Kyoto

In Fushimi-ku, which is located in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, there is a temple that is devoted to the kami Inari. The main shrine is situated at a height of 233 meters (764 feet) above mean sea level, and there are trails that go up the mountain to other smaller shrines along the route. The trails span a distance of 4 kilometers (2.5 miles), and the ascent takes around 2 hours.

Although Inari is still venerated primarily as the kami of rice and agriculture, he is also seen as the patron deity of commerce by a great number of merchants, manufacturers, and farmers. Inari is known as Inari no Kami. The Fushimi Inari-taisha shrine is home to one thousand torii gates, each of which was generously donated by a different company from Japan.

As a result of the common practice of separating and re-enshrining Inari, it is claimed that there are as many as 32,000 small shrines all around Japan that are devoted to Inari.

The Kinkakuji Zen temple, also known as the Golden Pavilion, is located in northern Kyoto. The top two storeys of the temple are covered with gold leaf. After the death of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in 1408, the previous retirement residence of the shogun, Rokuonji, was transformed into a Zen temple belonging to the Rinzai sect. Ashikaga Yoshimasa, Yoshimitsu’s grandson, created the identically named Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) on the other side of the city a few decades after being inspired by Kinkakuji. Ginkakuji is also known as the Silver Pavilion.

Kinkakuji is the only building from Yoshimitsu’s former retirement compound that has been preserved to this day. It may be found on the edge of a large pond. It was burned to the ground on many occasions, including three times during the Onin Conflict, which was a civil war that wiped out the majority of Kyoto, and once more recently, in 1950, when a fanatical monk set it on fire. The existing structure was refurbished, and it first opened its doors, in the year 1955.

In Japanese, Kiyomizudera means “Pure Water Temple,” and it is the name of one of the most famous temples in the country. It was founded in 780 on the site of the Otowa Waterfall in the wooded hills to the east of Kyoto, and it was given its name because of the clarity of the water that poured from the waterfall. Historically, the Kita Hosso sect was affiliated with the Hosso sect, a major branch of Japanese Buddhism. In 1965, however, the temple broke away from the main Hosso sect and founded its own branch, the Kita Hosso sect. Since 1994, when UNESCO began compiling its list of World Heritage Sites, the temple has been one of them.

The 13-meter-high wooden stage that juts out from Kiyomizudera’s main hall is the site’s most recognizable and photogenic feature. The stage offers spectacular views of both the city of Kyoto and the surrounding forest, which is especially beautiful in the spring and fall when the maple and cherry trees below burst into vibrant color. A small figure of Kannon, who has one thousand limbs and eleven faces, is the primary focus of devotion at the shrine. The main hall, including the stage, was built without the use of nails, and it is here that this monument is housed.

Ginkakuji is a Zen temple on Kyoto’s eastern hills (Higashiyama). Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa retired in 1482 in a residence patterned after Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), his grandfather’s retirement villa on Kyoto’s northern hills (Kitayama). Yoshimasa’s home became a Zen temple after his death in 1490.

Ginkakuji, the retirement home of an art-obsessed shogun, gave rise to the Higashiyama Cultural Movement in Japan, in contrast to his grandfather’s Kitayama Culture. Higashiyama Culture revolutionized Japan, unlike Kitayama, which never expanded beyond Kyoto’s aristocracy. Tea ceremony, flower arrangement, noh theatre, poetry, garden design, and building thrived.

The Ginkakuji Temple grounds include the Silver Pavilion, other buildings, a moss garden, and a dry sand landscape. To see the surroundings, walk the facility’s loop.

The Nij Castle (, Nij-j) is a flatland castle that may be found in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings (Kuruwa) of defensive fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, numerous ancillary structures, and several gardens. The constructions itself take up an extra 8,000 square meters of space within the castle, bringing the overall size of the castle up to 275,000 square meters (about 27.5 hectares; 68 acres) (86,000 square feet).

It is one among the seventeen sites in Kyoto that have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and represents the city’s historical past.

In the year 1601, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa Ieyasu, issued an edict mandating that all western Japanese feudal lords pay to the construction of Nij Castle. Tokugawa Iemitsu oversaw the completion of the castle’s construction in the year 1626, when he was in office. During the building of the castle, the abundant water that came from the Shinsenen Garden, which had previously been a part of the imperial palace and was situated to the south, was redirected to the gardens and ponds inside the castle. In the years 1625 and 1626, the karamon and the main tower of Fushimi Castle were moved to this location. The Tokugawa shoguns, who lived in Nijo Castle [2] in Kyoto, were responsible for the construction of the castle. Even though Edo was the seat of the Tokugawa shogunate, the Imperial Court continued to meet in Kyoto during that time. The Imperial Palace in Kyoto may be found to the northeast, and Nijo Castle can be found to the north.

