The Temple Buildings

Ryotanji's main worship hall was rebuilt in 1676 and contains a nightingale floor, a security device that produces a bird-like chirping when walked upon to alert against intruders. Both the floor and the carved wooden dragon above the doorway are attributed to Hidari Jingoro, the Edo-period sculptor said to have created the famous sleeping cat carving at Nikko's Toshogu Shrine. The hall looks out onto a pond garden designed for viewing from a specific seat in the adjacent dining room. Other structures include a teahouse and the Ii family mausoleum, which enshrines ancestral tablets including that of Ii Tomoyasu, the family's 11th-century founder.