A Family of Temples

Spectacular Kinkaku-ji

Last September, I went on my fifth holiday in Japan for five straight years.  And this time I went on my third visit to Kyoto.  Each visit, I learn more about Japan - about Japanese culture, history, and way of life.  On my previous visits to Kyoto, I went to enjoy the Hanami (cherry blossom) and Momiji (autumn leaves) seasons.  I was so busy viewing the blossoms and leaves that I didn’t get around to visiting some of the more famous sites.  This time round, there was no foliage-related activity planned.   It was time to deepen my understanding and appreciation of the historical and cultural aspects of this ancient Japanese city.

We had a rocky start to our trip.  In fact, it was fraught with uncertainty.  2018 was not a great year for Kyoto.  There was an earthquake in the Kansai region in June and just before we arrived, a major typhoon flooded Kansai International Airport, knocking it out of action.  All flights were cancelled, whilst the flood waters were being drained away and the access road and bridge to the airport were being repaired.  In the meantime, air services were being restored in slow stages.  Every few days, a few more flights were added.  We started checking out alternatives, in case we had to fly in to Nagoya instead. Fortunately, just a few days before our flight was one of the few which were allowed to proceed as planned and we flew in on a half-filled plane into a very empty airport.  Phew!  Unfortunately the typhoon damaged some of the sites we were planning to visit and so visitors were not allowed in some areas (one example below).   I was reminded of my visit to Tokyo last year when my attempt to see a snow-capped Mt Fuji and autumn leaves on the Irohazaka route to Nikko were thwarted by a typhoon just a few days earlier.

At least this year, my key “visit objectives” were not significantly affected by the bad weather. As I said, despite my multiple visits to Kyoto, there were some famous sites I’ve never been to before - such as Ginkaku-ji and Kinkaku-ji, the Silver and Gold Temples.  Kinkaku-ji is the older of the two, built by one of the shoguns, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, as a retirement villa. It was converted to a temple after his death. Ginkaku-ji was built by his grandson, Ashikaga Yoshimasa, also as a retirement home and also converted into a temple.  Like Grandfather, like grandson.  

We tried to get to Kinkaku-ji early, to beat the crowds.  But to no avail - such is the popularity of this famous temple that it was full of crowds.  The temple itself is beautiful - a golden pavilion (it’s covered in gold leaf), floating on the waters of the lake, and mirrored in the waters.  We ascended the hill behind the lake, taking in the view of the surrounding hills and the temple beneath.  

The silver sands and cone of Ginkaku-ji 

Ginkaku-ji, however, was my favourite of the two.  There is no silver gilding on the pavilion - apparently the construction of the buildings were delayed by war and other reasons, and rather than a big lake there are smaller ponds which we could stroll around, admiring the buildings, the pond and the mossy gardens from all angles as we turned each corner.  But the highlight is the beautiful silvery gravel plain, with a cone representing Mount Fuji in one corner.  There we sat, just in front of the carefully raked gravel, and scrutinising the smooth sides of the perfectly formed cone, indeed the resemblance is there :-) 

Shrine on the Path of Philosophy

 After the Ginkaku-ji visit, we took a walk down the famous Path of Philosophy, or "Tetsugaku-no-michi", which runs along a canal flowing from the temple down to the Eikandozenrin-ji temple (which I went to on my previous Autumn Leaf visit).  The path got its name because a Kyoto University professor used to take his daily walk on the path, presumably contemplating life, the universe and everything.

Fortunately, out of cherry blossom season, the path was rather deserted and we were able to have a quiet, peaceful stroll. Every now and then there is a little landmark - a small shrine, a stone with a poem carved on it, a little shop or eatery inviting the traveller to stop for a moment.  Although there were no cherry blossoms, there were lots of flowers and greenery along the way.

Guardian mouse, with a scroll signifying learning

We passed a few little shrines and temples but only stopped once, at Otoyo-jinja Shrine.    Its key distinguishing feature is that this temple actually has a lot of cute little animals, in particular mice!  These are guardian animals, as the god of the shrine, Okuninushi, had a special relationship with them.  As the story goes, Okuninushi wanted to marry the beautiful Princess, Suseri.  Alas, her father disapproved.  Okuninushi had to complete a few tasks in order to win her hand.  In one task, an archer shot an arrow into a rice field.  When Okuninushi went to retrieve the arrow, the field was set on fire.  The mice directed him to a safe spot and retrieved the arrow for him.  And that's how our hero got to marry his Princess.

We didn't go to many other temples after these but we did pay a visit to the historic Nijo Castle.  I had visited Nijo-jo before, on my first visit to Kyoto, to look at cherry blossoms at night.   But I had never been to the palace itself and was glad for the opportunity to learn more about its history.  It was the Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa who had started building the Castle, although it was his grandson who completed it. Sadly, this time round the gardens were off limits as they had been damaged thanks to the recent typhoon so we could only walk around the famous Ninomaru Palace.

This Palace contains the main audience chambers and reception halls - the furnishings, as would be expected, are very spartan with only the tatami mats on the floor and maybe a niche or storage cupboard built into the wlal, but the walls are covered with magnificent paintings - of tigers and leopards under palm trees, or flowering trees, etc.  (We were not allowed to take photos so that's why you don't see any here.)  It was here that the Shogun would meet foreign envoys, meet his Council or his feudal lords.  It was also here that the 15th and last Shogun of Japan, Yoshinobu, gathered his retainers and announced the end of the Shogun era and the restoration of the Emperor, hence starting the Meiji Restoration and modernisation of Japan.

Photos are here.

Ninomaru Palace, Nijo Castle