妙心寺 Myoshin-ji temple

 Myoshin-ji temple complex have 40+ small temples with some 600 years of history.  Famous warriors in the medieval time came here to pray.  Each temple features different gardens, ponds, wall paintings, scrolls, and architecture.  Quite interesting to visit and wander into their solemn and tranquil paths.  

The lecture hall of the main temple has a dragon painting on the ceiling. It was huge and glorious.  You have to go there and see it yourself as no pictures were allowed.  That one had a 1300-year old bell.  It's not used anymore because it's got finite cracks on it. But it is still preserved as is and displayed.  

The wooden pillars of that building have quite a history, too.  Those pillars were made from timber cut down near Mt. Fuji, and it was (literally) shipped from there to Osaka Port, where it was transported to Kyoto via Yodo river. Then, the timber/pillars were pulled by 50-70 bulls all the way to the temple.  Because houses were in the way on the small alleys, they tore them down, let the bulls convoy pass, then they re-built the houses.  Just unbelievable in many aspects.  And that is why the main street nearby the temple is called "Maruta-machi (timber town) street".    

妙心寺に行ってみました。法堂の天井の龍の絵は見事でした。あと、1300年前の鐘が。ひびが入っているのでもう鳴らされないそうなのですが、現存していて、これが過去1300年の全ての歴史を見てきたのだなあと思いました。撮影禁止だったので行くしかないです！ 

その法堂の柱は何と富士山麓から切り出されて、いかだに乗せられて太平洋から大阪湾へ、淀川を登って伏見で荷揚げしてそこから牛50-70頭に引かせてこの地花園まで持ってきたそうです。しかも、その丸太が大きすぎて角を曲がれないため、家屋を一旦壊して、丸太を通してから再び家屋を再建したとか。寺社の柱のためなら家屋を取り壊すのか…。「丸太町通り」という通りの名はそこから来ているそうです。いろいろビックリ。