実相院: Jisso-in, Temple of the Black Lacquer Floor

On May 19th, the Town Mouse and I made a trip to the northern end of Sakyo-ku, beyond Takaragaike, to a small temple complex off the Takano River. This complex's most famous temple is Jisso-in, a temple built in the 1100s with exquisite Japanese aesthetic. It is a monzeki temple, or temple with very close ties to the imperial family. It is a temple belonging to the Tendai sect. Originally, the temple was closer to the Imperial Palace, in the area nearby that is still known as "Jisso-in Cho," but was moved to its current, more northern location in the 15th century, to escape much of the devastation visited on temples during the Onin no Ran Civil War. The area of Iwakura, where the temple is now located, was where Ashikaga shogunate Yoshimasa lived for a few years before he constructed his villa Ginkakuji (The Silver Pavilion).

One of the rooms, known as the Waterfall Room, in the temple has a dark lacquered floor, with doors that open into a vibrant garden. Though visitors are not allowed to enter the room itself, the doors to the garden are always open, allowing the unfiltered light from outside to spill in. In spring, the floor reflects the pink of the sakura, in summer the vivid greens. In autumn, the black bursts into momiji red and then in winter, when it snows, it reflects the white drifts outside. It is a gorgeous and calming spot. The temple is in a quiet area, far from the hustle and bustle, so you can relax when you go. Photographs are not allowed anywhere inside the temple.

There are a few other rooms in the temple, with painted sliding doors on display and well worth a look. It was quite gorgeous. There are also some relics on display (including many beautiful screens from the Kano School of painting) and the garden is quite nice. If you're feeling adventurous, there are other temples in the area as well. Three of the places at Jisso-in (the Kyakuden Hall, Mikuruma-yose entrance and Shikyaku-mon Gate) are the oldest surviving pieces of their respective architecture in all of Japan. Below are some images (either taken by me or from the Jisso-in book I bought from the temple store), as well as a map.