Kodai-ji Temple description and photo - Japan: Kyoto (Topic)

Kodai-ji Temple description and photo - Japan: Kyoto. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Kodai-ji.

Photo and description

The Kodai-ji Temple was built in 1605 by an inconsolable woman who lost her beloved husband - the commander and ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who is known for uniting the fragmented lands of the country under his rule. His wife was named Kita-no-Mandokoro and later adopted the name Kodayin. During her lifetime, the temple belonged to the Zen Soto sect, and after the death of the founder passed into the jurisdiction of the Rinzai school.

The temple is located in the Higashiyama area and is located near the Buddhist complex of temples Kiyomizu-dera, as well as from the Yasaka Pagoda (or Hokan -dzi) - an architectural monument of the 6th century surrounded by residential buildings. The pagoda, which is more than one and a half thousand years old, is one of the most popular attractions in Kyoto, although it is slightly off the main tourist routes.

Kodai-ji Temple is located on the slopes of the Higashiyama Mountains. During its construction, a tiered layout was used; the design of the building was carried out by the master of his time, Kobori Enshu. In the upper tier there is a tea ceremony house. At first, he was in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's castle, and after the death of the ruler, he was transferred to the temple. Its arrangement was carried out by the master of tea ceremonies and friend of the ruler Sen no Rikyu.

The main buildings of the temple are located in the middle tier - the chapel of veneration of the founder of the temple, the abbot's house, another tea house, as well as a garden and two ponds with names "Lying Dragon" and "Young Moon". A covered bridge with a gazebo is thrown across one of the ponds, in which, according to legend, Hideyoshi's widow admired the shining of the moon and its reflection in the mirror of the lake. The garden has been preserved almost in the original form in which it was laid out at the beginning of the 17th century.

Next to the temple there is a large statue of Ryondzan-Kannon - the Japanese counterpart of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in a female form, the personification of compassion. In addition, in the dark, special lighting is turned on on the territory of the temple, and the garden is "painted" with multi-colored spotlights.

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Topic: Kodai-ji Temple description and photo - Japan: Kyoto.