Shisen-dō, Buddhist temple in Ichijoji, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
Description
Shisen-dō is a Buddhist temple and historic house in Ichijoji, Sakyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan, built as a hillside retreat. The complex includes the three-story tower Shogetsu-ro and several meditation rooms arranged in terraces along the slope.
History
Ishikawa Jozan, a former samurai of the Tokugawa clan, established this retreat in 1641 as his retirement residence. He spent the final 30 years of his life there studying and tending the gardens.
Culture
The main hall displays 36 portraits of Chinese poets painted by Kano Tanyu, selected with guidance from scholar Hayashi Razan. These images reflect the literary interests of the founder and remain visible to visitors today.
Practical
Visitors enter the grounds through the Small Existence Gate and follow a bamboo-lined path to the main entrance. Access to different levels of the hillside requires walking up steps and uneven pathways.
Did you know?
The temple gardens include a stone water basin called sozu that produces characteristic sounds when it fills and empties. This traditional device was originally meant to scare wildlife away from the garden.
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