Nanzenji | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 3 (4/7): PHILOSOPHER’S PATH (哲学の道), Kyoto (京都), Japan, 2016.12.05

In the early 20th century, philosophy professor Kitaro Nishida (西田幾多郎) walked along the Shishigatani Canal daily to his office at Kyoto University. Specialized in bridging philosophies of the East and West, Kitaro Nishida considered his daily commute as a way of Zen meditation. In honor of this famous Japanese philosopher, this canal-side path is named as Tetsugaku no michi (哲学の道) or the Philosopher’s Path today. This tranquil stone path runs north-south, linking a number of peaceful neighborhoods and temple grounds, from the neighborhood of Nanzenji Temple (南禅寺) to Ginkakuji Temple (銀閣寺) at the northern end. In spring, the cherry-lined path is a highly popular venue for hanami or cherry blossom viewing events. In autumn, the maples transformed the otherwise lush-green path into a colourful passage. Occasionally lined with cafes, shops, restaurants and galleries, the Philosopher’s Path offers the best way for travelers like us to explore the Northern Higashiyama on foot.

After our visit at Nanzenji, we followed street signage, passed by the well known Eikando Temple (永観堂) before reaching the starting point of the Philosopher’s Path. We walked rather slowly and spent over an hour on the 2km path.

We passed by the gate of Eikando Temple (永観堂) enroute to the Philosopher’s Path. Eikando Temple is another popular spot for viewing of autumn foliage.

Despite online information stated that the autumn foliage at Eikando Temple (永観堂) had well passed its peak, there were still a number of beautiful maple trees in the temple’s forecourt.

We wandered in the forecourt of Eikando Temple (永観堂) for a bit but decided to move on to the Philosopher’s Path. We came to Kyoto a week too late for the peak autumn foliage at Eikando, Shinshogokurakuji (真如堂) and Konkaikomyoji (金戒光明寺) in this area, so we rather saved these till next time.

The residential street with a vista of the Higashiyama Mountains led us to the starting point of the Philosopher’s Path.

Some kind of red berries by the street added a bit of Christmas mood to our stroll.

Soon we reached the starting point of the Philosopher’s Path right by the Shishigatani Canal. Both the Shishigatani Canal and the aqueduct in Nanzenji Temple belong to the Lake Biwa Canal system that brings fresh water from Lake Biwa to Kyoto.

The beginning portion of the Philosopher’s Path is a tree lined pathway along the Shishigatani Canal.

An old abandoned wagon by the path was used as a cozy home for several cats.

One of the cats was sunbathing near the wagon.

Autumn leaves in a stone basin by the path.

Despite autumn was almost over, the vivid foliage was still impressive at many spots.

The Shishigatani Canal provided perfect reflection of the peaceful scenery.

The air was cool and crisp. Under the mid-morning sun we walked slowly along the waterside stone path towards Ginkakuji Temple.

Water channels were everywhere, and some were even lifted up bridging over the Shishigatani Canal.

The autumn palette made everything seemed so lovely.

For most of the walk we were passing through sleepy residential neighborhoods. While most houses looked traditional Japanese, this round one we passed by looked totally out of this world to us.

After passing by several cafes and eateries, we finally decided to stop by a traditional rice cake shop.

We ordered mochi, chestnut rice cake, black-bean tea and amazake(甘酒), a type of traditional sweet drink made with fermented rice.

Just as we left the Philosopher’s Path to make a detour to the Honenin (法然院), we passed by a private home with a healthy orange tree.

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DAY 3 (3/7): NANZENIN (南禅院) & TENJUAN (天授庵), Nanzenji (南禅寺), Kyoto (京都), Japan, 2016.12.05

There are about a dozen of sub-temples in the Nanzenji compound. After visiting the Hojo, we headed back to the Suiro-kaku Aqueduct. A flight of steps behind the aqueduct led us to the upper platform of Nanzenji. There we arrived at the entrance of Nanzenin (南禅院), one of the sub-temples of Nanzenji with a tranquil pond garden surrounded by lush-green forest. Visitors were not allowed to enter the building, but we were able to tour the garden. Centered at a small water pond, Nanzenin’s garden was designed in Chisen Kaiyu, or the pond strolling style. A stone path led us around the pond. Left of the pond, there was a elegant pavilion inside an enclosure wall. It was the royal mausoleum of Emperor Kameyama (亀山天皇), the founding emperor of Nanzenji who converted his retirement villa into a Zen Buddhist temple in the 13th century. According to a 15th century account, cherry trees from Yoshino, reed plants from Nanba, and maple trees from Tatsuta were transplanted, and frogs from Ide were released for the making of the garden. The autumn foliage had just past its peak. Most of the vivid red leaves had fallen into the pond, or scattered on the moss covered rocks around the pond.

