A quiet Zen Temple on the hilltop, well known for its beautiful moss garden and a lovely Jizo statue.

Enko-ji is a temple of the “Rinzai Zen Sect”, located at the foot of Mount Uryuyama, in the north-east of Kyoto. The temple was established in 1601 as a school by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), who is famous as one of the greatest men of Japan. Today, the temple is a place of Zen training, holding “zazen” (basic Zen training) meetings.

Beautiful Zen Garden

After passing through the gate and ascending to the precincts of the temple, visitors will find a dry garden. This garden evokes the image of a dragon in flight. Huge stones are arranged in such a way that they seem to pierce the heavens, creating a garden that takes one’s breath away.

At the entrance of the main garden there is a “sui-kin-kutsu” that echoes water dripping in an underground water pot and a “seiryuchi” shows the glassy surface of pure water.

The main strolling garden centered around a pond that can be enjoyed all year round, but the best season is the spectacular view of the autumn leaves. Behind the pond is a small bamboo grove. You may find a little jizo statue among fallen maple leaves. After strolling through the garden, visitors can enjoy the view of the garden for a while in the adjacent hall.

You can also see a great view of the Kyoto city from the short climb up the hill behind the garden.