Ryoan-ji

Ryōan-ji, the Temple of the Peaceful Dragon, lies at the foot of the Kinugasa hills in north-western Kyoto, between Kinkaku-ji and Ninna-ji. It belongs to the Myōshin-ji branch of Rinzai Zen and was founded in 1450 by Hosokawa Katsumoto, one of the leading generals of the Ōnin War, on the site of an aristocratic villa.

The temple is known above all for the garden of its abbot's quarters (hōjō): a rectangle of white gravel, raked in straight and circular lines and enclosed on two sides by a low earthen wall, in which fifteen stones are set in five groups on patches of moss. From the veranda, at least one stone is always hidden from view, whichever point one sits at. Its designer and exact date are unknown; most scholars place it in the late 15th or early 16th century.

The remainder of the grounds is a quiet pond garden around the large Kyōyō-chi pond, laid out in the Heian period and planted with cherry trees, irises and water lilies.

Hosokawa Katsumoto founded Ryōan-ji in 1450 on land that had belonged to the Fujiwara family. The temple burned in the Ōnin War, in which Katsumoto commanded the eastern army, and was rebuilt in 1488 by his son Masamoto. A fire in 1797 destroyed the main buildings; the present abbot's quarters were moved here from Seigen-in, one of its sub-temples. The garden became world famous in the 20th century, when it was taken up as an icon of Zen and abstract art.

The meaning of the rock garden has never been settled. It has been read as islands in the sea, as a tigress carrying her cubs across a river, as mountain peaks above clouds, or as a pure abstraction for meditation; the temple itself invites visitors to find their own interpretation. The garden became one of the most discussed works of Japanese art abroad in the 20th century and has influenced modern artists, architects and composers.

As a working Zen temple, Ryōan-ji expects visitors to sit quietly on the veranda. Its simple vegetarian cuisine, in particular yudōfu (simmered tofu), is served in a sub-temple in the grounds.