Saiho-ji
Saihō-ji ( Japanese 西 芳 寺 ) is a Buddhist temple in Kyōto . The temple of the Rinzai-shū , also known as Koke-dera ( 苔 寺 , dt. "Moostempel"), which is famous for the moss garden designed by Musō Soseki, is located in the district of Nishikyō-ku .
The temple originally founded in 731 goes back to Gyōki and was dedicated to Amitabha . Its consecration in a Zen temple took place in 1339. In 1994 it was added to the list of UNESCO as a World Heritage Site Historical Kyōto (Kyōto, Uji and Ōtsu) .
This temple eludes the mass rush of mostly domestic tourists by restricting the number of visitors. The fenced-in temple area can only be entered after prior written registration.
The garden itself was not designed as a moss garden, but has long been neglected due to the confusion of history. Several temples were destroyed in 1469 during the Sengoku period .
The structure of the garden had a lasting influence on Japanese gardening, for example clearly in other temples such as the Ginkaku-ji and the Kinkaku-ji .
Web links
- The temple Saihō-ji on the website of Kyoto Prefecture (English)
- Photos and information about the moss garden
Coordinates: 34 ° 59 ′ 33 ″ N , 135 ° 41 ′ 3 ″ E