Nanzenji Temple

Nanzenji Temple is located in the Rinzai Sect Omotoyama in Sakyo-ku of Kyoto City. This zen temple was built in 1291 by the commands of Pope Ulsan, and has an extremely high formality within Japanese zen temples. Kyoto Five Mountains and Kamakura Five Mountains are two zen temples that have been praised for their quality, however, Nanzenji Temple surpasses them all. This temple is ranked in a completely separate level. Due to the frequent burning-out and rebuilding of the temple, Nanzenji temple has been able to keep its original shape from the Edo period. Furthermore, after the Meiji Restoration, a bridge that runs through the precincts, the Lake Biwa Water Canal, was built, and has now become one of the landscapes that represent Kyoto. "Sanmon", or "Three Gates", is an important cultural architectural property and is popular for the cherry blossoms and autumn leaves. It is said that the great thief of the Azuchi Momoyama period, Ishikawa Goemon, left the line saying, "A superb view, a great view" with a view of the cherry blossoms from Sanmon.