Tenryuji Temple

Tenryū-ji is a major Rinzai Zen temple complex located in the scenic Saga Arashiyama area. It was founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339, primarily to venerate Gautama Buddha, and its first chief priest was Musō Soseki. The temple is held in high esteem and is ranked number one among Kyoto's so-called Five Mountains. Tenryū-ji's garden, created by the famous garden designer Muso Soseki, features a central pond surrounded by rocks, pine trees, and the forested Arashiyama mountains. The temple's buildings were repeatedly lost in fires and wars over the centuries, and most of the current halls date from the relatively recent Meiji Period