Tenryu-ji temple | Arashiyama | The peninsular in the Sogen-chi pond |

Tenryu-ji temple

Tenryu Shiseizen-ji

The head temple of Tenryu branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism,

located at Ukyo Ward (Arashimaya) , Kyoto, Japan

The temple was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in year 1339 to venerate Gautama Buddha.

The temple is held in high esteem and ranked number 1 among Kyoto's so-called Emperor Go-Daigo.

During the year 1994, it was registered as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The eastern part of the temple has two main gates which are
Chokushi Gate and the middle gate which then leads to the west.
The temple was designed facing to the south and the major buildings
are aligned along the north-south axis.

However, the landscape garden is one of the oldest in Japan,

retaining the same form as when it was designed by Muso Soseki in the 14 century.
It was the first Special Historical Scenic Area named by Japanese government.

The temple get the name Tenryu-ji which means

Temple of the Heavenly Dragon because after

the death of Emperor Go-Daigo, 

 a priest dreamed of a dragon rising from the river at the southern part of the temple.

Tenryu-ji temple are designed according to the principle where the
sub-temples are lined at both sides of the path that
leads to the lecture hall.
Other buildings like Large abbey, small abbey, kitchen, meditation hall , Taho-den hall
which were odern reconstruction are placed behind the lecture hall.

The temple has a teaching hall which located at the center of temple grounds
that contain an image of Gautama Buddha, flanked b two guardians.
The decorative painting of a dragon on the ceiling called Unryu-zu
(image of the cloud dragon)

The temple has been ravaged by fires for 8 times since its founding.
First in year 1938, then in year 1367 

(Zen master  Shun'oku Myoha helped in restoring the temples for both incidents) 

The fire occured again in year 1373,1380,1447,1468 during Onin Wars.
Some reconstruction did but it was not until year 1585 when 

Toyotomi Hideyoshi lent his support to the temple.
The fire occured again in year 1815 and 1864 at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Most of the present buildings thus date only to the
Meiji period ( year 1868-1912)