Like many temples in Daitoku-ji, Korin-in (興臨院) was originally built, in 1520, as a family temple. The abbot's quarters in front of the rock garden was built in the Muromachi style, at a time when the style of temples was strongly influencing the style of residential buildings in Kyoto. At least for the rich of course ;)
Contrary to its neighbour Zuiho-in (瑞峯院) which is open year-round, Korin-in is only open a few weeks per year, during the high season. The garden represents part of China with mountains as azaleas (and rhododendrons), islands as rocks, etc... The garden also has a tree which is used traditionally in India to make the pages of sacred books.
As it has been under repairs, 2011 was the first time it opened in several years. The small entrance with the window on the left of the garden was the main subject of the repairs: taking it apart and rebuilding it did cost the temple several millions of dollars. This style of "entrance with window" is a classic feature of many famous zen gardens, including Ryogen-in (龍源院), Kodai-ji (高台寺), Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺) and Kenin-ji (建仁寺). Recommended for: Access: 600 円 Nearby: Zuihō-in 瑞峯院 (40m), Ryōgen-in 龍源院 (80m), Ōbai-in 黄梅院 (90m), Kōro-an 皐盧庵茶舗 (100m), Daikō-in 大光院 (170m), Gyokurin-in 玉林院 (190m), Kōtō-in 高桐院 (200m), Sōken-in 総見院 (220m), Imamiya-jinja 今宮神社 (420m), Takeisao-jinja 建勲神社 (450m),... External links: ウィキペディア, Kyoto Navi, Kyoto Design, 京都風光, そうだ京都, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, Kita-ku, 大徳寺, Daitoku-ji, temple, 寺院, 仏閣, Korin-in, subtemple, 興臨院, 塔頭 Statistics: visited on 6 occasions, id 449, 17 photos (11 extra photos can be found in the archive). |
