大原の三千院 Sanzenin, Ohara

三千院は中国人観光客の人が多かった…！ふう。

境内がとても広い！　観音様の背景に書かれた色とりどりの季節の絵が素敵だった。本尊の薬師如来が、お堂に入るように、屋根を船底に曲げてあった。ぎりっぎりの高さ。すごい。天井に極彩色の絵が描かれていたらしいが、長年のろうそく使用で、すすで真っ黒に。歴史を感じる…。最初に創建したのは700年代らしいので…1300年の歴史である！

庭の苔がふかふかで、ちょうど夕陽に当たって萌黄色になっていてとても美しかった。コケリウム、今年中にやろう！！

There were a lot of Chinese tourists at Sanzenin...! Phew.

The temple grounds are huge!  The seasonal paintings behind the Kannon statue were beautiful with their vibrant colors.  The main statue, Yakushi Nyorai, was so tall that the roof was curved like the bottom of a boat to fit it inside the hall, just barely fitting.  Amazing!  The ceiling apparently used to be painted in bright colors, but after years of using candles, it’s now covered in soot, turning it pitch black.  You can really feel the history there.  The temple was originally founded in the 700s, so it has 1,300 years of history!

The moss in the garden was lush and fluffy, glowing a soft yellow-green in the evening sun - it was incredibly beautiful.  I’m definitely starting my moss terrarium project this year!