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In Arashiyama and Sagano, areas of Kyoto renowned for their natural beauty, stands Tenryu-ji Temple, a premier Zen temple with 700 years of history. The garden that transforms with each season, the temple buildings where Zen teachings come alive, and the breathtaking scenery incorporating Arashiyama’s natural landscape continue to captivate over one million visitors annually from Japan and abroad.
If asked “What is Zen?”, perhaps the most eloquent answer is simply sitting quietly while gazing at Tenryu-ji’s garden. Created by Muso Soseki, one of history’s greatest garden designers and master of Zen gardens and dry landscapes, the garden has a remarkable ability to clear one’s mind simply by being present within it.
This article introduces the highlights of Tenryu-ji Temple, a masterpiece of Japanese gardens recognized worldwide, with the latest information for 2025. We hope to convey the essence of Japanese “wabi-sabi” aesthetics that have been preserved throughout the ages.
Tenryu-ji is a Rinzai Sect Zen temple located in Arashiyama, Kyoto. Easily accessible from the area’s famous attractions like Togetsukyo Bridge and the Bamboo Grove Path, it offers visitors the opportunity to experience authentic Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetics through its gardens and beautiful seasonal landscapes of cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. This popular destination attracts numerous tourists from both Japan and overseas. In 1994, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.”
The main attraction of Tenryu-ji is the “Sogenchi Garden,” designed by Muso Soseki. This garden is a circular promenade garden centered around a pond, featuring a dynamic landscape that incorporates Arashiyama as a borrowed scenery. Cherry blossoms adorn the garden in spring, lush greenery in summer, vibrant autumn leaves in fall, and snow blankets it in winter. On windless days, Arashiyama is perfectly reflected on the pond’s surface like a mirror, creating an otherworldly beauty.
Tenryu-ji was selected as one of the components of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto” partly due to the historical value of this garden. It is also designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty in Japan and highly regarded as a masterpiece of Japanese gardens. Particularly known as the representative work of garden designer Muso Soseki, its historical and aesthetic value is recognized by many garden researchers and cultural property experts.
The Daihojo is the main hall of Tenryu-ji Temple where Zen training and Buddhist ceremonies are conducted. From its spacious tatami-floored interior, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the Sogenchi Garden, which appears like a living painting.
The hall features ceiling paintings and fusuma (sliding door) paintings with decorations characteristic of Zen Buddhism. The fusuma paintings depict Japanese seasons and nature with delicate brushwork, evoking a sense of tranquility and harmony.
The space is dominated by silence, creating an atmosphere of tension and solemnity. The principal image of worship is a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, offering visitors a moment of peace and calm during their visit.
In the Hatto (Dharma Hall) of Tenryu-ji Temple, there is a massive ceiling painting of a dragon called the “Cloud Dragon Painting.”
This masterpiece, created by Kayama Matazo in 1997, features a dynamic composition of a dragon racing through clouds. When entering the hall, visitors feel the dragon’s powerful presence as if it were looking down at them.
The Cloud Dragon Painting is designed so that the dragon’s eyes appear to meet yours from any viewing angle, creating a mysterious charm as its expression changes depending on where you stand. Although normally closed to the public, it can be viewed on weekends, holidays, and during special viewing periods.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Daily Viewing Period | March 1 - June 1, 2025 September 20 - December 7, 2025 ※Open only on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays outside the above periods |
| Closed Days | February 1 - 2, 2025, October 28 - 30, 2025, December 31, 2025 - January 2, 2026 May also be closed irregularly on other days |
| Opening Hours | 9:00 am - 4:30 pm |
| Admission Fee | ¥500 |
2025 Special Viewing & Event Schedule
Within the grounds of Tenryu-ji stands the Tahoden, which enshrines the spirit of Emperor Go-Daigo. The Tahoden was built to memorialize Emperor Go-Daigo and features a dignified appearance.
Surrounding the Tahoden is a beautiful garden called “Hyakkaen,” which delights visitors with seasonal flowers throughout the year. Plum and cherry blossoms bloom in spring, hydrangeas create beautiful displays in summer, and autumn leaves vividly color the garden in fall.
Tenryu-ji maintains the traditions of Rinzai Zen Buddhism while reflecting Zen aesthetics in its architecture and gardens.
In particular, the Daihojo features a simple design with minimal decoration, yet creates a sense of openness through the arrangement of pillars and shoji screens, embodying the Zen spirit. The Hatto has a spacious interior with the Cloud Dragon Painting on the ceiling creating a majestic atmosphere.
For example, the photo below shows the view of the garden from the Daihojo. It looks like a beautiful painting in a frame. Quietly enjoying such scenic views in a peaceful temple setting embodies the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetics and the Zen spirit.
In the garden, the karesansui (dry landscape) technique utilizing stones and gravel creates a beauty of silence that evokes deep spirituality in visitors. The simple yet harmonious arrangement of temple buildings and the garden design emphasizing tranquility convey the Zen spirit to visitors.
Its cultural value has influenced the development of Japanese gardens as seen in architectural styles and garden compositions, receiving high acclaim from architectural historians of the Kyoto School and Japanese garden research specialists. In particular, the compositional beauty of the Sogenchi Garden and the temple complex layout of Tenryu-ji are highly valued in research reports by the Japanese Garden Society and the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
In 1339, Ashikaga Takauji vowed to build the temple to pray for the repose of Emperor Go-Daigo’s soul and invited Muso Soseki as the founding priest. Previously, this site was home to Danrinji Temple, founded by Empress Tachibana Kachiko, the consort of Emperor Saga, during the Heian period. After Danrinji Temple fell into disuse, Emperor Go-Saga built his imperial villa during the Kencho era (1250s), which was later used as a temporary imperial residence by Emperor Kameyama. Subsequently, in 1339, Ashikaga Takauji established Tenryu-ji.
At that time, Tenryu-ji was a magnificent temple complex with seven main buildings, including the Dharma Hall, the Daihojo, the kitchen, and sub-temples, boasting prestigious architecture. However, many buildings were lost in repeated fires.
The current Hatto and Daihojo were rebuilt in 1899 (Meiji 32), and the kitchen in 1900 (Meiji 33).
Although the temple lost much of its land due to the land secularization edict during the Meiji era, subsequent restoration efforts rebuilt the main temple buildings such as the Hatto and Hojo, which are maintained to this day.
Standing before the Sogenchi Garden, which uses the mountains of Saga and Arashiyama as borrowed scenery, the same landscape envisioned by Muso Soseki 700 years ago still unfolds before your eyes. The unchanging beauty of Tenryu-ji amid Japan’s ever-changing seasons and eras embodies the essence of Japanese culture.
Its value as a World Heritage Site comes not merely from its age but from the universality of its aesthetic sensibilities and spirituality. The scenic beauty created by Arashiyama reflected on the still water’s surface, the arrangement of moss-covered stones, and the meticulously calculated borrowed scenery—all these elements combine to gently yet surely move the hearts of those who see them.
Cherry blossoms in spring, verdant shade in summer, autumn leaves, and snow-covered landscapes in winter.
Tenryu-ji, showing different expressions in each season, is one of the pinnacles of Japanese culture with multi-layered appeal in architecture, gardens, art, and Zen spirituality. Experience Japanese beauty and wabi-sabi aesthetics for yourself.