If you wish to view Japan’s famous monkeys, visit the Arashiyama monkey park. It’s kid-friendly and near Arashiyama.

You may overlook Japan’s “Snow Monkeys.” Nagano’s Jigoku-dani is difficult to reach and unattractive. The monkeys are fed by employees. Arashiyama Monkey Park is an excellent site to see Japan’s famous monkeys.

The macaques in this park are the semi-wild kind seen on Japan’s main islands (hikers can spot them at Kyoto’s Daimonji). Arashiyama Monkey Park is on the south bank of the Katsura-gawa River in Arashiyama. From the entrance and admission gate, it’s a steep 20-minute journey into the forest to where the monkeys hang out. On hot days, move carefully to avoid sweat.

Look for a cottage in a park clearing. Before entering the hut, admire Kyoto. Peanuts and apple slices are sold for the monkeys. Wire mesh instead of glass in the windows lets you feed the monkeys without them breaking in. Humans are restricted while animals roam free.

Kyoto’s most respected temple, Tenryuji, lies in Arashiyama (, Tenryuji). It’s the best-known of the city’s five Zen temples and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tenryuji is the most important Rinzai Zen temple because it’s the sect’s core.

Ashikaga Takauji built Tenryuji in 1339. Takauji erected a shrine temple for Emperor Go-Daigo. Once pals, the two historical figures turned on each other in Japan. Takauji erected the shrine to appease the monarch’s ghost.

The main hall (Hojo), drawing hall (Shoin), and temple kitchen (Kuri) with its little tower are from the Meiji Period (1868-1912).

In contrast to the temple’s architecture, Tenryuji’s garden has been nearly entirely intact. Muso Soseki, who also designed Kokedera and other temple gardens, produced this beautiful landscape garden with a focal pond surrounded by rocks, pine trees, and the forested Arashiyama mountains. Muso Soseki founded Tenryuji.

Sanjsangen-d, a Tendai Buddhist temple, lies in Kyoto’s Higashiyama area.

Taira no Kiyomori built the shrine for Emperor Go-Shirakawa in 1164. Renge-in is part of Myh-temple in’s compound (, hall of the Lotus King).

The major image of Sanjsangen-d is a giant sitting statue of Thousand-armed Kannon, and the temple is notable for its collection of sculptures, including 1001 standing Thousand-armed Kannon, 28 standing attendants, a statue of Fjin and a statue of Raijin, and the chief image of the temple. These sculptures are from 1266 (K).

Sahasrabhuja-arya-avalokitevara is the temple’s main deity. Tankei of Kamakura’s main deity statue is a national treasure. Right and left of the center monument are a thousand life-size Thousand Armed Kannon statues placed in 10 rows and 50 columns. Only 124 of these sculptures are from the ancient temple, which burned in 1249; the rest were made in the 13th century. Japanese cypress is gold-leafed. The temple is 120m long.  Among the thousand Kannon statues, 48 protective gods stand guard. Fjin and Raijin are sculpted here.

In 794, during Emperor Kanmu’s reign, he relocated the capital to present-day Kyoto. The Imperial family resided at Kyoto’s Imperial Palace beginning in 1331 and continuing until 1869. Every time the palace burned down, it was rebuilt. The vast majority of buildings were rebuilt by 1855. The buildings from the eighth century reveal a transition in architectural fashion.

The Shishinden is the highest honor (Hall for State Ceremonies). During the Heian Period (ca. 794-1185), this building was constructed for the purpose of hosting the imperial Enthronement Ceremony. The present hall has the Takamikura Imperial Throne and the Michodai August Seat of the Empress, both of which were used in the enthronement rituals of Emperors Meiji, Taish, and Shwa.

Sometimes the Emperor and Empress of Japan will host the Kyoto Imperial Palace Tea Party here in their Kyoto residence. Visitors from other countries are introduced to Japanese court traditions at this castle. The palace grounds feature not one but two gardens. Lords from the Middle Ages contributed the stone lanterns and other ornaments to the Inner Garden. The grounds look stunning with the changing of the seasons and the addition of new flowers and trees.