Tofukuji Temple

Tofukuji Temple Kyoto, Japan - Tofukuji Temple’s main gate is the oldest Zen main gate in all Japan. Tofukuji Temple is very popular in autumn for its red foliage. Tofukuji (東福寺, Tōfuku-ji) is a Buddhist temple in Higashiyama-ku in Kyoto city. The Tōfuku-ji temple was established in 1236 AD by the Chancellor Kujō Michiie, who designated the founding priest as Enni (円爾, Enni) (1201–1280) in 1243 AD. It is a part of the Rinzai school, one of the two major Japanese Zen sects. It is considered to be one of the five major Zen temples in Kyoto city. Tōfuku-ji was intended to compete with the Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji temples in Nara, and as such its name is a combination of characters from both of those temples. Tōfuku-ji’s main gate (三門, San-mon) is noteworthy as the oldest Zen main gate in all Japan and is a Japanese National Treasure. San-mon Gate - Oldest Zen main gate in Japan Currently, the Tōfuku-ji complex includes 24 subtemples, though in the past the number has been as high as 53. The temple features a large number of Japanese Maple trees, and is most crowded during the autumn season when people flock to see the autumn foliage. It is traditional to view the leaves from the Tsūten-kyō bridge. Kyoto Hotel Looking for Kyoto Accommodation? Please support our site by using our Kyoto Hotel reservation system. (Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License) | | |