The Final Stretch of My Kyoto Trip
Heading to Kennin-ji Temple
After Nijo Castle, I headed to Kennin-ji Temple. I was really powering through the final stretch of the trip! Kennin-ji is Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple, founded in the Kamakura period.
You can see a digital reproduction of the famous Wind and Thunder Gods folding screen.
In the Dharma Hall, there’s a pair of dragons painted in 2002 to commemorate the temple’s 800th anniversary. They’re incredibly powerful.
The symbols ○□△, which also appear in Hikaru Utada’s lyrics, are said in the Zen world to represent the “fundamental forms of the universe,” symbolizing earth (□), water (○), and fire (△).
That’s why the karesansui dry landscape garden also expresses ○△□.
This garden, enclosed all around by corridors, is called Choontei. You can sit on the tatami, take your time, and it feels wonderfully calming.
In front of the Hojo is the spacious dry landscape garden Daiou-en.
It’s hard to convey in photos, but it’s really huge.
I was also able to go up close to see the tea house Toyobo.
It was a large temple with plenty more to see, but I was running short on time, so I headed to my next destination—my final one!
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