Jojakko-ji was the hilliest of the temples I visited. Winding paths led higher and higher up the mountain until I could see Kyoto in the distance. The temple was founded around the end of the 16th century by Nisshen, 16th Head Priest of Honkoku-ji. Jojakko-ji’s website offers a step-by-step primer on the temple.

Niomon gate

Great roots

Memorial stone

Mossy hillside

Although the maples at Jojakko-ji were a week or two shy of peak color, there was still plenty to be seen

Tahoto (two-storied) Pagoda

Atop Jojakko-ji – Kyoto in the distance

Grave

Stone figures

Moss and maples

It took a while for me to find the next temple. Numerous pedestrian paths clogged with tourists wind through hills, houses, shops and an intimidating bamboo forest. I passed this bamboo gate just above the bamboo forest.

Bamboo gate

Fortunately, I made it to Tenryu-ji, Temple of the Heavenly Dragon, before dusk settled in. The entrance was understated. Once inside, I found an animated group pitching coins into a pond, trying to land the offerings in the lap of a frog atop a frog.

Good luck!

Pond with frogs and yen

Further inside the complex, I saw people strolling along a covered walkway that connected the various temple buildings. I couldn’t for the life of me find my way inside.

Tahoden

Rounding yet another aged temple building, I beheld Sogenchi Garden.

Sogenchi Garden

The garden was beautiful – and famous. I’d seen it in many Japanese landscape books. Turns out it is quite old. It was designed in the 14th century by Musou Soseki. It was the first Special Historical Scenic Area named by the Japanese government and has since been recognized as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. The main hall was located right next to the garden.

Main Hall

The current main hall was built in the late 19th century. Over the years, the temple has been struck by fire 8 times, most recently in 1864. Set square against the pond, it offered great views of the garden. But I still couldn’t find a way in.

Maples across the pond

Great stone work

Famous red pine reaching across the water

Tenryu-ji has taken advantage of the Internet. They have a website and a twitter feed that features great photos of the garden throughout the year – it’s worth a visit.

Sogenchi garden and Main Hall

I left Tenryu-ji happy to have seen the garden, but puzzled at having missed the entrance to the temple buildings. As I headed toward Togetsu-kyo Bridge, Arashiyama’s tourist hub, I found more and more tourists. I headed against traffic for about half an hour before I saw the entrance to the temple. Turns the garden entrance and temple entrances are at opposite ends of the complex. Out front, I discovered one of my favorite stone arrangements.

Stone garden in front of Tenryu-ji

Once inside, I traversed the covered walkway and peered inside the temple buildings. Having finally seen the place inside and out, I spent my remaining time appreciating the garden.

Sogenchi garden from the main temple hall

So ended my two-day visit to Kyoto’s gardens. The next day I woke early to help with the setup at Taikan-ten. Before returning to my hotel in Otsu, I walked through downtown Kyoto and passed, again, the winding streets below Kiyomizu-dera where I found a shrine illuminated by scores of lanterns.

Yasaaka Shrine

Thanks for visiting Kyoto with me. I will return to the regularly scheduled bonsai blogging next week. Happy New Year!

Arashiyama is a neighborhood on the western edge of Kyoto with many temples and related tourist destinations. It appeared to be a popular destination for Japanese in town to see the fall color. As I walked the skinny streets through farms and modest residential neighborhoods on a day that threatened, but failed to deliver rain, I passed thousands of visitors pointing cameras and exchanging “wows” at every red, pink, orange, and yellow tree we passed. It was as if the whole town was on holiday, and for the most part, it was. I rode a Kyoto City Bus to the end of the line and began my tour at Daikaku-ji Temple.

Daikaku-ji Temple

Daikaku-ji began life as the detached palace of Emperor Saga, but was converted to a temple in 876. Elevated walkways connected a number of buildings in the complex and offered a great view of the gardens.

Elevated walkway and garden

Detached buildings

Flower display at main garden

Seiryo-ji Temple

Awesome fall color greeted me at Seiryo-ji, a 1000-plus year-old temple a short walk from Daikaku-ji. Also known as Saga Shakado, the temple grounds feature a beautiful pond with a picturesque island.

Great color

Colorful maples and moss

A sheltered walkway led visitors through the garden about 4 meters from the ground. The views were super.

