Tofuku-ji Temple, situated in Hommachi, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, is the head temple of the Rinzai sect Tofuku-ji School of Zen Buddhism.
The temples of the Rinzai sect have two formality which are called ‘Kyoto Gozan’ and ‘Kamakura Gozan’.
This Temple is the fourth grade of Kyoto Gozan (Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto).
Speaking of a Japanese autumn pastime that gives poetic charm, it is “Autumn(colored) leaves”.
There are a lot of famous place of colored leaves in Kyoto, and a particularly famous place is Tofuku-ji Temple.
2,000 or more maples trees is planted in the precincts of the temple.
In addition, there are Japanese oldest Sammon Gate and the main hall of a Buddhist temple of the biggest in Japan grade in this temple.
This temple is full of the highlight!!
Contents：
- About Tofuku-ji Temple
- About Kyoto Gozan (Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto)
- Speaking of Tofuku-ji Temple, it is “Autumn(colored) leaves”!!
- Highlight of Tofuku-ji Temple
- Goshuin(shrine seal or stamp) of Tofuku-ji Temple
- How to get to Tofuku-ji Temple
- Hotel search & reservation around Tofuku-ji
1.About Tofuku-ji Temple
Tōfuku-ji (東福寺) is a Buddhist temple in Higashiyama-ku in Kyoto, Japan. Tōfuku-ji takes its name from two temples in Nara, Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji. It is one of the so-called Kyoto Gozan or “five great Zen temples of Kyoto”. Its honorary sangō prefix is Enichi-san (慧日山).
引用(citation):https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dfuku-ji
Tofuku-ji Temple is appointed to Michelin green guide Japan ★★.
■Open
9:00~16:00(April ~ October)
8:30~16:00(November ~ the beginning of December)
9:00~15:30(The beginning of December ~ March)
■Admission fee
通天橋と開山堂(Tsuten-kyo Bridge & Kaisan-do hall): 400 yen(Adults),300 yen(A primary and secondary student)
方丈庭園(Hojo garden): 400 yen(Adults),300 yen(A primary and secondary student)
2.About Kyoto Gozan (Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto)
Kyoto Gozan Temples refers the status of a Buddhist temple, and to the system of state-sponsored temples of the Zen sect (Rinzai sect) in Kyoto among the Five Mountain System.
This Temple is the fourth grade of Kyoto Gozan (Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto).
Now, the status of a Buddhist temple of Kyoto Gozan Temples is as follows.
別格:南禅寺(Bekkaku (exceptional) – Nanzen-ji Temple)
第一位:天龍寺(The first grade – Tenryu-ji Temple)
第二位:相国寺(The second grade – Shokoku-ji Temple)
第三位:建仁寺(The third grade – Kennin-ji Temple)
第四位:東福寺(The fourth grade – Tofuku-ji Temple)
第五位:万寿寺(The fifth grade – Manju-ji Temple)
3.Speaking of Tofuku-ji Temple, it is “Autumn(colored) leaves”!!
It is the famous place of the colored leaves in Kyoto speaking of Tofuku-ji Temple.
Especially, the colored leaves to look at from Tsuten-kyo Bridge are very beautiful.
引用(citation):http://photo53.com/This temple is crowded with tourists very much in the season of colored leaves.
引用(citation):http://photo53.com/
The end of November is the full bloom of colored leaves every year.
4.Highlight of Tofuku-ji Temple
- 三門 (国宝):San-mon gate (National treasure)
- 本堂:Hon-do
- 方丈庭園*:Hojo garden*
- 通天橋*:Tsuten-kyo bridge*
- 開山堂 (重要文化財)*:Kaizan-do (Important cultural property)*
- 東司 (重要文化財)*:Tosu (The Japanese zen style’s oldest toilet) (Important cultural property)*
This mark ‘*‘ is a pay area.
●三門 (国宝):San-mon gate (National treasure)
Sammon Gate of Tofuku-ji Temple is appointed to a national treasure.
This Sammon gate is rebuilt in 1425, and it is the oldest Sammon gate in Japan for the gate of an existing temple belonging to the Zen sect.
There is a pond of the lotus in front of Sammon gate. A beautiful flower blooms in July.
●本堂:Hon-do
Hondo (Main temple) is a comparatively new building which was rebuilt in 1934. This building is size of the biggest in Japan in the wooden building of the Showa era.
