Manshu-In

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  • Address
    Ichijōji, Takenouchi-chō 42, Sakyō-ku
  • Phone
    781 5010
  • Transport
    underground rail: 20min walk from Shūgakuin Station, Eizan line

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Lonely Planet review

Manshu-in was a popular retreat of former emperors and a great escape from the crowds. The temple was originally founded by Saichō on Hiei-zan, but was relocated here at the beginning of the Edo period by Ryōshōhō, the son of Prince Hachijōnomiya Tomohito (who built Katsura Rikyū).

The graceful temple architecture is often compared with Katsura Rikyū for its detailed woodwork and rare works of art, such as fusuma-e sliding doors painted by Kanō Eitoku, a famed artist of the Momoyama period.

The karesansui garden by Kobori Enshū features a sea of gravel intended to symbolise the flow of a waterfall and stone islands representing cranes and turtles. Located about 30 minutes' walk north of Shisen-dō temple.