The temple hall of Nanzenin (南禅院) was not open to the public.

The water pond in Nanzenin’s garden was created in a heart shape.

Much of the red leaves around the pond had fallen into the water.

A sense of deep autumn on the moss-covered ground.

Most of the stone path was damp and peaceful.

The mausoleum of Emperor Kameyama (亀山天皇) elegantly stood at the left side of the pond.

Moss covered a large area of the ground around the pond.

Outside Nanzenin, the remaining autumn foliage, dark timber structures and blue-grey roof tiles evoked a sense of solitude and serenity for the otherwise historical setting.

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Lastly we came to Tenjuan Temple (天授庵), another sub-temple of Nanzenji dedicated to the Zen master who served Emperor Kameyama. Constructed in 1337, Tenjuan contained both a dry rock garden and a wet pond garden. We stepped into the complex of Tenjuan as the sun had climbed above the Higashiyama Mountains (Eastern Mountains), casting a touch of warmth into the gardens. Similar to Nanzenin, we were not allowed to enter the building interior. Instead, the main focus was again the two gardens. In the dry rock garden, moss seemed grew naturally around stepping stones, creating a romantic ground cover on the gravel pool. We sat at the veranda for a few minutes to admire the dry landscape. At the back, there was the Chisen Kaiyu or pond strolling garden. Just like the garden at Nanzenin, we circled the pond at Tenjuan. The stroll was quite interesting, especially at the part walking on the zigzag stepping stones across the water. A school of koi or nishikigoi fish (錦鯉) swam freely in the pond. When we stopped at the shore, the fish would swim over and gather right in front of us, perhaps hoping that we might feed them? It was almost 10am by the time we finished with Tenjuan. We decided to leave the compound of Nanzenji and found our way to the Philosopher’s Path.

We bought our admission tickets at the entrance courtyard of Tenjuan (天授庵). The main building was not open to the public. We followed a side path into the gardens at the back to start our visit.

The dry landscape of Tenjuan was dominant by the moss and paver patterns.

It was a pleasant morning strolling around the naturalistic pond.

The zigzag stepping stones was a neat feature in the journey.

Part of the journey brought us closer to the Tenjuan buildings.

Another feature was a timber bridge. At this tie of the year the bridge was covered with autumn leaves.

Maple and bamboo were two prominent natural features in the garden.

The moss, fallen leaves and pond reflections offered a serene atmosphere around us.

As we stood by the water to take photos, the koi fish approached us from afar.

The koi fish gathered in front of us.

Before leaving Nanzenji, the maples at the entrance court reminded us once again the season of late autumn.

February 3, 2017 | Categories: Japan, Kyoto and Nara | Tags: autumn, bamboo, Buddhism, Buddhist, Chisen Kaiyu, fish, foliage, garden, Higashiyama, Japan, Japanese, Kameyama, koi, Kyoto, maples, Nanzenin, Nanzenji, nishikigoi, Temple, Tenjuan, zen, 南禅院, 南禅寺, 天授庵, 亀山天皇, 京都 | Leave a comment

DAY 3 (2/7): NANZENJI (南禅寺), Kyoto (京都), Japan, 2016.12.05

After the peaceful stroll in the nearby neighborhood, we approached the Sammon Gate (三門) from its side. Built in 1628, the enormous 5-bay Sammon Gate stood proudly at the entrance plaza of Nanzenji Temple. The timber structure of the Sammon Gate darkened as it aged. The reddish tone of the wood matched well with the autumn foliage. Sammon, or triple gate, is a common feature of a Zen Buddhist temple. It is the short form for sangedatsumon (三解脱門) or gate of three liberation. To obtain liberation and achieve enlightenment, Zen Buddhism believes the three liberation: to understand that nothing in this world has a distinctive character, therefore there is no fixed form, and as a result there is nothing in this world to be sought after. The staff wasn’t there so we didn’t get a chance to climb up to the upper deck. From the Sammon Gate, we walked straight into the middle courtyard where a number of pine and beautiful maple trees stood. In the middle, the Hatto or Dharma (法堂) was not open to the public. We could only circle the building from the outside.

The Sammon Gate (三門) of Nanzenji is one of the biggest in temple gate in Kyoto.

Close up of a timber column of Nanzenji’s Sammon Gate (三門).

There are five bays in Nanzenji’s Sammon Gate.

The majestic Sammon as seen from inside the compound.

Hatto or Dharma (法堂), the large lecture hall, was not open to the public.

