Discover a Quiet and Peaceful side of Kyoto
Taizo-in, one of the sub-temples of Myoshin-ji, offers many highlights.
These include the National Treasure “Catching a Catfish with a Gourd” (a replica), the dry landscape garden “Motonobu-no-niwa” (designated as a Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty), and the “Yoko-en” strolling pond garden, which is beautiful throughout the changing seasons.
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Tatami mats are placed in front of the “Maitreya Bodhisattva in Meditation” (featuring a faint, archaic smile), allowing visitors to sit and contemplate the statue at their leisure.
The temple grounds are spacious and offer a very quiet atmosphere.
Location
Koryu-ji Temple, famous for the “Maitreya Bodhisattva in Meditation” (the first object to be designated a National Treasure), is located in Uzumasa, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City.
Prince Shotoku is enshrined in the main hall.
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Enshrined at the front of the Tennouden (Hall of the Heavenly Kings)—a National Treasure—is a golden statue of Hotei-son, depicted with a broad smile and a large belly. In China, Hotei-son is regarded as an incarnation of Maitreya Bodhisattva and serves as a symbolic figure of Manpuku-ji Temple.
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As the head temple of the Obaku school—founded by the eminent Chinese Zen master Ingen Ryūki—it retains the atmosphere of China’s Ming Dynasty, distinguishing it from typical Japanese temples.
Three of its main structures, including the *Hattō* (Dharma Hall), have been designated as National Treasures.
The temple grounds are expansive and offer many sights to see; I was able to tour the site in a wonderfully tranquil atmosphere.
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