The view from the garden’s covered walkway

Island with lantern and pagoda

In search of the next temple, I walked a ways up a shop-lined street and found a large gate, Toriimoto.

Toriimoto

Asking several passersby where I could find Adashino Nenbutsu-ji and receiving several answers, I walked for some time up and down this street, often consulting my map, until I happened upon a staircase that led to the temple.

Adashino Nenbutsu-ji

Adashino Nenbutsu-ji sits in a area where bodies were often discarded. Today the temple, established in 811, contains over 8,000 statues that memorialize the souls of the dead. On occasion the statues are lit with candles – an event I’d like to see some day.

Statues memorialize the souls of the dead

Pagoda at the center of Adashino Nenbutsu-ji

Bamboo forest at the edge of the temple grounds

1,000s of statues

Moss and lichen make for unmistakable age

Colorful maples brighten the scene

The path leading to and from the temple

Gio-ji Temple

Gio-ji is famous for an intriguing story (Tale of the Heike) involving discarded concubines, and for its beautiful moss garden. I saw no signs of concubines.

Moss garden at Gio-ji

Stone lantern

Maples and moss

The sky above Gio-ji

Danrin-ji Temple

Danrin-ji is Japan’s first Zen temple. It was founded in the ninth century in Sagano. In the 14th century, construction of Tenryu-ji began on the grounds and at some point the temple moved to its current location.

Pagoda at Danrin-ji

Fall color

Stone lantern near Danrin-ji

Nison-in Temple

Nison-in, formally known as Ogurayama Nison-in Kedai-ji, is famous for its statues of Shaka and Amida. Once designated as one of the “Four Auspicious Temples” in Kyoto, it served as the location where candidate High Priests received purple robes, symbolic of the highest rank in Buddhism (Temple brochure).

The entrance to the temple

Temple gardens

More fall color

The view through the main gate

Awesome color

Tomorrow: Temple Week, Day 7 – Jojakko-ji and Tenryu-ji

I caught as many gardens as I could during the daylight hours on my first day in Kyoto. Eager to see more, I found a temple that was open at night – the Kiyomizu-dera. Kiyomizu means clear or pure water. The Kiyomizu-dera temple takes its name from Otowa waterfall. The water has been channeled into three streams from which visitors can drink to gain the water’s wish-granting powers. (It’s too early for me to comment on its efficacy.) The temple dates from 778 and the current building, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, from 1633. No nails were used in the construction of the building (details compliments Wikipedia).

The temple is also home to the garden of Jojuin, “The Garden of the Moon.” Many visitors walk right past it. If you get the chance, I recommend waiting in line for the chance to see it. No photos were allowed when I visited, but you can catch a tiny glimpse of the garden on the Kiyomizu-dera website.

The crowds at the temple entrance reminded me of Disneyland at night.

Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Pagoda near the temple

View of Kyoto from Temple porch

Cool/creepy forest behind the temple

Glowing forest

Awesome udon – or maybe I was really cold and the noodle soup was just the thing. I can still taste it!

Maples lower down on the mountain had yet to change color

The street below the temple were lined with shops vending food and souvenirs. Oh how I miss Kyoto’s supple mochi!

Tomorrow: Temple week day 6 – Arashiyama

Daitoku-ji is a Kyoto temple dating from the early 14th century. Over time, 22 sub-temples have been added to the complex making the 56 acres that comprise the grounds a super destination for enjoying Japanese gardens. A number of Daitoku-ji’s gardens are only open a few weeks each year – others are usually open to the public. Some allow photography, some limit photography, and others allow no photography at all. Here is a glance at the sub-temples I visited in  November.

Obai-in

I walked right in to the first garden I passed, Obai-in. Later I found out it’s rarely open to the public. Although they don’t allow photographs in the main gardens, they do allow photographs in the courtyard just inside the entrance. It turned out to be one of my favorite gardens of the day, and I didn’t see anyone inside until I was on my way 0ut. Here are some shots from the entrance area.

Stone lantern

Stones and moss beneath maples.

Obai-in dates from the 16th century – these rocks have been sitting here for a while

Stones and pine bark in moss

Path and gate to the side garden

Ryogen-in

I was very excited to visit the next temple I came to – Ryogen-in. I’d seen photographs of the temple’s five gardens in many Japanese landscape books. The main garden is called Isshidan.

