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Nanzen-ji (南禅寺, Nanzen-ji), or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly Zenrin-ji (禅林寺, Zenrin-ji), meaning Southern Mountain Temple, is a Zen Buddhist temple precinct located in the eastern foothills of Kyoto, Japan. Located on some twenty-seven forested acres, it serves as the headquarters for the Zenshu Sect (alternatively, the Nanzen-ji Sect) of Rinzai Zen (臨済宗). The temple is one of Japan's most well-known and powerful, set amid a grove of spruce and famous for its many fusuma (襖) paintings and rock gardens—many of the latter designed by the architect and master of the Japanese tea ceremony, Kobori Masakazu (小堀政一). Spread throughout the temple precincts are twelve other buildings, among them Nanzen-in, Koncho-in and Tenju-an. Counted originally among the Gozan, or the Five Mountains and Ten Monasteries System (五山十刹制度) of Japan, in 1381 it was designated as First Rank.

History

Nanzen-ji is located on land where Emperor Kameyama (亀山天皇) had built his retirement palace in the 13th Century. In 1291 the palace was dedicated as a Zen temple by the Emperor and placed under the stewardship of the Zen priest Mukan Fumon. Nanzen-in, constructed about the same time as Nanzen-ji, continued to serve as the Emperor's vacation home when upon he would come to visit the temple grounds. Many years later, during the Ōnin War (応仁の乱) which lasted from 1467 to 1477, many of the original buildings throughout the temple precincts were ultimately destroyed.

During the 17th Century Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川 家康) sought to assist Kyoto's many temple and appointed a follower turned monk by the name of Suden to head the initiative. Suden, using the sub-temple Konchi-in as his headquarters,

Subtemples

Konchi-in

Koncho-in is located to the southwest of the sanmon gate and possesses a dry landscape garden with turtle and crane islands set against a backdrop of clipped shrubs and trees, and separated from the veranda of the monastery by a gravel "sea."

Other structures

Hojo

The hōjō (方丈) at Nanzen-ji is designated as a National Treasure of Japan (国宝) and serves as the Abbots' quarters. Attached to the hōjō is a Zen rock garden attributed to Kobori Enshu—this serves as the main garden of the precinct and is located in a walled space south of the Seiryoden. It is sometimes referred to as "Young Tigers Crossing the Water" due to the shape of one of the rocks in the garden. In a building behind the hōjō there is a famous fusuma (襖) painting of a tiger drinking from a bamboo grove done by Kano Tanyu.

Shoin

The shoin (wikt:書院) at Nanzen-ji

Sanmon

The Sanmon (wikt:三門 or wikt:山門) at Nanzen-ji

Chokusimon

The chokusimon

Aqueduct

The aqueduct, called Sosui, at Nanzen-ji was constructed in 1890

Gardens and art

A rather long gallery leading from the Hojo to the Shoin makes many right angle turns which allow for several tsuboniwa. The main one of these is Rokudo Garden, composed of three rocks representing Buddhist divinities and set among other rock arrangements on a mossy surface, contrasted by a woven bamboo fence in the background. During the autumn and summer months in Rokudo Garden, the "vegetation provides colorful touches in the form of crimson maple leaves and the refreshing pale pink blossom of crape myrtle."

Nanzen-in has a pond and stroll garden on its premises, attributed to more recent renovations following many years of neglect following the Ōnin War (応仁の乱). The Hojo is overlooks ponds on its south and west side

References

• Main, Alison (2002). The Lure of the Japanese Garden. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 206. ISBN 0393730913. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Reiber, Beth (2008). Frommer's Japan, 9th Edition. Frommer's. p. 662. ISBN 978-0470181003. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Mizuno, Katsuhiko (2003). Landscapes for Small Spaces: Japanese Courtyard Gardens, 4th Edition. Kodansha International. ISBN 4770028741. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Stuart, David C. (2004). Classic Garden Plans. Timber Press. p. 160. ISBN 0881926434.
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