●方丈庭園*:Hojo garden*
This Japanese garden is different from a common garden, and it is a characteristic to adopt a design of “the modern art” (abstract art).
You can watch the garden of the interesting design which cannot watch at the other gardens.
■動画：東福寺-方丈庭園東庭(The Garden of the Hojo (East side))
This is the garden which is in a building called 方丈(Hojo).
The garden is charged.
This is the garden of the Big Dipper in the east garden. A stone column expresses the Big Dipper.
This is the south garden. This is the beautiful garden of dry landscape garden.
A ripple mark is very beautiful.
It express five mountains of Kyoto by a mountain of the moss.
West garden. This is a checkered pattern made by a garden plant and a sand.
You can look at Tsuten-kyo Bridge from the corridor of the garden.
North garden.
This is a checkered pattern made by a stone pavement and a moss.
●通天橋*:Tsuten-kyo bridge*
●開山堂 (重要文化財)*:Kaizan-do (Important cultural property)*
This bridge is charged.
This bridge was built as the corridor which is connected Hondo (Main temple) and Kaisan-do hall.
This place is very beautiful with colored leaves in autumn.
The corridor which follows Kaisan-do hall.
Kaisan-do hall is appointed to important cultural property.
普門院(Fumon-in)
愛染堂(Aizen-do) is an octagon-shaped cinnabar red temple.
The way which spreads out to the place of ascetic practices.
●東司 (重要文化財)*:Tosu (The Japanese zen style’s oldest toilet) (Important cultural property)*
This is the oldest toilet which is Buddhism-type toilet in Japan. (○´艸｀)
5.Goshuin(shrine seal or stamp) of Tofuku-ji Temple
The letter called “大佛寶殿” written here is another name of Hondo (Main temple).
6.How to get to Tofuku-ji Temple
The nearest station of Tofuku-ji is “JR･Keihan Tofuku-ji Station”.
(We can also go by bus from ‘JR Kyoto Station’, ‘Hankyu Kawaramachi Station’, and ‘Keihan Gion-Shijo Station’.)
■Route Example (From Osaka Station to JR Tofuku-ji Station)
■Route Example (From Kyoto Station to JR Tofuku-ji Station)
■When you go on foot from JR･Keihan Tofuku-ji Station
It’s about 15 minutes (700m) on foot.
■When you get on a bus from JR Kyoto Station
Timetable and Route Search of bus
・Kyoto Sta.[D2]：208/Bound for Tofukuji Temple
Bus company：Kyoto City Bus
Routes/Destination：208/Bound for Tofukuji Temple
Boarding bus stop：Kyoto Sta.[D2]
Alighting bus stop：Tofukuji
Bus fare：230 yen
Time required：About 16 min
・Kyoto Sta.[C4]：South-5/Bound for Takeda Sta. Via Inari-taisha Shrine
Bus company：Kyoto City Bus
Routes/Destination：South-5/Bound for Takeda Sta. Via Inari-taisha Shrine
Boarding bus stop：Kyoto Sta.[C4]
Alighting bus stop：Tofukuji-michi
Bus fare：230 yen
Time required：About 11 min
■When you get on a bus from Hankyu Kawaramachi Station
Timetable and Route Search of bus
・Shijo Kawaramachi [E]：207/Bound for Tofukuji Temple Via Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Bus company：Kyoto City Bus
Routes/Destination：207/Bound for Tofukuji Temple Via Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Boarding bus stop：Shijo Kawaramachi [E]
Alighting bus stop：Tofukuji
Bus fare：230 yen
Time required：About 20 min
■When you get on a bus from Keihan Gion-Shijo Station
Timetable and Route Search of bus
・Shijo Keihan-mae[2]：207/Bound for Tofukuji Temple Via Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Bus company：Kyoto City Bus
Routes/Destination：207/Bound for Tofukuji Temple Via Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Boarding bus stop：Shijo Keihan-mae[2]
Alighting bus stop：Tofukuji
Bus fare：230 yen
Time required：About 18 min
■When you take a taxi
From Kyoto Station：1,330 yen ~ 1,600 yen (about 10 minutes)
From Gion-Shijo Station：1,490 yen ~ 1,840 yen (about 15 minutes)
・Let’s show a taxi driver the following phrase.
・If you want to call a taxi, let’s show the following phrase.
[Phone number of taxi dispatch : Around the Kyoto Station]*Japanese text only.
7.Hotel search & reservation around Tofuku-ji
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