Enkoji (圓光寺 or 円光寺) is located almost right north of Shisen-do (詩仙道). It was founded by zen priest Genkitsu in 1601, in the Fushimi area (Genkitsu actually started a few other temples across Japan). Enko-ji moved to the premises of Shokokuji (相国寺) and finally to its present location in 1667. The temple edited many classic books, and about 50.000 wooden printing types used for these publications are conserved in the temple.
At the entrance of the temple and its garden is a "suikinkutsu", a water basin which drips in an underground chamber, each drop making a nice metallic sound. You will have to put your ears close to the bamboo pipes to hear it though. According to the pamphlet the pond in the garden is the "oldest in northern Kyoto", but I'm not sure what they mean by "oldest pond". Maybe the oldest pond used in a zen garden?
As with all maple tree gardens, they are best viewed (and photographed!) in spring and autumn, for the "aomomiji" (green young leaves) and the standard "momiji" respectively. During your tour of the garden, a path climbs to an upper cemetery bordered by tall pine trees. Aside from the garden, the main hall has nice sliding doors with paintings of bamboo on them. There is also a tea room located at the deep end of the hall. You cannot enter it, but it shouldn't stop you from taking a picture ;-) Recommended for: Access: 600 円 Nearby: Nobotoke-an 野仏庵 (80m), Hachidai-jinja 八大神社 (160m), Shisen-dō 詩仙堂 (160m), Konpuku-ji 金福寺 (370m), Saginomori-jinja 鷺森神社 (520m), Tanukidani-san Fudō-in 狸谷山不動院 (620m), Manshuin 曼殊院 (680m), the Kansai Seminar House 関西セミナーハウス (890m), Zenka-in 禅華院 (900m), the Shūgaku-in Imperial Villa 修学院離宮 (1.1km),... External links: Website, ウィキペディア, Wikipedia, Wikipédia, Kyoto Navi, Trip Advisor, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Marutake, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, 南左京, Sakyo-ku, temple, Enko-ji, 寺院, 仏閣 Statistics: visited on 24 occasions, id 173, 49 photos (131 extra photos can be found in the archive). In Enkō-ji:  Tea ceremony (茶会)
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