Tofuku-ji Temple Gardens

Classic Zen gardens, with a splash of the modern

Larry Knipfing Jan 12, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>The gardens include touches of both traditional and modern design</p>

<p>The wood on display here is elegant and beautiful</p>

<p>This garden is quite traditional, but not too simple</p>

<p>Grass, trees, wall, sand, and light all interact with one another</p>

<p>Find a quiet corner to mediate in</p>

<p>In autumn, the colors are beautiful</p>

<p>The four gardens flank the Hojo building</p>

<p>This garden has a mixture of modern and traditional</p>

<p>Bamboo walls also play a part in the design of the gardens</p>

<p>Notice how the eaves are made up of many pieces of wood</p>

<p>A very interesting use of color in the sand</p>

Tofuku-ji Temple is large and imposing, but it also contains touches of beauty and splendor like those found in its gardens: The Hojo Garden, and the Ryogin-an Garden. In the Hojo Garden, four gardens (North, South, East, West) flank the main Hojo building, each with its own unique character. In the Ryogin-an Gardens, rocks, colorful sand, moss, grass, shapes, patterns, trees, bamboo, walls, wood, light, sky and more all work their magic here in a mixture of modern and traditional. Both gardens also have very beautiful wood corridors where you can find a warm and pleasant spot to sit and meditate.

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...