Ryoan-ji temple

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[Official Name] Ryoan-ji temple [Location] Ryoan-ji Goryoshimo-cho, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto-shi [Kaizan] Giten Gensho [Origin] Built in 1450 by Hosokawa Katsumoto.

	Famous Spots
	History
	Ryoan-ji garden

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Famous Spots

The Japanese kare-sansui garden, located in the South of the Hojyo, is a famous stone garden. The garden is enclosed on three sides by an earthen wall, composed of clay boiled in oil, and on the rectangular stone garden: the size of 30 meters wide and 10 meters long, are fifteen stones placed, divided into five groups. The number of rocks for each group are five, two, three, two, and three. There are often called "Tora no Ko-watashi".

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History

Ryoan-ji temple is a historical temple of the Rinza-shu sect. In 1450, the West army's general of the Onin no Ran, Hosokawa Katsumoto was handed over the villa from the Tokudaiji-ke family, and made it into a temple with Giten Gensho of Myoshin-ji temple, as the Kaisan. The building was burned down in the Onin no Ran, which was rebuilt in 1488 by Katsymoto's son, Masamoto. In 1797, however, the temple lost its Hojyo and Buddhist sanctuary. The Hojyo we see today, was moved here from somewhere else.

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Ryoan-ji Garden

This stone garden is famous for being the representative kare-sansui garden. On the little garden with the size of 30 meters wide and 10 meters long, are fifteen mossy stones. This garden is strange, in the sense that wherever you stand, you cannot count all of the rocks. People must count the rocks unable to see, within their hearts. This garden is called as the "Tora no Ko-watashi no Niwa", for the stones almost looks like a parent tiger crossing a big river with her children.

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