Tenryu-ji Temple “V—³Ž›
Nestled on a slope of the Arashiyama district of Kyoto, Tenryu-ji ("heavenly dragon temple") is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list and is the head temple of the Tenryu-ji branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism.
Like other Rinzai Zen temples in Kyoto (Nanzenji, Tofukuji, Ryoanji...) it is noted for its Zen gardens and extensive white buildings.
The temple was founded in 1339 by Shogun Ashikaga Takauji in memory of emperor Go-Daigo (1288-1339), with whom he sided during the civil war which brought to an end the Kamakura Shogunate (1185-1333).
Tenryu-ji was actually a former villa of emperor Go-Daigo himself. The site had earlier been occupied by the Danrin-ji temple since the 9th century, the first Zen temple in Japan. Emperor Kameyama (1249-1305) built a villa on the propoerty, where his grandson Go-Daigo was raised and educated.
Following Go-Daigo's passing, a Buddhist priest dreamt of a dragon rising from the nearby river and interpreted it as the uneasy spirit of the defunct emperor. As a result, Ashikaga Takauji ordered to built a temple to appease Go-Daigo's spirit.
Tenryu-ji was ravaged by fires no less than eight times, last in 1864. Although the present building only date from 1900, the 14th century landscape garden is one of the oldest in Japan.
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