Tōfuku-ji
Tōfuku-ji is one of the main temples of the Rinzai-shu sect. It was built in 1236 and is one of the Kyoto Gozan – “five great Zen temples of Kyoto” or “five mountains.” It is located in Higashiyama-ku. Currently, it consists of twenty-five buildings and twenty thousand square meters.
Tōfuku-ji was founded by Kujō Michiie, regent and father of Yoritsune the fourth Kamakura shogun. Kujō Michiie appointed the monk Enni Ben’en (1202 – 1280), also known as Shōichi Kokushi, as head priest. As one of the gozan temples, Tōfuku-ji was atop a hierarchy of temples. During those times large monasteries were like small towns, hosting numerous sub-temples. At its height it consisted of some seventy buildings. During the Meiji Period under the law of Shinbutsu bunri (“separation of Kami and Buddhas”), which mandated the separation of temples and shrines, Tōfuku-ji shrunk to twenty-five buildings.
Though its location away from central Kyoto lessened its exposure to fire, it did suffer two major fires: in the 15th century and in 1881. The buildings damaged were restored to original specifications. In 1917, the main hall and Hatto were rebuilt, and a new statue of Shakyamuni Buddha was placed there in 1934.
During the Russo-Japanese War, the temple was used as a prisoner-of-war camp for Russians.
It has the oldest communal toilet in Japan, built in the Muromachi Period.
Tōfuku-ji’s Tsūten Bridge goes over a stream that flows through a narrow ravine where there are many maple trees. The Tsūten Bridge is a famous fall attraction.
Architecture
Tōfuku-ji’s main gate or sanmon is in the Zen-style. It is the oldest sanmon in Japan. It is quite large – two stories high and has five bays, the central three being doors. It has been designated a national Treasure.
Artwork
Tōfuku-ji displays Zen-inspired artwork. Zen art captures the essence of its subject matter ignoring anything that is unnecessary, resulting in artwork that is simple and minimalistic. Zen artwork includes much portraiture, which is in line with Zen’s emphasis that truth lies within rather than in scripture, especially the teacher-pupil relationship. Since Zen stressed the importance of the pupil-teacher learning rather than scripture, there are portraits of several monks. These portraits do not attempt flattery; rather they show the spirit of the subject. An exception to this is the Blue Dragon painted by Nihonga painter Inshō Dōmoto in 1933.
Gardens
Tōfuku-ji has many gardens, including the Japanese maple trees which can be seen from the Tsūten-kyō Bridge, and others featuring water, sand, and rocks. The gardens are particularly notable for being the first major project of Mirei Shigemori (1896 – 1975), a famed landscape architect and landscape historian.