Isshidan

The moss mound is known as Tortoise Island – the white sand, the sea

The tall stone symbolizes Mt. Horai

Path leading between gardens

My favorite of Ryogen-in’s gardens is Ryogin-tei. In many ways, It might be my favorite garden anywhere. A few stones are arranged toward the back of a sea of moss. Some shrubs and a single tree complete the scene. It is the oldest of Daitoku-ji’s gardens, created by a famous artist of the time, Soami.

Ryogin-tei

The iconic stones at the garden’s center

The garden’s lone tree

It’s a very small garden

Korin-in

A short walk brought me to Korin-in, the family temple of Saemonno-suke Hatakeyama, Lord of Noto prefecture circa 1520.

Entrance area

Korin-in’s main garden expresses the idea of paradise. “An azalea bush and stones are the symbol of the Elysian mountain,” says the Temple brochure.

The heavenly scene at Korin-in

Looking toward the entrance

Many gardens featured “windows” like the one pictured above. Some gardens, like Hoshun-in, only allowed photography through such a window.

Side garden

Mossy garden between buildings

Hoshun-in

Hoshun-in features two gardens, Kagantei and Donkokaku. Donkokaku is one of Kyoto’s famous rokaku (pavilion) including Kinkaku, Ginkaku and Hiunkaku. No photography allowed. The following shots show Kagantei through the “window” at the garden’s entrance.

Kagantei Garden

Main Hall and Kagantei at Hoshun-in

Hoshun-in entrance garden

Daisen-in

Daisen-in is one of the most famous sub-temples at Daitoku-ji. The small rock garden follows the flow of water through a dry scene around two sides of the temple. No photos are allowed, however you can take a virtual tour online. From the brochure: “If you would like to be served green tea while looking at this garden, please try to say ‘O-cha kudasai,’ and you will have another unforgettable memory.” Out front is a crazy white pine.

White pine in front of Daisen-in

Koto-in

The last temple I visited in the Daitoku-ji complex is Koto-in. The temple was established in 1601 at the behest of Hosokawa Tadaoki, a military leader in the campaign that led to the Tokugawa shogunate. Tadaoki devoted his later life to the study of Zen. His wife, somewhat incongruously, was a devout Catholic.

Garden entrance

Looking toward garden entrance

A common sight in Kyoto in fall

The trees they were looking at

Approach to the main garden

The main garden – super use of color

Stone path

Wash basin

What color!

The view from the tea house

Another view from the tea house

Tomorrow: temple week continues with Kiyomizudera at night!

Upon telling friends that I was heading to Kyoto, I received a lot of suggestions about which gardens warranted a visit. “Kinkaku-ji,” “The Gold Temple,” or “The Golden Pavilion” came up a lot. Common sentiment: “Yeah, a lot of people go there and it’s really busy, but it’s worth it.” Having now visited, I wholeheartedly agree. The place is stunning.

Kinkaku is properly known as Rokuon-ji Temple, but it is better known by the phrase that refers to the famous gold building set alongside a reflective pond. It was built as a villa for Kintsune Sainoji in the 1220′s, and like so many old villas in Kyoto, it was converted to a temple long ago. Kinkaku received a facelift in 1987 and remains bright and shiny to this day.

Simply walking along the path to the garden, I knew I was in for a treat. Massive trees and splendid Japanese maples in fall color lined the way to the ubiquitous kiosk where I paid a few hundred yen to enter.

Large tree with great roots

Old and moss-covered trunk

The biggest of the bunch right outside the garden’s entrance

Japanese maples

Maples and moss – a great combination

Once inside, a brief walk through a courtyard and passage through a Chinese style gate reveals the Kinkaku.

Kinkaku – the Golden Pavilion

I couldn’t have asked for better weather. The air was still, allowing the Kyoko-chi pond to provide a great reflection of the bright gold building on its shore.

Kinkaku is formally known as “Shariden.” The first floor is built in palace style (Shinden-zukuri), and is named Ho-sui-in (The Chamber of Dharma Waters). The second floor is built in the style of a samurai house (Buke-zukuri) and is named Cho-on-do (The Tower of Sound Waves). The third floor is built in the Karayo or Zen Temple style and is called Kukkyo-cho. A bronze phoenix adorns the roof. The second and third floors are coated in Japanese lacquer and covered with a thick layer of gold leaf. (Notes courtesy Rokuon-ji Temple brochure and Wikipedia.)

