Ryoan-ji Temple was founded by Priest Giten under the patronage of Katsumoto Hosokawa in 1448. Katsumoto Hosokawa was a famous general of the Ashikaga Shogunate and was a pious devotee of Zen Buddhism. The temple suffered a conflagration toward the end of the 18th century, and the present building was reconstructed after the fire. However. its gardens have remained intact, and the temple is especially noted for its five hundred year old rock garden, which contains no trees at all. The garden was constructed around 1450, soon after the founding of the temple. As it contains no plants, it is one of the very few old gardens which can be seen exactly as the designer made them. It is generally believed that the garden is the work of Soami, the most famous garden designer of his day. Some authorities maintain that another man named Zenami was the designer of this garden. It is the supreme example of a flat rock
garden, and is the best specimen of the gardens classified as Karesansui or "Dry Landscape" type.
Tour B: Nijo Castle (Sep. 16 & 17)
Nijo Castle was served as the residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns when they
visited Kyoto. The typical style of art of the warrior class which can be observed here, is in clear contrast to that of the Court noblemen. The castle was built by Ieyasu Tokugawa at the beginning of the 17th century. After the Meiji Restoration, it was for some time the detached palace of the Imperial Household, but it was given to the city of Kyoto in 1939.
Tour C: Sanzen-in Temple (Sep. 17 & 18)
Yase and Ohara, two suburban districts situated at the west foot of Mt. Hiei, have certain customs to distinguish them from the neighboring districts. One of that the women carry heavy loads on their heads, giving them a very fine bearing. Their dress is also unusual. They wear narrow obi (sashes), cover their heads with kerchiefs and wrap white cotton cloth around their arms and legs.
Sanzen-in is an old temple of the Tendai sect at Ohara. It owes its origin to the illustrious priest Dengyo-Daishi (767-822). In 860, Priest Joun rebuilt the temple buildings at the command of Emperor Seiwa, who installed an image of Yakushi-Nyorai there.The Main llall, called Ojo-Gokurakuin or Hall of Paradise in Rebirth is a famous structure built by the great priest Eshin (942-1017) in 985 in accordance with the wishes of Emperor Kazan. The other buildings were reconstructed from the materials of the Shishinden (Ceremonial Hall) in the Imperial Palace during the Keicho era (1596-1615). One of the special features of the Main Hali is its ceiling. Shaped like the bottom of a boat, it depicts the Twenty-five Bosatsu. The walls are decorated with Eshin's paintings of the Mandalas.