Recorded Joy·Rakusai / Matsuo

Saiho-ji, Kyoto's Moss Temple

Known as the Moss Temple, its garden as Musō Soseki laid it out in 1339 was, by tradition, nothing like the moss carpet seen today. Once a brighter garden with a pavilion, it fell into ruin after the fires of the Ōnin War, and the moss is said to have taken over only from the Edo period—within the last two centuries or so. At its center lies the Ōgonchi, the Golden Pond. Visits remain by reservation made the day before, and begin with devotions in the main hall, such as copying a sutra, before the garden itself.

View on the map →About Bean & Stone →

These notes come from desk research. Local traditions vary.