The grounds are equally beautiful. A path leads visitors around the pond, alongside the Golden Pavilion, and up a small rise before leading back toward the entrance.

Path along Kyoko-chi Pond’s southern shore

Kyoko-chi Pond

Ashihara Island

Small pine island

A beautiful setting for a not-so-subtle building

Like so many tourist destinations in Japan at the height of the fall color season, I was not alone.

One guess what they were looking at.

Behind the temple, an old pine with a great first branch peeked out between two buildings.

Check out that first branch!

Super pines like these covered the shoreline and most islands in Kyoko-chi Pond

Enjoying the fall color

An isthmus along Kyoko-chi Pond

Behind the temple buildings, garden workers were busy sweeping leaves from a surprisingly steep hillside.

Sweeping leaves

Roots holding the hillside together

After leading visitors past the Pavilion, the path revealed shrines, statues, the spring that feeds the pond, and a small waterfall.

Ryumon taki waterfall

Stone figures and offerings

Japanese maple

Dry creek

Maples and moss again

A second pond,  An-min-taku, surrounded a small island with a stone pagoda called Hakuja-no-tsuka (the mound in memory of the white snake).

Hakuja-no-tsuka

The roof of the recently renovated tea house, Sekka-tei, was already covered with light green moss and lichens that provided a nice complement to the orange maple foliage.

Sekka-tei Tea House

Even the walk away from the temple provided great views. At one point I looked over my shoulder to see Kinkaku rising above pines and red maples.

Kinkaku, matsu, momiji

Tomorrow: Notes from the Daitokuji Temple complex.

Kyoto’s Ryoan-ji is best known for its stone garden – a rectangular plot roughly 25 meters by 10 meters featuring several clusters of stones set in a sea of white sand. There is a total of 15 stones, but only 14 are visible from any given vantage point. The stone garden was built near the end of the 15th century. Today, it is one of the most famous zen gardens in the world and has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Just beyond the walled stone garden lies a wonderful, if under-appreciated, garden featuring meandering paths and a large pond. To get a feel for how the garden is arranged, check out the virtual tours at Kyoto Gardens.org. Thanks to Tom for the tip!

The simple yet beguiling design of the garden makes it a wonderful place for quiet reflection.

My first view of the garden – wow!

Or simply reflection. The crowd, while polite, offers quite a buzzing contrast to the spare garden.

Enjoying solitude together

The stones themselves are great. Some sit just above the surface of the sand, others are propped up on small mounds surrounded by aprons of moss.

The largest stone and its mate

Most of the sand has been raked along parallel lines save for the ripples around each stone island.

Ripples around stone island

Islands in the far corner

Contemplating stones and/or texting friends

The karesansui (dry garden)

Mossy, maple-covered gardens flanked the sides of the building from which we appreciated the dry garden.

Red leaves on green moss

The lush garden behind the temple

Ryoan-ji’s stone washbasin boasts a unique design. It’s lower than many similar basins, and features four Japanese characters or kanji. These are meaningless when read alone, but when combined with the character formed by the basin’s square opening, “kuchi,” (mouth) they become “I,” “only,” “plenty,” “know.” From the temple brochure:

Tsukubai, the stone-wash basin for the tea room, has a unique inscription, ‘I learn only to be contented.’ He who learns only to be contented is spiritually rich, while the one who does not learn to be contented is spiritually poor even if he is materially wealthy.

Wikipedia’s interpretation: “what one has is all one needs.”

Ryoan-ji’s Tsukubai

Tourists and maples

Leaving the zen garden is a peaceful experience. The garden is large, and save for the path between the entrance and the dry garden, it is mostly unoccupied.

The outside of the garden wall

Accents in the moss

Large moss-covered stone

Beautiful moss

Several kinds of moss growing together

Little side-paths meandered through curious spaces planted with different species at each bend in the road.

Large pieris

Neatly trimmed azaleas

Pom-pom tsugi forest

Japanese maples were generally a sign that one was approaching the lake. Another abandoned path led to an islet in the middle of the pond.

