Alexandre Gervais

Its fruit is sweet and usually seedless, about the size of other mandarin oranges (Citrus reticulata), smaller than an orange. One of the distinguishing features of the satsuma is the distinctive thin, leathery skin dotted with large and prominent oil glands, which is lightly attached around the fruit, enabling it to be peeled very easily in comparison to other citrus fruits. Wikipedia

The original temple was built in 1234 by Hōnen’s disciple, Genchi (1183-1238) in memory of his master and was named Chion-in. While the temple was affiliated more closely in the early years with the Seizan branch of Jodo Shu, its 8th head priest, Nyoichi (1262 – 1321) was deeply influenced by the priest Ryōkū, a disciple of Ryōchū who was the 3rd head of the Chinzei branch of Jodo Shu Buddhism, and disciple of Bencho. Later Nyoichi’s successor Shunjō (1255-1355) advanced this further by citing a biography where Genchi’s disciple Renjaku-bo and Ryōchū agree that there existed no doctrinal differences between them.Wikipedia

Sōzu is a type of water fountain used in Japanese gardens. Usually made of bamboo, it consists of a hollow pivoting arm attached to upright supports and a hard surface or object that the arm may come in contact with. Water pours from a tube or pipe into the arm. When the arm gets full, the weight of the water causes it to tip over and empty, making a sharp sound when it hits the hard surface below it. This noise is intended to startle any deer which may be grazing on the plants in the garden. The empty arm is then free to swing back up into position and refill. The rhythmic clacking sound punctuating the silence reminds visitors to the garden of the passage of time. Although simple in design, it is highly effective, and safer than most modern deer repellers. Some people collect them as antiques.Wikipedia

Hōnen (法然 1133-1212) is the religious reformer and founder of the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism called Jōdo shū (浄土宗, “The Pure Land School”). In the related Jōdo Shinshū sect, he is considered the Seventh Patriarch. Hōnen became a monk of the Tendai sect at an early age, but grew disaffected, and sought an approach to Buddhism that anyone could follow, even during the perceived Age of Dharma Decline. After discovering the writings of Chinese Buddhist, Shan-tao, he undertook the teaching of rebirth in the Pure Land of Amitabha through reciting the Buddha’s name, or nembutsu.Wikipedia

Like Kinkaku-ji, Ginkaku-ji was originally built to serve as a place of rest and solitude for the Shogun. During his reign as Shogun, Ashikaga Yoshimasa inspired a new outpouring of traditional culture, which came to be known as Higashiyama Bunka (the Culture of the Eastern Mountain). Having retired to the villa, it is said Yoshimasa sat in the pavilion, contemplating the calm and beauty of the gardens as the Ōnin War worsened and Kyoto was burned to the ground.Wikipedia

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In Japanese architecture, bamboo is used primarily as a supplemental and/or decorative element in buildings such as fencing, fountains, grates and gutters, largely due to the ready abundance of quality timber wood. A bamboo forest sometimes surrounds a Shinto shrine as part of a sacred barrier against evil. Many Buddhist temples also have bamboo groves.Wikipedia

The temple also administers the Taiyū-in Reibyō (大猷院霊廟), which is the mausoleum of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun. Together with Nikkō Tōshō-gū and Futarasan Shrine, it forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō UNESCO World Heritage Site.Wikipedia