Be enchanted by the beautiful garden ♡ Discover the charm of Rengeji Temple!
Hello! It's Mo! This time I'm going to introduce you to Rengeji Temple in Kyoto. Do you know about this temple? When you think of famous temples in Kyoto, you think of Kinkakuji Temple, Ginkakuji Temple, and Kiyomizu-dera Temple, right? Of course, some of you may know about this temple, but I actually only found out about it recently (;・∀・) I've been hooked on temples and shrines lately, and when I was looking for various temples and shrines in Kyoto, I found a temple that seemed like it had a really nice atmosphere! What's more, it seems that they also have an interesting event called "Cucumber Sealing"! Aren't you curious??? Please read to the end and find out about the charms of Rengeji Temple!
【table of contents】
☆What is Rengeji Temple?
☆Enchanted by the beautiful gardens of Rengeji Temple♡
☆What are the "stone lanterns" that are only found at Rengeji Temple?
☆ Embed a talisman in a cucumber!? "Cucumber Seal"!
☆What is Rengeji Temple?
Rengeji Temple is a Tendai sect temple located at the foot of a mountain in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto Prefecture. It is a little far from central Kyoto, just under an hour by train or bus, so it has a tranquil atmosphere. Currently, Rengeji Temple is located on the banks of the Takano River, the source of the Kamo River, but it was originally located on Shichijo Street and was a Jishu sect temple called Sairaiin. Today, Shichijo Street is home to Sanjusangendo Temple, Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto Aquarium, Nishi Honganji Temple, and more, and is very close to Kyoto Station! It was originally located near Kyoto Station, but it was burned down during the Onin War!
It was later rebuilt in 1662, during the early Edo period, by Imaeda Chikayoshi, a vassal of the Kaga Maeda Clan (present-day Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture). Chikayoshi followed the wishes of his grandfather, who wanted to build a temple on the site of a hermitage in Kamitakano (where Rengeji Temple is now located), and turned the hermitage into a temple for Bodhisattva and moved Rengeji Temple to its current location. At that time, a monk from Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei named Jitsuzobo Jishun founded the temple, and it changed from a Jishu sect to a Tendai sect temple.
During the construction of Rengeji Temple, Ishikawa Jozan, Kinoshita Junan, Kano Tan'yū and others cooperated. Thanks to the cooperation of many literati, it can be said that the temple has a typical pond garden of the early Edo period!
You're probably curious about gardens that were created with the cooperation of many literary figures, aren't you? In the next article, we'll be introducing stroll-style pond gardens!
☆Enchanted by the beautiful gardens of Rengeji Temple♡
The garden of Rengeji Temple is a stroll-around pond garden, built facing the Buddhist temple and shoin study on the temple grounds.
First, let me explain about "Walking Gardens"! A "Walking Garden" is a type of Japanese garden that is enjoyed by walking around the garden! The most common type is a stroll garden with a large pond at the center, with paths around the pond and islands, bridges and stones in the pond. This type of garden can be found at Rikugien and Koishikawa Korakuen in Tokyo, Kenrokuen in Kanazawa, and Tenryu-ji, Kinkakuji and Ginkakuji in Kyoto.
Oops, I've gotten off topic, but I should have told you about the charms of Rengeji Temple here (;・∀・) The garden of Rengeji Temple is designed to face the Shoin study, so the view through a picture frame is popular! If you do an image search, you'll find that most of the photos are taken in perspective, with the tatami mats in the foreground and the beautiful garden in the background! It's a view that makes you want to reminisce about the spacious tatami mats and the garden that stretches out in the background. The bright red leaves in autumn and the refreshing new greenery in summer are a spectacular sight! You can enjoy it in both summer and autumn! One might think that you can't enjoy it in winter, but it's actually a wonderful place to visit in winter too!
☆What are the "stone lanterns" that are only found at Rengeji Temple?
In winter, the large crowds that bustle around the temple during the autumn foliage season thin out, creating a more relaxed atmosphere. In winter, when the leaves have fallen, many stone structures become visible, including the stone lanterns that are unique to Rengeji Temple and the stone monuments that were erected when the temple was first built. You can also get a sense of the wabi-sabi aesthetic by looking at the moss that has grown on the rocks.
What I want to draw your attention to here is the "stone lantern" at Rengeji Temple!!! I think there are many people who don't know what a "stone lantern" is, so I will explain. These are lanterns made from stone that are used in temples and gardens. The most common types are the Kasuga type and the Yukimi type! If you can't imagine what a "stone lantern" is, try doing an image search!
The "stone lanterns" at Rengeji Temple are called lotus-style stone lanterns, and are characterized by their steeply sloping, vertical caps. They resemble a long hat! A chef's hat? I think they are also similar in shape to the long, black hats worn by British guards. What's more, they have hexagonal caps! It's a shape you don't see very often! Looking from the Shoin, there are two stone lanterns lined up in front of the main hall on the back side, and they are an astounding 1.9 meters tall! They're so tall! They're about as tall as my ideal spouse! (lol) It seems that these lanterns were popular with tea masters, and tea ceremonies were often held in this garden.
☆ Embed a talisman in a cucumber!? "Cucumber Seal"!
Actually, the thing I was most interested in at Rengeji Temple was this! An event called "Cucumber sealing"! Just from the name, doesn't it sound like a really interesting event? Cucumber sealing is a secret technique left behind when Kobo Daishi (Kukai) created the Gochi Fudoson statue, in which he prayed to cut off actions that bring about illness, suffering, and bad retribution, to ease the pain of illness, live a long and healthy life, and go to heaven in peace. It seems to be held on the eve of the July festival and on the day of the Ox during the Dog Days.
Here's how the intriguing "cucumber sealing" is done. First, the temple gives everyone a cucumber, and they write their name, age according to the traditional Japanese counting system, and a wish on a piece of paper. Amulets that have been prayed for three weeks at the Fudodo temple are embedded into each cucumber, and they are then prayed for. After that, they take the cucumber home and for three days, morning and night, they rub the cucumber on any areas that hurt or are bothering them while chanting a mantra. Then, on the morning of the fourth day, they bury the cucumber in clean soil that has not been stepped on by people.
By the way, why cucumbers? Cucumbers are 95% water, so it has long been thought that rubbing a cucumber on the body would help the ailing parts of the body dissolve into the cucumber.
So that's the reason why the cucumbers that have absorbed the bad things are buried in the soil! I totally agree! I'd love to take part in this event too!
If you are interested, please check out the Rengeji Temple website!
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