Matsue Castle, Festival, and Tea Culture by Two Great Matsue Lords
10/29/2024
Amid the chants of ‘Horan Enya’, around 100 boats, adored with performers wearing colorful splendid costumes, sail through rivers between Lake Shinji and Nakaumi Lagoon in Matsue, the capital of Shimane prefecture. The Horan-Enya Festival is one of three major Shinto boat rituals in Japan, alongside the Tenjin Festival of Osaka Tenmangu Shrine and the […]
Kenninji Temple, the oldest Zen Temple and beautiful Zen Garden in Kyoto
05/30/2023
The hustle-bustle of Hanamikoji Street in the center of Kyoto is belied by the tranquility of Kenninji as the head temple of the Kenninji school of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. The Imperial Gate in front, Sanmon Gate, Dharma Hall, and Hojo Hall stand in the Zen-style straight line. After studying Zen Buddhism in […]