The Moss Sweepers

Walking through the grounds of the Tenryu-ji Temple we spotted the moss sweepers. Our guide told us that the moss has to be kept clean so it does not rot. Falling leaves, pruings etc that are left on the moss for any length of time will destroy the moss underneath. They both had little tiny hand held straw brooms.

Note also the use of bamboo as support for some of the trees.

Bamboo

As we walked around the gardens of the Tenryu-ji Temple, we spotted the beginnings of the bamboo grove. Bamboo is used everywhere, but more on that later.

Garden Art

This mean looking fellow was found in the garden just outside the main hall in the Tenryu-ji Temple. There was a group of them, all in a row, all slightly different. This one was undamaged. I think he may be representing the Water Dragon, which is supposed to protect the buildings from fire.

A Schoolroom

This was a schoolroom inside one of the buildings of the Tenryu-ji Temple. Note the height of the tables and lack of chairs. Sitting on the floor is the order of the day in  traditional Japanese culture. The floors are meticulously clean, hence no shoes allowed. Note the artwork on the the sliding doors and the paper used for walls.

Tenryu-ji Temple Garden

The gardens of the Tenryu-ji Temple are noted to be the best in Japan. As we only visited a small section of the country, I cannot say if this is true or not, but how beautiful is this? Green moss, running water, stepping stones, garden lights, shady trees, what more could we ask for?

The PineTree Pruners

Moving around the gardens of the Tenryu-ji Temple I spotted these gardeners. They were pruning the pine tree, by hand! Pine trees do not take well to mechanical implements of any kind, so the trees are meticulously pruned by hand, that is just with fingers breaking the pine needles. I can only imagine the time involved. I hope he has good balance standing on that ladder! Once again the colours of Autumn are beginning to show.

A Shrine

This was the shrine inside one of the buildings at the Tenryu-ji Temple. I would have liked to get a little closer to get better pics, especially of the patterns in those fabrics. Even with the  zoom ability of my camera, I missed the detail of those patterns.

Artwork

Artwork was rare inside the Tenryu-ji Temple. This horse was in a stand on the floor, not hung from a wall, and from memory the only one we saw.

Another Pot

This pot, or vase, or whatever you would like to call it, was the only thing in this room of the Tenryu-ji Temple besides tatami mats on the floor. The pot itself was beautiful, I would have like to have gotten closer to take better pics and to be able to see all the detailed decoration.

A Pot With Decorative Stand

There were many buildings inside the grounds of the Tenryu-ji Temple. Those that we had the pleasure of going inside were very simply furnished. Tatami mats on the floor, maybe a single pot somewhere, and maybe a piece of artwork if were were lucky. This is one of the pots that we saw, sitting on it's stand in the center of the room. It probably had some significance, but I am not sure what.

A Temple Gateway

This was one of the gateways in the grounds of the Tenryu-ji Temple. I am sure we were told what it was a gateway to, but my memory evades me. It may have been the entrance to the Dharma Hall. As you can see it is very much bolted. Note the raked gravel in front of the gateway, very much a part of Buddhist Zen Gardens.

A Pine Tree

Just a pine tree, an older pine tree, that I found interesting. This one was in the grounds of the Tenryu-ji Temple. Pine trees are few and far between in my neighbourhood, and never look quite like this. We have gum trees, bottlebrush trees, and other Australian natives. I really liked the lines in the branches, and you never know, they may appear in my stitching somewhere, somehow, sometime in the future.

Tenryu-ji Temple Grounds Pt 4

One of the buildings in the grounds of the Tenryu-ji Temple with  more of those autumn colours in that Japanese maple tree just starting to change colour. Note the use of bamboo as protection around the azalea bush in the center of the walkway.

Tenryu-ji Temple Grounds Pt 3

Just another view of the beautiful grounds of the Tenryu-ji Temple, a little further around the lake. Such glorious colour to be seen.

Tenryu-ji Temple Grounds Pt 2

 Just another view of the grounds of the Tenryu-ji Temple. More Autumn colour, and that beautiful old pine tree that has nearly toppled into the water. If you look closely, you can just see the moss & ferns on the waters edge under the trees. More on the moss a little further into our story.

Tenryu-ji Temple Gardens

A view of  the grounds of the Tenryu-ji Temple. The lake contained fish and the trees on the other side were stunning. In a few weeks time the colour would have been amazing.

Tenryu-ji Temple

The Tenryu-ji Temple ( a World Cultural Heritage Site) was the first stop on our taxi tour of Kyoto, Japan. Our tour  was a full day, whirlwind tour of the best of Kyoto.

Tenryu-ji ('Temple of the Hevenly Dragon),  is a Buddhist temple dating back to 1339. The site has a history of fires, so the current buildings only date back to the late 1800's. This was another shoes off experience.

Such a shame that we didn't have more time. I would have loved to explore all the buildings and gardens some more. I think it could be the kind of place to come and spend a whole day, we only had limited time as there were a few more stops ahead in our day.