Kodai-ji Temple's Lovely Grounds

This fairly young Zen Temple was established by a woman

Larry Knipfing Jan 13, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Roof tiles of a wall in the temple</p>

<p>From the bamboo grove at the top of the hill</p>

<p>Take a look at this ingenious bamboo rain gutter system</p>

<p>This crow acted as though he was Lord of the Garden</p>

<p>Garden in the corner of the grounds</p>

In 1606, Kita-no-Mandokoro established this temple in memory of her late husband Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Japan's greatest-ever military leaders. Also known as 'Nene' this remarkable woman later became a priestess, taking on the religious name of Kodaiin Kogetsuni. When she died in 1624, Sanko Osho of the Kenninji Temple became the head priest and the temple was renamed Kodai-ji. The temple itself is truly beautiful, but what grabbed my attention were the spacious grounds. It is a wonderful place to walk, people-watch, and take lots and lots of photos. The bamboo grove at the top of the hill and pond in the middle of the grounds are also very nice.

More info

Find out more about Kodaiji.

Larry Knipfing @larry.knipfing

Born on Long Island, New York in 1958, I have spent the last 30 years of my life living in Japan, and enjoying every minute of it! I especially love photography, and Japan is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world to photograph! My other love is fiction writing and I have pub...