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Address Japan, 〒616-8035 京都府京都市右京区花園妙心寺町59 Similar Myōshin‑ji, Taizō‑in, Hanazono Station, Keishunin, Shunkō‑in | ||
Tōrin-in (東林院, Tōrin-in, East Woods Cloister) is a sub-temple of the temple complex of Myōshin-ji in Kyoto, Japan. As such, it is affiliated with the Myōshin-ji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism.
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Name
The temple is named for Donglin Temple (simplified Chinese: 东林寺; traditional Chinese: 東林寺; pinyin: Dōnglínsì) at the base of Mount Lu in China.
Due to a famous 300-year-old sal tree on the grounds, it is colloquially known as the Sal Tree Temple (沙羅双樹の寺, sarasōju-no-tera). A festival is held every June to celebrate the sal tree and its flowers.
History
The temple was founded in 1531 in Kamigyō-ku as a family temple for the Hosokawa clan, and named Sanyū-in (三友院). In 1556, it passed to the Yamana clan, whose family temple it remains to this day, and was moved to its current location within Myōshin-ji and renamed to Tōrin-in.
Visiting
The temple is not generally open to walk-up visitors, but is open year-round for shukubō (monastery lodging, reservations by return postcard) and shōjin-ryōri (devotional cuisine, 3 or more people). The current head priest, NISHIKAWA Genbō (西川玄房) is a noted researcher on devotional cuisine, frequently appearing on television and in magazine articles, and a class on devotional cuisine is held every Tuesday.
Further, the temple holds three annual events, which are open to the public (admission charged, reservations not required):