Places to Go: Tenryū-ji Temple

Tenryū-ji, a registered World Heritage Site, is a true treasure of the Arashiyama district of Kyoto. Founded in 1339, the temple presently serves as one of the headquarters of the Rinzai School of Zen Buddhism. The name “Tenryū-ji” was suggested by Ashikaga Tadayoshi (brother of the shōgun Ashikaga Takauji) following a dream he had of a golden dragon flying into the heavens from the river just south of the temple. Tenryū-ji’s beautiful landscape garden and Sōgen Pond, famous for its use of shakkei (borrowed