We then made a turn to the right side of Hatto, reaching a uniquely long structure, Suiro-kaku Aqueduct (水路閣). The arched brick structure was built in the Meiji Period (1889) as part of the water infrastructure that brought water from Lake Biwa to Kyoto. Today, the Suiro-kaku still maintains as the only Western style aqueduct in the city. Standing 93m in length, 4m wide, and 14m high, the aqueduct bisects the temple complex into two. Originally seen as a clash with the Buddhist structures, the skeptical Kyoto citizens soon became fond of the new addition to Nanzenji. Today, the Suiro-kaku Aqueduct has been designated a national historical site, an integral component of the temple ground of Nanzenji.

Constructed in late 19th century, the Suiro-kaku (水路閣) Aqueduct passes through the compound of Nanzenji.

The red brick archways of the Suiro-kaku (水路閣).

The magnificent design details of the Suiro-kaku (水路閣).

Behind the Hatto stood the Hojo (方丈) or abbot’s quarter. The Hojo turned out to be a great place to check out karesansui or dry rock gardens. Ohojo Garden, the karesansui or dry landscape rock garden of the Hojo, contained six stones of various sizes, abstractly depicting a tiger cub crossing a river. The garden was created by Enshu Kobori in the Kanei Era (1624-1644). Another dry garden in the Hojo was Kohojo Garden (小方丈庭園). Constructed in the model times (1966), this dry garden aimed to illustrate the Chinese character of “heart”. Further into the complex we arrived at Rokudo-tei Garden (六道庭), a series of Zen gardens created by Ueyakato Landscape Co,. Ltd.in 1967. This garden was much larger and aimed to conceptualize the Buddhist concept of “reincarnation in six realms” into the garden design. We wandered in the gardens a bit and moved on to visit other sub-temples in the compound.

One of the rooms in the Hojo (方丈) or abbot’s quarter with screens open to the attractive Zen garden.

Timber screens and veranda of the Hojo.

Kohojo Garden (小方丈庭園), created by Ueyakato Landscape (植彌加藤造園) in 1966, depicts the Chinese character of heart.

Detail of a stone and the ripple gravel pattern in the Kohojo Garden (小方丈庭園).

Ohojo Garden (方丈庭園) was created by Enshu Kobori (伝小堀遠州) in the 17th century.

Vivid maple and moss covered rocks at the Ohojo Garden (方丈庭園), a dry landscape rock garden that abstractly depicts a tiger cub crossing a river.

Rokudo-tei Garden (六道庭), by Ueyakato Landscape Co,. Ltd.(植彌加藤造園) in 1967, expresses the Buddhist concept of “reincarnation in six realms”.

Rokudo-tei Garden (六道庭)

A tea ceremony house was called Kyushin-tei.

Rain chain at the veranda of the Hojo.

The tea room of the Hojo was not open yet when we left the building.

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February 2, 2017 | Categories: Japan, Kyoto and Nara, Kyoto and Nara 2016 | Tags: abbot, aqueduct, Buddhism, Buddhist, Enshu Kobori, garden, gozan, Hatto, Higashiyama, Hojo, Japan, karesansui, Kohojo, Kyoto, Nanzenji, Ohojo, rock, Rokudo-tei, Sammon, Temple, Ueyakato, zen, 六道庭, 南禅寺, 小方丈庭園, 方丈庭園, 水路閣, 三門, 京都五山, 伝小堀遠州 | Leave a comment

DAY 3 (1/7): MORNING IN NORTHERN HIGASHIYAMA (北東山), Kyoto (京都), Japan, 2016.12.05

On Day 3 we decided to dedicate the morning to visit Northern Higashiyama (北東山). The area was less crowded than the Southern Higashiyama (area around Kiyomizu-dera) but still contained some of the most impressive temples in the city, including Nanzenji Temple (南禅寺) and Ginkakuji Temple (銀閣寺). We had a simple breakfast at Le Bac a Sable, a small French bakery near Higashiyama Metro Station. Run by two Frenchmen, the bakery was cozy and causal, and offered good bread and coffee. After breakfast, we took bus no.5 to head northeast. The bus drove by National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art, Kyoto City Zoo, and Okazaki Park, where a large torii gate led to the Heian Shrine beyond. We got off at Shirakawa Dori (白川通), and found our way into a network of residential streets heading towards Nanzenji Temple (南禅寺), the most important Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto. The peaceful street scenery of grey roof tiles, dew-wet timber panels, moss covered stone walls and autumn red maples under the early morning sunlight was impeccable. We couldn’t ask for more for a perfect start of the day.

Breakfast at Le Bac a Sable, a simple French bakery near Higashiyama Metro Station.

We waited for the bus no.5 at the peaceful Sanjo Dori.

We got off at Shirakawa Dori (白川通), and crossed the road into a network of small residential streets.

The air was fresh and the sunlight was soft at around 8:00am.

A alleyway leading into the neighborhood of Nanzenji Temple.

A cyclist under the soft morning sun.

The residential streets near Nanzenji Temple was so serene. All we could hear was the sound of singing birds and running water from the channels along the edge.