The first chief priest at Zuisen-ji Temple was Muso Soseki. He was not only a high level Zen Buddhist monk but also a Zen artist (especially for calligraphy, poetry, and garden design). He completed this temple’s Zen rock garden in 1328 when he was 53 years old. A cave (Tennyo-do) dug into the rock was designed for the purpose of Za-zen practice. He often held poetry meetings at a small hall on the cliff (Henkai-ichiran-tei; not open to the public) from which the members could enjoy a stunning view of Mt. Fuji.
Was this article helpful?
Tomoko Kamishima @tomoko.kamishima
Japan is a small island nation, but we have a huge number of surprising things to discover here. Many of these delights can be found when you step off the main street onto small side paths. I really enjoy studying about and researching various aspects of traditional Japanese culture, and then sharing this information with visitors to Japan. I hope you will enjoy it, too! ARTICLE INDEX & PHOTOS: An index of most of my Japan Travel articles can be found at the entry page of my blog, and my photos are shown here. 日本はとても小さな国ですが、大通りから一本小道に入ればたくさんの発見があります。日本人が積み重ねてきた歴史を学びながら、古い建物や庭を訪ね、物語の舞台となった景色を眺めて、皆様といっしょに日本文化の奥深さを探求していきたいと思います。
Loading... 
