji - Taizoin is widely known for its garden of stones, which was recreated in the 60s of the XX century from the drawings of the artist Kano Monotobu, who lived in the 15th century. The 15th century, namely the years of the Onin war, which took place mainly on the territory of the Japanese capital Kyoto, became destructive for the monastery. Many of his buildings were seriously damaged, but after a while they were restored.
Taizoin is a small temple of the complex, there are three gardens on its territory. The rock garden, designed by the medieval artist and Zen master Kano, is located near the abbot of the temple. The stones here represent the waterfall and the island of Horay. Evergreen pines and camellias serve as the backdrop for the stone landscape. The garden is considered a very valuable legacy of the master.
There is another rock garden near Taizoin, where you can see two plots embodied in stone and sand. In the first, the stones lie on pink sand, its shade is emphasized by the sakura trees growing nearby, especially during their flowering period. In the second plot, white sand is used.
The center of the composition of the third garden of the Taidozin Temple, called Yoko-en, is a waterfall, the waters of which flow into a pond surrounded by flowers and plants. The author of this garden is the architect Nakane Kinsaku, who laid the garden in the mid 60s of the last century.
