Hogon-in Temple

Hogon-in is a Rinzai Zen temple (Tenryu-ji branch) in Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, with the mountain name Daikizan. It was founded in 1461 (Kansho 2) when Hosokawa Yoriyuki, a kanrei (shogunate deputy), invited the monk Seichu Eikō to establish it. The temple was originally located in what is now Zenjo-in-cho, Kamigyo Ward, but fell into ruin during the Onin War. It was revived in the Tensho era with support associated with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and after further changes, relocated to its current site in 2002 (Heisei 14). Access is about a 10-minute walk from Saga-Arashiyama Station (JR Sagano Line) or about a 10-minute walk from Arashiyama Station (Hankyu). A major highlight is the garden “Shishiku no Niwa,” a strolling-style garden that uses borrowed scenery, created by the Muromachi-period Zen monk Sakugen Shūryō. Notable features include Shishi-iwa (Lion Rock), shaped like a lion, and Ryumon-no-taki (the “Dragon Gate” waterfall), which represents the Chinese legend of carp that become dragons after climbing the rapids at Longmen. The main hall, built in 2008 (Heisei 20), contains the screen paintings “Fūga Sansan Sansan Jizai” by artist Noriko Tamura, known for a distinctive composition centered on vermilion said to evoke the colors a fetus sees within the womb.