The Enrian Temple is located on the road from Seiryoji Temple to Nison-in Temple in Sagano. It is not far from Tenryuji Temple, the head temple of the Rinzai sect.
This temple does not face the road at all and is a secluded place in the woods. It is not open to the public except during the fall foliage season, and few people visit. If there is no sign indicating that the temple is open to the public, you will pass by it without noticing it at all.
This is the site of the Ogura Villa of Fujiwara no Teika. Teika composed the Hyakunin Isshu (One Hundred Poems) here. However, it felled into disrepair. Later, the court noble Reizei family, the descendants of Teika, repaired the temple in the mid-Edo period. Emperor Reigen named the villa “Enrian”, meaning a disenchanted hermitage.
It declined again, but was restored in the Meiji period. In addition to the shoin, there is a tea ceremony room, Shiguretei, and a mound of Teika.
Kyoto City Official Travel Guide
Nearby spots from Enrian Temple
Seiryoji Temple‘s garden is very beautiful. The standing statue of Shakyamuni Buddha in the main hall of Seiryoji is a national treasure and came from India.
Houkyouin Temple is also popular during the autumn foliage season.
Nison-in Temple is only about five-minute walk.
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[…] If you have the opportunity in the fall, I highly recommend visiting nearby Enrian Temple. […]