Beautiful Shoren-in Temple, Kyoto 2

Lotus...and more lotus...and more lotus...beautiful

Larry Knipfing Apr 16, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Many of the lotus are painted right onto sliding doors</p>

<p>Detail of a lotus painting near the tatami mat floor</p>

<p>There are quite a few rooms in the Kacho-den Hall, which is the first big room you'll see after entering the temple buildings</p>

<p>This more vibrant combination makes you wonder how long the paintings will stay vibrant</p>

<p>A stack of zabuton, for sitting on the tatami, usually used during special ceremonies</p>

<p>Wandering around the complex, there are many delights to be found</p>

<p>This beautiful peacock was painted directly onto a wood wall</p>

<p>Gate leading to a path winding its way up the hill to a great view, a small shrine, and a bamboo grove</p>

<p>A pair of foxes in the shrine at the top</p>

<p>The temple bell is in a corner of the temple grounds, down nearer the exit</p>

Besides being just a generally beautiful temple, with a pond, old wooden corridors, and a shrine up top the hill, the thing that will catch your eye and keep it caught at Shoren-in is the delightful collection of lotus painted onto the sliding doors and walls of the temple's Kacho-den Hall. These were all painted by the very talented pop artist Hideki Kimura in 2005. Take a look at Kimura's website and you will find dozens of other 'wall projects' - all similar, yet all unique. The Shoren-in project (called Lotus Trilogy) features lotus depicting three themes: Land of Happiness, Paean to Life, and Blue Fantasy.

Larry Knipfing @larry.knipfing

Born on Long Island, New York in 1958, I have spent the last 30 years of my life living in Japan, and enjoying every minute of it! I especially love photography, and Japan is definitely one of the most beautiful places in the world to photograph! My other love is fiction writing and I have pub...