Kodai-ji Temple's Lovely Grounds

This fairly young Zen Temple was established by a woman

Larry Knipfing Jan 13, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>Roof tiles of a wall in the temple</p>

<p>From the bamboo grove at the top of the hill</p>

<p>Take a look at this ingenious bamboo rain gutter system</p>

<p>This crow acted as though he was Lord of the Garden</p>

<p>Garden in the corner of the grounds</p>

In 1606, Kita-no-Mandokoro established this temple in memory of her late husband Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of Japan's greatest-ever military leaders. Also known as 'Nene' this remarkable woman later became a priestess, taking on the religious name of Kodaiin Kogetsuni. When she died in 1624, Sanko Osho of the Kenninji Temple became the head priest and the temple was renamed Kodai-ji. The temple itself is truly beautiful, but what grabbed my attention were the spacious grounds. It is a wonderful place to walk, people-watch, and take lots and lots of photos. The bamboo grove at the top of the hill and pond in the middle of the grounds are also very nice.

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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...