Tōfuku-ji

Tōfuku-ji stands at the heart of a world of Zen temples and subtemples. It’s one of our favourite temples in Kyoto and it’s usually quite peaceful, except in the November autumn-foliage season, when it becomes so crowded that we give it a miss. Founded in 1236 by the priest Enni, Tōfuku-ji belongs to the Rinzai school. Since this temple was intended to compete with Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji in Nara, it was given a name combining characters in each of these. This impressive temple complex is considered one of the five main Zen temples in Kyoto. The huge San-mon gate is the oldest Zen main gate in Japan. The Hōjō (Garden Hall) was reconstructed in 1890. The gardens, laid out in 1938, are well worth a visit. The northern garden has stones and moss neatly arranged in a chequerboard pattern.