Ryoanji Temple

By Dempson Haney



Kyoto, Japan is referred to as the “Imperial Metropolis of Peace” and from the 8th to the 19th century, it was the location of Japan’s capitol. Kyoto was not always a metropolis of peace. In 1467 a great war erupted completely wiping out the city before being rebuilt. Out of the chaos and hatred rose the Ryoanji Temple, a place of self contemplation and peace. Ryoanji is also known as the Peaceful Dragon Temple. The following research paper addresses the historical, cultural, political, and economic significance of the Ryoanji Temple. A detailed program analysis will be included in order to understand the role of Zen Buddhism within the temple and necessity of each space. Also included will be an aesthetic and structural study of the temple and rock garden.

Nestled within Kyoto is the site of the Ryoanji temple. Before the construction of the temple, the site was originally owned by a nobleman who was part of the Fujiwara family. The Fujiwara family was a powerful family during the Heian period. Over the years the estate was passed from family to family before becoming under ownership of the Hosokawa family. The estate was eventually inherited by Hosokawa Katsumoto in 1430. The Hosokawa estate was known for its lake. Mosher states in his book “Kyoto: A Contemplative Guide” that the lake was of a size and style that had been uncommon within the region for four centuries. The shogun at the time, Yoshimasa, would take refuge to the estate at times when national affairs became uncontrollable.

The story of how the Ryoanji Temple came to be is much like a mythical story. Katsumoto was a general and high government official. Yoshimasa was looking to name his successor and retire. The problem was is that his wife had been unable to bare him a son. In disparate need to retire, he asked his brother, Yoshimi to give up his priesthood and take heir as his successor. In 1464, Yoshimi agreed and Katsumoto was named his counselor. A year later Yoshimasa’s wife gave birth to a son. The dilemma for Yoshima was whether to name his newly son heir or allow his brother to continue as his successor. Yoshima chose his son, and this created a disagreement among the family. To build support another family was brought. At this point the Shiba and Hatakeyama families were already split and fell into opposite sides.

In 1467 the Onin war had begun. Katsumoto’s father-in-law Yamana Sozen held his camp of 90,000 men within the southwest corner of Kyoto. Katsumoto himself had his camp of 100,000 men in the middle of Kyoto. Through seven years of intense war Kyoto was laid to waste. The face of the countryside had literally changed. The sad aspect of it all was that the original reason for ware had become blurred. Both commanders, Katsumoto and Yamana, had passed away within a month of each other. According to Katsumoto’s wishes, he was buried on his estate in the west part of Kyoto and became a Zen sect temple. The war continued for three more years. After ten years of war, The Yamana army, tired and exhausted, abandoned their camp in December of 1477. The next morning when the Hosokawa got word of the other army’s flee, they did not pursue for they also were exhausted and they too left Kyoto. After ten years of family feuding, Kyoto was nothing more than a scar on the earth. Overnight a war had ended and Kyoto had been laid to waste with hardly anything left intact.

After Katsumoto’s estate had become a Zen sect temple, it was burned during the remaining years of the Onin War. The nearby monastery, Myoshin-ji, took the responsibility of rebuilding Ryoanji. Much of Kyoto’s history of the fifteenth century was wiped blank because of the war. It is unsure as to who made the garden. What is known is that it appeared around 1500. Credit for the garden is given to So-ami. So-ami was a famous architect and painter of the time and is said to be the only person with the fineness of skill to produce such a garden. Towards the end of the eighteenth century the surrounding buildings were burned in a fire but the garden remained untouched. Until about 1930 Ryoanji Temple and garden remained out of the main stream public’s eye. When black and white photographs were taken of the garden, they quickly traveled the globe raising interests among the world populations. Today the temple is a tourist hot spot and visited by thousands every year.