Saiho-ji Temple, Kyoto

Saiho-ji Temple is a Rinzai Zen Buddhist temple in Nishikyo-ku, Kyoto. This temple is often called Koke-dera, or the Moss Temple, as it is famous for its moss garden.

The history of this temple is traced to the Nara Period. It was originally a Hosso temple dedicated to the Amitabha, and the name Saiho-ji was selected because the Amitabha is the primary Buddha of Western Paradise, or Saiho Jodo.

By the 14th century, Saiho-ji had fallen into disrepair when Fujiwara Chikahide, the chief priest of neighboring Matsunoo Shrine, engaged famous Japanese landscape gardener Muso Soseki, to help him revive Saiho-ji into a Zen temple.

The moss for which Saiho-ji is so famous for is in fact not part of Muso Soseki's design. According to French historian François Berthier, Muso Soseki designed the garden to be blanketed with white sand. The moss started to appear only in the 19th century, when the monastery lacked the funds and manpower to upkeep it.

Saiho-ji Temple's


Saiho-ji Temple's Moss Garden

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