Kyoto Nanzen-ji’s Hojo Garden

Autumn comes to Nanzen-ji Temple in late November. The beauty of the colorful leaves took my breath away. The head priests of Nanzen-ji Temple were always the most outstanding Zen masters of the period; Priest Issan Ichinei (1313), Muso Soseki (1325), and others. Hojo Garden is a typical rock and sand garden built in the early Edo era. It features a wide, open space in front of a corner of green. The designer was Kobori Enshu, who was an expert at weaving western techniques such as perspective into his stone arrangements.