Former Chikurinin Temple

Chikurinin was one of the satobo, small retreat temples where senior monks from Mt. Hiei lived out their later years in Sakamoto. Founded in 1592, it is one of very few satobo open to the public today. The 3,300-square-meter garden draws water from the Omiya River, which flows through Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine, creating streams and small cascades against a backdrop of borrowed mountain scenery. In the main hall's second-floor room, a lacquered table is positioned so that a camera placed on it captures both the garden and its reflection simultaneously.