Tenryū-ji
The head temple of its own branch of Rinzai Zen, founded by Ashikaga Takauji in 1339 with Musō Soseki as its first chief priest. It ranks first among Kyoto's Five Mountains, and its garden pond borrows the hills of Arashiyama as a backdrop.
- Where
- Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 35.0160, 135.6738
Get the Tenryū-ji stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Tenryū-ji. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Kyoto volume with your photos and a note.
Near Tenryū-ji
Arashiyama Bamboo Grove 1.0 km
A grove of tall mōsō bamboo in Arashiyama, with paths that run between the green stems beside Tenryū-ji. The Ministry of the Environment counts the sound of the wind through it among the soundscapes of Japan.
Arashiyama 1.0 km
A district on the western edge of Kyoto, where the Ōi River runs below a wooded mountain of the same name. The Togetsukyō bridge, the bamboo grove and temples such as Tenryū-ji make it one of the city's favourite places for cherry blossom and autumn colour.
Saiho-ji 2.8 km
A Rinzai Zen temple in western Kyoto known to almost everyone as Koke-dera, the moss temple. More than 120 kinds of moss carpet its two-tiered garden in endless shades of green, and it forms part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
Ryōan-ji 4.5 km
A Zen temple in north-west Kyoto with the most famous rock garden in Japan: fifteen stones set in raked white gravel, placed so that one is always hidden from any point on the veranda. It is a classic of kare-sansui, the dry landscape garden.
Kinkaku-ji 5.6 km
A Zen temple in northern Kyoto whose reliquary, the Golden Pavilion, has its top two floors coated in gold leaf. It sits on the edge of a still pond that doubles it in reflection, and the present building was rebuilt in 1955.
Nijō Castle 6.7 km
A flatland castle in central Kyoto built for Tokugawa Ieyasu, with two rings of walls and moats, the Ninomaru Palace and several gardens. The palace corridors have nightingale floors that chirp underfoot, a warning against intruders.
Nishi Hongan-ji 7.6 km
The head temple of the Hongwanji-ha branch of Jōdo Shinshū, in Shimogyō near Kyoto Station. Its two great wooden halls, the Goeidō and the Amidadō, are among the largest in the city, and it is part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.
Tō-ji 7.8 km
A Shingon temple in southern Kyoto, founded beside the capital's main southern gate soon after the city was laid out. Its five-storey pagoda, about 55 metres high, is the tallest wooden pagoda in Japan, and a flea market fills the grounds on the 21st of each month.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Kyoto
Questions
Where is Tenryū-ji?
Tenryū-ji is in Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Arashiyama Bamboo Grove (1.0 km), Arashiyama (1.0 km), Saiho-ji (2.8 km).
How do I get the Tenryū-ji stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Tenryū-ji and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Kyoto volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Tenryū-ji before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Kyoto volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.