Haven’t you heard the tiger’s roar? It echoes through the Tiger’s Roar Garden here at Kōgen-ji. Kōgen-ji is a subtemple of the Rinzai Zen head temple Tenryū-ji. This makes it a significant religious cultural and historic site in Kyoto’s Arashiyama district.
Kōgen-ji was established in 1429. Hosokawa Mochiyuki a high-ranking official in the Muromachi Shogunate founded it. Zen Master Gyokushū became the temple’s first abbot. He was a third-generation Dharma successor of Zen Master Musō Soseki who founded Tenryū-ji. The name Kōgen-ji comes from Hosokawa Mochiyuki’s posthumous Buddhist name. Hosokawa’s clan descended from Emperor Seiwa.
Originally Kōgen-ji stood at the foot of Mount Ogura north of Tenryū-ji. Fires and misfortunes led to its relocation to the current site in 1882.
The Main Hall dates back to the early 1600s. It is built in the kyakuden style. This style offers a more residential feel than classic temple architecture. The principal object of worship is Kannon Bodhisattva. She is enshrined at the altar’s center. To the right stands a wooden statue of Zen Master Gyokushū. To the left sits the memorial tablet of Hosokawa Mochiyuki.
Look closely at the interior wooden support posts. Notice the sword cuts? Samurai of the Chōshū Domain army made them in 1864. They were testing their blades’ sharpness. This happened while bivouacked at Tenryū-ji during the unrest before the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
In front of the main temple buildings stands the Bishamon Hall. It is west of the path. The large plaque above the main door features calligraphy by the great Buddhist priest Kōbō Daishi. Gaze up at the ceiling. You will see paintings by Nihonga artist Fujiwara Fuseki. They depict flowers of the four seasons.
Kōgen-ji’s main image of worship is Kannon Bodhisattva. Buddhist texts say that Kannon hears the suffering of all beings. She appears in thirty-three forms to offer aid. Kōgen-ji’s Kannon shows the bodhisattva with her right hand lowered in the seimuin mudra. This bestows fearlessness. Her left hand holds a lotus flower in a vase.
Considered temple treasures are the Nihonga paintings by Takeuchi Seihō and his disciples. Takeuchi Seihō was a pioneer of the Nihonga style. This style blends Western and Japanese art traditions. He was an influential artist and an imperial court painter. People even said his animal paintings captured the animal’s scent.
The late priest of Kōgen-ji Rev Tahara Shūnin was friends with artists from Takeuchi Seihō’s art academy. This academy was known as the Bamboo Staff Atelier. When Seihō’s son suffered a severe illness Rev Tahara invited him to convalesce at Kōgen-ji. Sakakibara Taizan one of Seihō’s disciples suggested that the other disciples paint pictures to decorate his room.
Twenty-four members of the Bamboo Staff Atelier participated. They devoted five years to the project. They exhibited the works on the 16th anniversary of Seihō’s passing. Newspapers referred to Kōgen-ji as “Seihō-ji” because of this event.
Don’t miss the Tiger’s Roar Garden. Its name comes from a Zen expression. “When a dragon cries clouds appear when a tiger roars wind arises.” Both are metaphors for enlightenment. The garden uses Mount Arashiyama as borrowed scenery. Cherry blossoms in spring and colorful foliage in fall enhance its beauty.