Zuiho-in, a Christian Zen garden in a Buddhist temple

Zuihō-in (Daitoku-) （瑞峯院）

Zuihō-in is an extraordinary temple in Kyoto: It was founded by daimyo Otomo, who was one of the early Christians in Japan. He founded the temple as his family temple; he and his wife are buried here as well. Garden designer Shigemori Mirei, who created the gardens in 1961, included a Garden of the Cross and even a statue of the Virgin Mary in reference to the founder.

The temple itself was built in 1546, after the Onin war (1467-77), so many of its building have never burnt and are still in their original shape. 

The main garden to the south of the Hōjō is called Dokuza- (独坐庭 ). The Chinese characters mean Alone-Sitting-Garden and refer to an Island of the Taoist mythology. From the famous Horai mountain, the Mountain of the Blessed, a long and thin peninsula protrudes into the rough sea. Even further away is a single island, sitting alone in the rough waters of the wide sea. If you look at the garden, it is actually really easy to see the Horai mountain in the right-hand corner, the peninsula in front of it and the rough sea.

Contents

Introduction

Daitoku-

History of Zuihō-in

-Shigemori Mirei-

Buildings

-Hōjō

-Teahouse -an

-Teahouse Anshō-ken

-Teahouse Heisei--an

-Gates

Gardens

-Entry Garden

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-Tea gardens

Anika’s Impressions

Recommendations around Zuihō-in

Access & General Information

Related eBooks

12 pages

21 pictures

15 MB

2019

The eBook will be delivered as pdf