Shoren-in Temple, Kyoto

The Shoren-in Temple is managed by the Tendai sect of Buddhism. It is a beautiful and tranquil temple set amid green surroundings at the foot of the Higashiyama Mountains near Kyoto. It is one of the Monzeki temples in the city where the head priest was a member of the Imperial Family.

The Shoren-in Temple was built by the retired Emperor Toba for Gyogen, the head priest of the Enryaku-ji Temple and his seventh son who was Gyogen’s student. Until the Meiji era, only members of the Imperial Family could become head priests of the temple. When the Imperial palace burned down in the Shogun era, the Shoren-in temple served as the temporary residence of the Empress Gosakuramachi.

Visitors to the Shoren-in pass through the entrance to a drawing room with beautiful paintings covering the walls and sliding doors. The largest building within the complex is the Shinden. Another notable structure is the Shijokodo Hall that has two rare paintings, one featuring a Mandala or traditional Buddhist geometric painting, and the other – a drawing of the Deity Fudo Myoo. The gardens surrounding the temple have old and large camphor trees, and are illuminated at night during spring and autumn.