The Building at the Main Garden of the Kongorinji Temple
desktop background image of a temple building at the Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺), Shiga Japan -- Looking Through open doors of a temple building at the Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺), Shiga Japan -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/40 sec, f/13, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Looking Through
open doors of a temple building
at the Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺), Shiga Japan
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Last week's Slightly Queasy Wigglegram showed a small corner of a building at the Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) in Shiga Japan, from a visit last month toward the start of this year's fall-foliage season.

This post looks a bit more at the building, which is not the temple's main building, but does front the main garden. (The main garden was seen four years ago in The Kongourinji Temple: Main Garden, and Beyond.)

It can be partitioned into various rooms, but many of the partitions were slid away revealing an open view all the way through to the garden on the other side, naturally inviting this kind of shot...

desktop background image of a temple building at the Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺), Shiga Japan -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/125 sec, f/9, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
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(The bright splashes inside are the sun streaming through from the side.)

Damien and Paul's Turn -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 560 — map & image datanearby photos
Damien and Paul's Turn

When we shoot together, we often see the same shot naturally, but even when we don't, we do recognize a good perspective when we see one of the other's taking the shot. And as it happens quite often when we're out, once one of us starts taking a shot, other folks who happen by start doing the same:

The More The Merrier -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1000 — map & image datanearby photos
The More The Merrier

A hundred people might walk by that doorway without taking a shot, but once one of us does, almost everyone who walks by for the next while will. It's funny.

If you walk around to camera right (as seen in the views above) and then look back at the corner of the building you just passed, you'd see the scene seen in the aforementioned queasy wigglegram...

Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 720 — map & image datanearby photos

In the foreground you can see a kusaridoi (鎖樋) rain chain...

Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1000 — map & image datanearby photos

I love these things, as evidenced by how often they appear on my blog over the years (such as here, here, here, here, here, and here).

If you step up onto the veranda seen above (after taking off your shoes, of course), then step into the red carpet and look back to where the above photo was taken, you get this view...

Flower Painting -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 1600 — map & image datanearby photos
Flower Painting

And if you move to the edge and look down...

Kusaridoi Detail -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/400 sec, f/2, ISO 2500 — map & image datanearby photos
Kusaridoi Detail

Inside, the main area is mostly open, with an altar (or whatever that kind of thing is called in a temple)...

Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/3.5, ISO 5000 — map & image datanearby photos

The red carpet is the one seen in this post's lead photos, looking from left to right out the window at the far right.

It was very dark inside compared to the brightness outside.

High Contrast -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/250 sec, f/2, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
High Contrast

On the other side of the Flower Painting doors is another set of paintings, of dragons...

Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm — 1/100 sec, f/2.8, ISO 5600 — map & image datanearby photos

After loaning Damien my Voigtländer Macro 125mm f/2.5 so he could take detail shots of the dragons, I retrieved it and gave it a go myself.

Left Side -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Left Side
Right Side -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Right Side

It turns out that they're not just paintings... they're a hybrid painting / carving, and they have real depth.

Eye Detail -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Eye Detail

This is, of course, the answer to the Deep, Dark “What am I?” Quiz from the other day.

I wanted to step back to get a full shot of the doors, but as soon as I did someone swooped in to take closeups of whatever I had just been taking closeups of.

Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos

I hope he has a good macro lens.

Finally Clear -- Kongorinji Temple (金剛輪寺) -- Echi, Shiga, Japan -- Copyright 2014 Jeffrey Friedl, http://regex.info/blog/2014-12-19/2501 -- This photo is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ (non-commercial use is freely allowed if proper attribution is given, including a link back to this page on http://regex.info/ when used online)
Nikon D4 + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 6400 — map & image datanearby photos
Finally Clear

Continued here...


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