Kita-no-Mandokoro, wife of the lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–98), ordered the construction of Kōdaiji in 1606 to pray for her husband’s departed soul. The temple’s formal title is Kōdaijushōzenji—said ...

Shoden-ji is a quiet Rinzai Zen temple hidden in Kyoto's northern suburbs, famed for a blood-stained ceiling and a rock garden that enchanted David Bowie. Founded in 1282, the temple's main hall was ...

The gardens of Japan have fascinated ever since the 1854 Treaty of Kamagawa opened the country to the West and they first came to the attention of the garden-making cognoscenti. Imitations are now ...

The gardens of Japan have graced both landscape and life for over a thousand years. Regarded as works of art, they lend insight into the nation’s history and culture. In Japanese Garden Design, ...

Nestled in Kyoto’s Higashiyama district, Ginkaku-ji, also known as the Silver Pavilion, is famous for its understated ...

It was a chilly autumn morning in Kyoto’s Komyo-in Temple. Facing a serene rock garden, a group of art collectors and curators were in the midst of a group zazen – a Zen Buddhist meditation session.

The rock garden at the temple of Ryōan-ji in northwest Kyoto is thought to be one of the finest Zen gardens in Japan. Totally flat, it is thought to date back to the late 15th century and contains no ...

Kyoto's most famous Zen garden is Ryoan-ji. Its raked gravel and 15 carefully placed stones make it the world's most recognisable garden image. I love Ryoan-ji, which, despite the hoards of visitors ...

From the Hello Kitty Haruka Express to Heian Jingu Shrine, Gemma Fullam explores one of Japan's most fascinating cities Kinkakuji's paradise gardens, which include a flying crane lake and a tortoise ...

When asked how to view a Japanese garden, designer Kinsaku Nakane (1917-1995) replied: “With a detached gaze, without preconceptions and in a state of total receptivity”. Since their earliest history ...