RINNŌ-JI

Immediately after Shinkyo Bridge on the left, an alley leads to Rinnō-ji, a temple of the Tendai sect, built in the late ^8th century by Shōdō Shōnin. Originally it was called Mangan-ji and the senior priests were appointed directly by the imperial house. After its destruction, it was rebuilt in the ^17th century and permanently named Rinnō-ji. It is currently under renovation, but can be visited all the same. Today, the site consists of 15 buildings and houses, among others, the mausoleum of Iemitsu Tokugawa, the Hon-bō and the hall of the three Buddhas.

Mausoleum (Taiyuin Bo). Mausoleum of Ieyasu's grandson, Iemitsu, famous for establishing the sankin-kōtai system. It is located in a forest of cryptomerias. Some consider it artistically superior to the Tōshō-gū. The Nio Gate is its entrance (King Deva Gate). On the left are sacred stores and on the right is the sacred fountain. We can turn left and climb the steps to the Niten-mon, dedicated to the two Buddhist deities Komokuten and Jikokuten. On the other side of the door, we notice representations of the gods of Wind and Thunder. After climbing the steps of another staircase, one passes through the yasha-mon, named after the four faces of Yasha, a Buddhist deity. One finds oneself in the middle courtyard with its belfry and Drum Tower.

Hon-Bō. This is the residence of the senior priests in which the steles of the superiors belonging to the imperial family are present. The famous lacquer altar decorated with gold leaves is still on display. For the record, it is in this temple that the American general Grant resided in 1879.

The hall of the three Buddhas. North of the Hon-Bō is the Sanbutsu Dō, built in 1648. This temple remains quite famous because of the three large gilded wooden Buddha statues, 8 meters high, depicting Amida Nyōrai surrounded by Jōichimen Kannon (Kannon with eleven faces) and Kannon Batō. The latter wears a horse's head on her forehead and protects the animal world. One can also notice two portraits of the monks Ryōgen and Tenkai (1536-1643). The latter had the Sōrin-tô built in 1643, a metal column supposed to be a replica of the one in Enryaku-ji temple in Kyōto. It contains 10,000 volumes of Buddhist sutras. In the Gohoten-Dō sit very admirable statues of Bishamon, Benzai Ten and Daikoku.

The temple is also famous for its beautiful Buddhist garden, the Shoyo-en.