Introduction to Ryotanji Temple 龍潭寺について

Official explanation

Ryotanji Temple was founded in 733 CE and is a Zen Buddhist temple of the Rinzai sect, located north of central Hamamatsu close to the banks of the Iinoya River. The temple structures exemplify several aspects of traditional Zen temple design, such as the stately gable of the priests’ quarters and the vermillion color of the multistory founder’s hall pavilion. All six of the main buildings are protected as Important Cultural Properties. Ryotanji is the ancestral temple of the Ii family, a prominent Japanese family that traces its roots to the year 1010 and includes a number of important figures throughout Japanese history. The garden at Ryotanji was built one generation after the family had overcome dire circumstances that threatened their survival, as a place that successive generations would be able to return to, to pay respects to their ancestors.

Today, Ryotanji is well-known for that garden, located behind the main hall, which was nationally designated a Place of Scenic Beauty in 1936. The garden was designed by renowned artist and aristocrat Kobori Enshu (1579–1647), who also designed a large number of other notable Japanese gardens.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.