Tofukuji

Tofukuji was founded in 1236 and took its name by combining the characters of Todaiji and Kofukuji in Nara, the ambition being obvious. Its sanmon gate of 1425 is the oldest surviving Zen main gate in Japan and a national treasure. The Tsutenkyo, a covered wooden bridge, crosses the Sengyokukan ravine where about two thousand maples grow, and in the last ten days of November the view from it is one of the most sought in Kyoto - entry is controlled, photography on the bridge is prohibited in the peak period to keep people moving, and the queue is long. The abbot's garden is the other reason to come and is often missed: Shigemori Mirei laid it out in 1939 on four sides of the hojo, using modernist composition and recycled foundation stones set in a chequerboard of moss, and it is one of the few twentieth-century gardens that stands with the old ones.

History

Tōfuku-ji was founded in 1236 by the imperial chancellor Kujō Michiie, who appointed as its first priest the monk Enni, trained in Rinzai Zen in China under Wuzhun Shifan. After a fire it was rebuilt in the 14th century to the original plans, and it was one of the temples of the Five Mountain System (Wikipedia, Tōfuku-ji).

What's there

• Tsutenkyo bridge - a covered crossing over a ravine of about two thousand maples.
• The 1425 sanmon - the oldest surviving Zen main gate in Japan.
• Shigemori's 1939 garden - modernist composition on four sides of the abbot's hall.
• A moss chequerboard - recycled foundation stones set in a grid in the northern garden.

When to go

The last ten days of November for the maples; any time for the gardens. Two hours.

Good to know

November means long queues and controlled one-way movement, with photography banned on the bridge at peak. Different areas are ticketed separately. Outside autumn the ravine is green and quiet, which many prefer. It is a large compound with a lot of walking.

Nearby

Fushimi Inari is south; Sanjusangendo is north.

Key facts