Description of the attraction
The Shoren-in Buddhist temple (another name is the Avata Palace), located on the slope of Mount Higashiyama, is known for the fact that only relatives of Japanese emperors become its abbots, and also for the fact that in 1788, when the imperial palace burned down, the Shoren-in monastery became temporary residence and took over the entire imperial court. At the same time, the emperor himself lived in a rather modest pavilion, which after his departure was turned into a tea house. In 1993, the house burned down, but was restored to its original form.
The history of the temple began in the 13th century, when the Tendai Buddhist school was practically the official religion of Japan. The Tendai monasteries were located on Mount Hiei, and the Kyoto temple became the capital of the school. The first abbot was the son of the emperor Toba, the subsequent abbots were also not strangers to the imperial family, but some also made a significant contribution to the culture and art of Japan. So, the third abbot Jien left to posterity a poetic anthology of more than six thousand five-verses, as well as the first scientific work on the history and philosophy of Japan "Gukansho". The seventeenth abbot and one of the sons of Emperor Fushimi became the creator of a unique style of calligraphy. Now the abbot is a relative of Emperor Showa (Hirohito). It is believed that the samurai and imperial branches of Japanese history converged in the Shoren-in temple, and therefore it is so interesting.
The main pavilion of the temple was restored in 1895, and a Shinto shrine Heian Jigu was built next to the temple, both buildings are connected by a direct road. In 2005, the restoration of the main value of the temple - the mandala - the image of the Universe as Buddhists see it. The relic was donated to the temple by the ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In the center of the mandala, Buddha Dainichi Nerai is depicted.
