Higashiyama Jisho-ji Temple

Rinzai Sect of Shokoku-ji Temple. In 1482 (Bunmei 14), Ashikaga Yoshimasa converted his mountain villa, Higashiyama-den, into a temple. The Ginkaku (National Treasure), a two-story pavilion built in 1489 (Entoku 1), features a hōgyō-zukuri style. The upper floor is called Chōon-kaku, and the lower floor is Shinkū-den. Inside the Tōgudō (National Treasure) located in the northern part of the garden, there is the Dōjinsai, said to be the prototype of the four-and-a-half tatami mat tea room. The Buddha hall enshrines statues of Amida Nyorai and Yoshimasa. The lower garden is a pond-strolling garden (Special Place of Scenic Beauty and Special Historic Site), with the Ginsadan and Kogetsudai sand mounds in front of the main hall being particularly impressive, said to have been created in the early Edo period. The upper garden, also known as the Tea Well Garden, features a group of rocks excavated in 1931 (Shōwa 6), forming a dry landscape garden. In December 1994 (Heisei 6), it was registered as a World Cultural Heritage site under the World Heritage Convention as part of the "Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto."