Category: Hidden Spots

“Sanshi Suimeisho” is a building facing the west bank of the Kamo River, used as Rai Sanyo’s study and tea ceremony room.
Rai Sanyo was a Confucian scholar and historian who was active in the late Edo period, famous for his book “Nihon Gaishi” (Unofficial History of Japan).
Advance reservations are required for visits, but it is a quiet place in the middle of the city where you can feel the beauty of nature in all four seasons, and it is easy to see why Rai Sanyo called it a place of scenic beauty and clear waters.

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▶ Japanese Note

「山紫水明」　という言葉は頼山陽がこの書斎で称したのが初めてということです。
実際に書斎では窓を開けて頂くと鴨川からの涼風がとても心地良かったです。

Daitoku-ji Temple was founded in 1315 and boasts a history of over 700 years as the head temple of the Daitoku-ji branch of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism.
It retains numerous buildings and gardens designated as National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties.
Among the sub-temples that are open to the public year-round are Daisen-in, Ryogen-in, and Zuiho-in, each offering gardens for viewing, and some even providing matcha tea ceremonies in their tea rooms.
It’s conveniently located in central Kyoto.
You can experience the peaceful and quiet time of the ancient capital.

▶ Japanese Note

大徳寺は、市内にありながら静かで、ゆっくりと拝観をすることができます。
幾つかの塔頭は常時拝観可能で、加えて季節に応じて特別拝観できるところがあります。
境内を散策するだけでも見所は多く、落ち着きます。
私の好きな光景がここには多くあります。

Daitoku-ji Temple is a temple located in Kita Ward, Kyoto City, and has 24 sub-temples.
It is a Zen temple that conveys the spirit of wabi-sabi.
Daitoku-ji Temple is deeply knowledgeable about the tea ceremony, and is particularly famous as the place where Sen no Rikyu, a renowned tea master, trained.
Furthermore, many feudal lords of the Sengoku period had close ties with Daitoku-ji Temple.

Dry Landscape Garden in Ryogen-in Temple

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Genko-an is a Zen Buddhist temple located in Takagamine, Kita-ward, Kyoto City.
In the main hall of Genko-an, there is a round window called the “Window of Enlightenment” and a square window called the “Window of Delusion.”
The circular shape of the Window of Enlightenment represents the spirit of “Zen and perfect understanding,” and the circle represents the vast universe.
The square shape of the Window of Delusion is said to symbolize “human life,” representing the four sufferings and eight afflictions of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Please enjoy this peaceful space.

a round window called the “Window of Enlightenment” and a square window called the “Window of Delusion.”

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