{"id":1775,"date":"2011-05-20T14:24:44","date_gmt":"2011-05-20T05:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-05-20\/1775"},"modified":"2011-05-20T14:24:44","modified_gmt":"2011-05-20T05:24:44","slug":"the-kongourinji-temple-main-garden-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2011-05-20\/1775","title":{"rendered":"The Kongourinji Temple: Main Garden, and Beyond…"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\nNOTE<\/b>: Images with an icon next to them have been artificially shrunk to better fit your screen; click the icon to restore them, in place, to their regular size.\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It's not that I don't have enough recent stuff that I'm behind on to\npost about, but I thought<\/span> it'd be a nice<\/span> change of pace to jump back half a\nyear<\/span> to when the fall foliage first started showing its colors in the area,\nto a November<\/span> 9th visit to\nthe Kongourinji Temple (\u91d1\u525b\u8f2a\u5bfa)<\/span><\/a> in Shiga,\nan hour's drive from Kyoto. This is the same temple featured in “Deep Sorrow at the\nKongourinji Temple's Path of Jizou<\/a>”, about the many bibbed statues\nrepresenting children who died before their parents.<\/p>\n\n

The fall colors don't arrive in full force this area until mid to late November, so at this point things were mostly green,\nas evidence by this shot of the entrance to the temple complex, which somehow has a nice<\/span> feeling to it...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEntering the Kongourinji-Temple Complex<\/span>\nAisho City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan\n<\/div>\n\n

I guess this post follows on from “On The Way To The\nKongourinji Temple's Main Garden<\/a>”, in that turning the corner mentioned at the bottom of that post reveals...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSmall Tea House<\/span>\nat the edge of the main garden\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFirst View of the Main Garden<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The weather was intermittently gloomy overcast and bright sun, but it\nseems that the gloomy overcast had reign while I was<\/span> at the main garden. It also seems<\/span> that I neglected<\/span> to get a shot<\/span> that conveys the overall feeling,\nwhich is the three-zone layout common in temple gardens: a temple<\/span> building\nwith garden-viewing verandas, a water<\/span> feature with lots of natural stuff\n(large stones, moss, ferns, etc.), and an opposing hillside of\nwell-manicured vegetation and stonework.<\/p>\n\n

In this case, the “opposing hillside” was the largest I'd ever seen,\ncrested with an absolutely towering pine. I made a<\/span> 10-shot vertical\npanorama of it, but the result was boring in and of itself, and in\ncomparison to the magnificence of the actual scene, the understatement of\nthe year, so I just<\/span> went ahead and deleted it.<\/p>\n\n

I also completely neglected to capture the small lake\/river (though a\nhint<\/span> can be seen in the “Small Tea House” shot above), so in this next shot\nyou have to imagine that it exists out of sight between the couple and the\nbackground...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nVisual Wall<\/span>\nof gardenness\n<\/div>\n\n

Do you notice the hint of a gazebo up the hill in the upper right of the photo? It's pretty<\/span> well blended in...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 450 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nGarden Gazebo<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.8, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLooking Back to the Tea House<\/span>\nwith a little bit of the lake actually appearing\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/4.5, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nVertical View<\/span>\nof the far end of the garden\n<\/div>\n\n

The lighting (or something) really makes all these photos fall\nmonotonously flat in my eyes. I'll have to head back some time with better\nlight (and better skill, and a better<\/span> plan). It won't be as good the second\ntime, because as you'll see later in this post and in subsequent posts,\nthere's great fun and wonder in walking into this particular temple complex\nwithout knowing what you'll find. (If you think you'll visit yourself, you\nmight want to stop reading this series of posts, to preserve the sense of\ndiscovery for yourself.)<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTuft of Grass<\/span>\nand a bit more water\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/4, ISO 640 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMore “October Sakura”<\/span>\nas described here<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n

Going deeper into the garden\/woods, you get a view<\/span> of the kura<\/i>, the fireproof (relatively speaking) storage building for valuables....<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 360 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nOld Kura<\/i> Treasure House<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Kura are seen all over Japan, both at temples and old private houses.\nThey are generally set aside from other buildings so that they're safe even\nif the dwelling catches on fire. They have very thick walls of mud and\nstraw, and usually have multi-layered doors and windows that close like a\nbank<\/span> vault. They're almost always painted white, likely to reflect the\nsunlight and keep them cool, as they were also used sort of like\nrefrigerators in days past.<\/p>\n\n

This one wasn't painted, and wasn't in good repair at all...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 1000 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSeen Better Days<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>125 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 500 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFront Door<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>640 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nMissing a Layer<\/span> or Two<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

I wouldn't be surprised if this used to be<\/i> the temple's kura<\/i>, but that it was now just a gardener's<\/span> storage hut.<\/p>\n\n

A meandering stream flowed in this area to feed the garden lake, itself being fed by a small<\/span> waterfall...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 720 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFeeding the Stream<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>2500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLooking Back<\/span>\ntoward the main garden area\n<\/div>\n\n

The path then winds up around to behind the garden (behind the “opposing hillside”), and you're surrounded by towering trees...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/3.2, ISO 450 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nBeyond the Garden<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

The woods and path eventually open up to a small<\/span> clearing of the jizou<\/i> statues introduced in\n“Deep Sorrow at the\nKongourinji Temple's Path of Jizou<\/a>”...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nClearing in the Woods<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 280 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\n
\nthe one with the name visible is\nFor Little Kyoko-chan<\/span>\n( They all had names )\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

Then you notice that there's another terrace of jizou<\/i> statues above this one, seen in the background at right in this next photo...<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nJust How Many Are There?<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Voigtl\u00e4nder 125mm f\/2.5 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/2.5, ISO 400 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nToo Clich\u00e9?<\/span>\n( yup )<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

Then you find yourself at the long path lined with jizou<\/i> that you\nfirst saw from a\ndistance<\/span><\/a> before entering the main garden, and you move up to the next terrace...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>320 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 450 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nA Second<\/span> Terrace<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nLooking Back Toward the Start of the Path<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n

By this time you've started to realize that there's a lot<\/i> more\nthan first met the eye, and looking to where the path leads, you don't know\nwhat to expect, except more emotions as you think of the children these statues represent, and the parents who placed them...<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>\nNikon D700 + Nikkor 24mm f\/1.4 — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f<\/span>\/1.4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe Unknown<\/span>\nthe path up the mountain appears to go forever\n<\/div>\n\n

Continued here...<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It's not that I don't have enough recent stuff that I'm behind on to post about, but I thought it'd be a nice change of pace to jump back half a year to when the fall foliage first started showing its colors in the area, to a November 9th visit to the Kongourinji Temple (\u91d1\u525b\u8f2a\u5bfa) in Shiga, an hour's drive from Kyoto. This is the same temple featured in \"Deep Sorrow at the Kongourinji Temple's Path of Jizou\", about the many bibbed statues representing children who died before their parents.<\/p>

The fall colors don't arrive in full force this area [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,14,1,2,6,10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1775"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1775\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}