Stone path to islet

Main path to garden – “Kirei-ne?” (Beautiful, yes?)

Nandina berries reveal the season

Huge wisteria overhanging the pond

Venerated tsugi trunk wrapped in protective bark

Posts supporting the tsugi on Bentenjima, the islet in the middle of Kyoyochi pond

“Ee koyo” (Good fall color)

The pond dates from the 12th century. It originally attracted mandarin ducks, earning it the nickname “Oshidoridera” (the temple of mandarin ducks). I saw a heron on Bentenjima, but no ducks.

Kyoyochi pond

Japanese maple

Tsugi forest behind the temple complex

Kyoyochi pond

Persimmon next to pond

Next stop: Kinkaku-ji

Let’s go to Kyoto! I thought I’d start out the new year with a recap of my visit to some of Kyoto’s fantastic gardens. My first stop was Ninna-ji Temple. Ninna-ji dates to the 9th century making it one of the older temples in a city full of old temples. Around a dozen buildings from different epochs surrounded by a variety of gardens make Ninna-ji a great introduction to Kyoto’s temples. The Ninna-ji website offers a brief history and an English-language blog features great photos and more detailed histories.

After exiting the Kyoto City Bus, I found myself standing directly across from the Nio-mon Gate. The gate takes its name from the Kongo-rishiki – muscular guardians – at its base.

Nio-mon Gate

Agyo Nio – the guardian on the right

Looking up at the gate from underneath

The Goten Palace and gardens sit just inside the gate. It is the most impressive and well-manicured area of the temple.

Black pine with very long, low branches

Japanese maple and pines behind raked sand

Many temples featured seasonal flower arrangements at their entrance. These flowers greeted guests entering the Goten Palace.

Flower arrangement

Goten garden

Moss and pine between buildings

Shady garden

Walking through the Goten

The Goten’s North Garden

Pond, maple and pines

The Five-storied Pagoda behind the Goten’s North Garden

I was really excited to see such great Fall color. In Northern California, Japanese maples typically turn brown before dropping their leaves. The vivid oranges and reds were quite a treat!

More maples and pines

Chokushi-mon Gate

A close-up of the thatch roof at the Goten

Shinden

Lantern

Roof decoration

Five-storied Pagoda

Japanese maples

Five-storied Pagoda

Some older, more delicate, or important buildings were completely off-limits to visitors. Most buildings, however, were far more welcoming.

Hide and seek

Kon-do

Bell Tower

Decorations outside the Mie-do

Mie-do

Kannon-do

Kannon-do foundation

Five-storied Pagoda beyond the Omuro-zakura orchard – dwarf cherry trees

Buddha

Nio-mon gate from inside the temple

Next up: the Ryoan-ji Temple.

The 2011 Grandview Bonsai Exhibit, or Taikan-ten as it is generally known, was recently held at the Miyako-messe in Kyoto, Japan. The exhibit opened on Friday, November 25th, which means a lot of bonsai professionals – and amateurs – were busy on the 24th setting everything up. As fast as folks could set up their displays, others were taking theirs apart to facilitate judging. Around midday, the aisles were full of tables with trees under consideration for awards.

Conifers awaiting judging

Large deciduous trees

The first round of judging is done by a group of bonsai professionals who narrow trees in each category down to the best three.

Professionals turning in their ballots for the suiseki category

Trees that don’t make the cut are returned to their displays. The remainder were shuffled for a second round of judging.

Large deciduous trees – final cut

Satsuki

Smaller satsuki

The tags were removed from trees that made it to the second round.

Medium shishigashira – ready for the second round

Some of the judging categories were new to me.

The bonsai-on-a-slab-or-stone category?

The bunjingi category?

Once the trees had been selected for the second round, things in the hall slowed down a bit.

Owen Reich and Peter Tea comparing tales of apprenticeship

Others used to time to check out the displays.

Bright red pyracantha berries – oh boy

The second round of judging took a long time to complete. Here the judges contemplate outstanding suiseki.

Evaluating stones

Winning entries received awards – slender, gold cards. Once all of the awards were distributed, the trees returned to their displays.

A winner!

Some displays got more attention than others. Below, a number of professionals watch the setup of a special display for the late Daizo Iwasaki. Iwasaki was one of the best-known bonsai collectors in Japan.

