Manshuin (曼殊院)

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The full name of the temple is Manshuin Monzeki (曼殊院門跡), the Monzeki suffix denoting a temple of imperial importance, typically a place where a member of the imperial family was priest. It is a large temple located next to the Shugakuin Imperial Villa in the north east of Kyoto. Manshuin was established in the 8th century by Dengyo Daishi, who also founded Enryaku-ji (延暦寺) and is credited for starting the Tendai sect of Buddhism. Manshuin was originally called 'Tobibo' and was built near Enryaku-ji on Mt. Hiei. Around 1108 it changed its name to Manshuin. Then, 500 years later at the beginning of the Edo period, the temple was moved to its current location when Prince Ryosho was the abbot. It is he who designed the garden and gave the buildings the Shoin style, also found on the Katsura Imerial Villa (he was prince, after all...)

Manshuin has a great number of beautifully painted sliding doors (襖 fusuma) and panels, with each room having a different theme. These rooms are: the Tiger room, the Peacock room, the Waterfall room, the Bamboo room, the Snow room, the Fuji room, the Twilight room and the Round Hearth room. Not all these rooms may be viewable, and it is of course prohibited to photograph to protect the paintings.

The garden of the temple is spacious and made in the 'karesansui' style (lit. 'pond without water'), in other words in 'rock and moss' style. Two islands represent a crane and a tortoise (the same animals as in Konchi-in, among others). The 'crane' island is in the south part of the garden, in front of the 'big shoin hall'. It has a pine tree in the shape of a crane, which is about 400 years old as it was planted when the garden was designed. The tortoise 'island' is in the north part of the garden, in front of the 'small shoin' (the lower single-floor building). It had a tortoise-shaped tree which is now gone. Several azaleas (kirishima tsutsuji) and rhododendrons (satsuki) also give bright colors to the garden in early summer.

From Manshuin, one can easily reach the Shugakuin imperial villa, a few hundred meters north, and then reach another temple, Sekizanzen-in (赤山禅院). Going south for a kilometer will lead you to Enko-ji (圓光寺), Shisen-do (詩仙堂) and Konpuku-ji (金福寺). This series of temples can be done in one day, starting from the southern Konpuku-ji and ending at Sekisanzen-in.

Recommended for: Access: 600 円

Nearby: the Kansai Seminar House 関西セミナーハウス (240m), Saginomori-jinja 鷺森神社 (420m), the Shūgaku-in Imperial Villa 修学院離宮 (560m), Zenka-in 禅華院 (580m), a Tea ceremony 茶会 (680m), Enkō-ji 圓光寺 (680m), Nobotoke-an 野仏庵 (730m), Hachidai-jinja 八大神社 (810m), Sekizanzen-in 赤山禅院 (830m), Shisen-dō 詩仙堂 (840m),...

External links: Website, ウィキペディア, Wikipedia, Wikipédia, Kyoto Navi, Trip Advisor, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, Inside Kyoto, Marutake, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map

Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, 南左京, Sakyo-ku, Manshu-in Monzeki, 曼殊院, temple, 寺院, 仏閣

Statistics: visited on 12 occasions, id 178, 28 photos (70 extra photos can be found in the archive).

Photos of Manshuin:

Stone marker on the way to Manshuin Monzeki (曼殊院門跡)
Zen garden (Manshuin Monzeki 曼殊院門跡)
Terrace on zen garden (Manshuin Monzeki 曼殊院門跡)
Japanese sweets and green tea (Manshuin Monzeki 曼殊院門跡)
Bamboo object on tsukubai water basin, Manshuin temple, Kyoto, Japan
Bright red kirishima rhododendrons blooming around the garden of Manshuin temple, Kyoto, Japan
Manshu-in temple zen garden in autumn, Kyoto, Japan
Woman in kimono posing on a terrace of Manshuin temple, Kyoto, Japan
Red azaleas in Manshuin temple rock garden, Kyoto, Japan
Bright red kirishima rhododendrons in the garden of Manshuin Monzeki temple, Kyoto, Japan
Red azaleas in Manshuin temple rock garden, Kyoto, Japan
Covered walkway with red carpet around dry landscape garden, Manshuin temple, Kyoto, Japan
Hot summer day in the garden of Manshui Monzeki temple, Kyoto, Japan
Touches of pink with early rhododendrons blooming in Manshuin temple garden, Kyoto, Japan
Red carpeted path around snowy zen garden in Manshuin temple, Kyoto, Japan
Snow-covered temple garden with a touch of warm red, Manshuin temple, Kyoto, Japan
Manshuin temple garden under a thick layer of snow, Kyoto, Japan
The large expanse of Manshuin temple's new rock garden in winter, Kyoto, Japan