Tenryu-ji

Tenryu-ji is the head temple of the Tenryu-ji branch of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, located in the Saga district of Ukyo-ku, Kyoto City. The main enshrined image is Shaka Nyorai (the Buddha Shakyamuni). It was founded in 1339 CE (Karyo 2) by Ashikaga Takauji to commemorate the spirit of Emperor Go-Daigo, with Mu So Soseki serving as the founding abbot. Ranked first among the Kyoto Gozan (Five Mountains) system, it reached the height of its prestige as the highest-ranking Zen temple throughout the Muromachi period. The temple suffered eight fires, beginning with the Onin War, and most of the current temple complex was rebuilt between the late Meiji and Taisho periods. The So-gen-chi Garden, designed by Mu So Soseki, is a pond-and-island strolling garden that borrows scenery from Arashiyama and Kameyama. It was designated as Japan's first Historic Site and Special Place of Scenic Beauty. Tenryu-ji is registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site under the title 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto' (1994).