Many volunteer to help arrange the late Mr. Iwasaki’s bonsai and suiseki

Daizo Iwasaki

Mr. Iwasaki’s shimpaku

The vendor area was the last part of the room to come together. It included large trees and small, rough pre-bonsai and show-ready trees, tools, pots, viewing stones and other bonsai-related material.

Trees for sale

A twisty shimpaku

Shohin bonsai from Fujikawa Kouka-en

Large black pines – ¥150,000

Tiny bonsai

Powerful kifu-sized maple – ¥380,000

Stewartia - ¥300,000

Small pots

Suiseki

I’ll say more about the exhibit self later this week.

The people of Saitama City pooled impressive resources to open the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum in 2010. Billed as the world’s first publicly-operated bonsai art museum, the museum is home to outstanding trees, pots, stands, and historical documents relating to bonsai. Their brochure claims that three principles form the pillars of the museum’s activities:

1. The bonsai research center - The Museum carries out research on the history and significance of bonsai from diverse perspectives. The results are disseminated in an easy to understand way through exhibitions, lectures, classes, and so on.

2. A new tourist attraction for Saitama City - The Museum aims to become a new tourist attraction for Saitama City, one where people can easily encounter the beauty of bonsai.

3. An aid to the revitalization of the bonsai industry - By providing many people with opportunities to become familiar with bonsai, the Museum works to revitalize this traditional industry.

The museum didn’t skimp on trees. A rotating collection of bonsai gives life to exhibits and to the garden at the museum’s center. Here are some of the trees on display the rainy day we visited.

Japanese maple – the tree is named Musashi-ga-oka

Large Japanese black pine in huge antique pot

Modern bonsai display

Red pine and ginkgo

Amazing white pine

Mélange of bonsai colors

Japanese maple

Bonsai garden

Bonsai garden

The rest of the garden

On our way to the museum, we stopped to pick up Yu-senpai. Yu-senpai’s nursery is about 15 minutes away from the museum and contains a great mix of varieties. His father is a fan of Japanese maples.

Japanese maple in development

Peter enjoying the deciduous trees

Japanese maples

More Japanese maples

A twisty shimpaku

We also stopped by a bonsai supply nursery. Inside we looked at crowded rooms of tools, trinkets, antiques, pottery, stands and furniture. Outside sat pallets of bonsai soil and shelf after shelf of bonsai pots. Fun shopping!

Some of the smaller pots

More pots

All kinds of bonsai related supplies

I picked up a few knick-knacks – an old woodworking tool, bamboo stands for accent plants – and spent the rest of the time perusing pots. Most were new Japanese or new Chinese. Despite the great selection, I demurred and saved my Yen for older pots.

Not a hat – the pot that made Peter smile

Towards the end of every month, bonsai professionals gather at a selected nursery for a night auction. The night auction is local to Central Japan and features material a step up from the 8 Auction, or Youkakai.

Night auction

The first thing I noticed is that trees and pots to be auctioned sat in a fairly dark corner of the yard. One could only look so closely before the event started. Not that anyone complains – we were too busy with our gyoza, fried rice and miso soup. They tend to feed buyers well at auctions.

Trees and pots for sale

Once the event began, trees were carried inside one at a time  - by Peter Tea, among others – and placed on a turntable were everyone, maybe a dozen buyers, could see. The folks up front had a great view of the trees, and they often handled them to get a better sense of what they were bidding on.

Examining a tree

This was my farovite part of the event. Prospective buyers had less than a minute to decide how to bid on each tree. I found myself sizing up trees with interest, appreciating the good points, noting any flaws, finding the front of the tree and making mini-development plans all in about 15 seconds. When the bidding slowed down, the auctioneer looked at the seller to check if the last offer was adequate. If not, the seller and buyer reluctantly made offers until the tree either sold or the next lot was brought in.

Sold trees were grouped by buyer on the ground – this is the part I helped with. As the event is fairly informal, the auctioneer mentioned the buyer’s name when handing me each tree. I then ran into the dark and found the appropriate cluster of trees.

Sold area

The auction lasted about two hours and a lot of trees changed hands. Afterwards there was a mad dash to cram everything into vans ahead of sometimes long drives home.