Tofukuji Temple

JAPAN, Kyoto

Tofukuji is the head temple of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen Buddhism, and is one of the Five Great Zen Temples of Kyoto. Construction of the temple began in 1236 during the Kamakura period, with Enni Ben’en as its founding master. It was completed in 1271. The temple was destroyed by fire in 1319 during the Kamakura period, and was rebuilt between the Nanbokucho (1336–1392) and Muromachi (1392–1573) periods. It burnt down again in 1881 during the Meiji period, and was later reconstructed in its present format.
The main structures include the temple gate, Dharma Hall, meditation hall, founder’s hall, sutra repository, and Tsutenkyo bridge. Construction of the temple gate started in 1384 during the Nanbokucho period, and completed between 1405 and 1408 during the Muromachi period. The gate was built in the architectural style of the Chinese Tang dynasty. It is the oldest existing temple gate in Japan and a symbol of the temple. The five-by-two bay, two-story gate has a hip-and-gable roof. There are doors in the central three bays with stairs on either side of the gate leading up to the second story, which is surrounded by balustrades. Statues of Sakyamuni Buddha and Sixteen Arhats are enshrined within the gate. The columns, crescent beams, king posts, bracket sets, and ceiling are painted with depictions of dragons, kalavinka, and apsaras. It was listed as a National Treasure in 1952.
The eight-bay wide, two-story founder’s hall was rebuilt in 1823 during the Edo period. There is a portrait of monk Budai on the second story. The Dharma Hall, which was rebuilt in 1934 during the Showa period, has a double-eave hip-and-gable roof covered with cylindrical tiles. It is the largest wooden building of the Showa period (1926–1989).
The temple houses a collection of National Treasures, which include portraits of eminent monks, painting of Bodhidharma and Five Hundred Arhats, as well as many valuable works of calligraphy and steles.