Temple · Arashiyama

Tenryu-ji 天龍寺

Arashiyama's head Zen temple, with Muso Soseki's 14th-century pond garden that borrows the forested slopes of Arashiyama as its backdrop, and a back gate opening straight into the bamboo grove.

About

Tenryu-ji was founded in 1339 by the shogun Ashikaga Takauji to appease the spirit of Emperor Go-Daigo, and it ranks first among Kyoto's five great Zen temples. Fire destroyed the buildings eight times, so most halls date from the Meiji era, but the Sogenchi garden behind the hojo survives in its original form: a pond garden designed by the Zen master and garden genius Muso Soseki, with a vertical dragon-gate waterfall of stacked stones and a composition that pulls Arashiyama and Kameyama into the view. It was Japan's first designated Special Place of Scenic Beauty. On weekends and in peak seasons the Hatto lecture hall opens to show the Cloud Dragon painted on its ceiling by Kayama Matazo in 1997, whose eyes seem to follow you around the room. The north gate of the garden exits directly into the Arashiyama bamboo grove, so a visit here is the natural start of the grove walk.

Highlights

• Sogenchi pond garden by Muso Soseki with Arashiyama as borrowed scenery
• Ryumon-baku, the stacked-stone "dragon gate" waterfall symbolising enlightenment
• Unryu-zu, Kayama Matazo's eight-direction cloud dragon on the Hatto ceiling
• Hojo verandas for sitting and contemplating the garden
• North gate leading straight into the bamboo grove

Tips

• The garden opens at 8:30; arrive then and exit via the north gate to see the bamboo grove before the crowds.
• Pay the extra 300 yen for the buildings: the view of Sogenchi from the Ohojo veranda beats the path view.
• The Hatto dragon is shown only on weekends, holidays and special spring and autumn periods.
• Shigetsu, the temple's shojin ryori restaurant, serves Buddhist vegetarian meals; reserve ahead.

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Fukuda Art MuseumMuseum · 220 m away
• Nonomiya ShrineShrine · 230 m away
• Arashiyama Bamboo GroveNature & Hike · 230 m away
• Kyoto Kitcho ArashiyamaRestaurant · 240 m away
• Arashiyama YoshimuraRestaurant · 250 m away
• Ebisuya Arashiyama RickshawActivities & Experiences · 260 m away
• Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, KyotoStay · 270 m away
• Okochi Sanso GardenGarden · 310 m away