Category: Hidden Spots

A sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, the head temple of the Daitoku-ji school of the Rinzai sect.
It features a *hojo* (abbot’s quarters) garden—restored by landscape architect Kinsaku Nakane, who was known as the “Kobori Enshu of the Showa era”—which boasts magnificent stone arrangements in the Momoyama style, as well as the “Kankyo-tei” tea house.

Daitoku-ji, located within Kyoto City, is a spot I highly recommend; it is quiet and uncrowded, allowing you to experience the atmosphere of the “good old Japan” and the traditional charm of Kyoto.

 

Location

Kenkun Shrine is located on Mt. Funaoka in Kyoto’s Kita Ward.
Its formal name is Takeisao Shrine.
The principal deity enshrined there is Oda Nobunaga, who is worshipped alongside his son, Nobutada.
“Chinowa-kuguri” is a ritual that involves passing through a large ring made of cogon grass (*chinowa*) to purify one’s body and mind while praying for protection against misfortune, good health, and the safety of one’s family. Since ancient times in Japan, it has been believed that passing through this ring—set up at shrines during the “Nagoshi no Sekku” (Summer Purification Festival) in June—helps ward off calamity.

“Chinowa-kuguri”

Location

After the typhoon has passed, I visited Funda-in (also known as Sesshu-ji)—one of the sub-temples of Tofuku-ji Temple this morning.
I was able to admire a beautiful garden featuring fresh greenery and moss.
Funda-in is also known as Sesshu-ji temple because its garden was designed by Sesshu, a master of ink-wash painting.
Stones representing a crane and a turtle are arranged amidst beautiful moss, and the area is known as the Crane and Turtle Garden.

 

Location

Koun-ji Temple is an off-site sub-temple of the Nanzen-ji school of the Rinzai sect. It served as the family mortuary temple for Tofukumon-in—consort to Emperor Go-Mizunoo and daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada—who personally oversaw its reconstruction.
Its garden was designed by the seventh-generation Jihei Ogawa, a leading figure in modern Japanese landscape gardening.
Although the temple is not usually open to the public, the Buddha Hall can be glimpsed from the “Philosopher’s Path.”

※This year marks the 400th anniversary of the “Kan’ei Imperial Visit”, and various events are scheduled in Kyoto.

Location

Shiramine jingu Shrine was founded in 1868 (the first year of the Meiji era) by Emperor Meiji, who had the spirit of Emperor Sutoku transferred here from the Shiramine Mausoleum in Sanuki (present-day Kagawa Prefecture). Later, in 1873, the spirit of Emperor Junnin was also transferred from the Awaji Mausoleum and enshrined alongside him.
Emperor Sutoku is a familiar figure through the *Ogura Hyakunin Isshu* (an anthology of one hundred poems by one hundred poets), while Emperor Junnin was the son of Prince Toneri, who compiled the *Nihon Shoki* (Chronicles of Japan).
Fulfilling a heartfelt wish of Emperor Meiji, the shrine was established on the former estate of the Asukai family—masters of the traditional arts of *mari* (ancient Japanese football) and *waka* poetry—to console the spirits of these two emperors, both of whom had ended their lives in exile.
Balls used in various sports have been dedicated to the shrine, including official match balls from the France and Japan-South Korea Soccer World Cups, as well as the official volleyball used at the Athens Olympics.

Location