This temple is located in the center of the city of Higashiosaka. The temple site is divided into two sections: the main hall and the quarters, and the Kaizando (temple hall commemorating its founding). The temple is located in the center of a crowded city, so we tried to create a the feeling of a different world. We wanted the believers who visit this temple to feel at ease with the greenery in the precincts.
The entrance to the quarters welcomes visitors with an old pine tree and a maple tree. The space in front of the tatami room is limited. An old stone bridge girder is used as a Nobedan (stone pathway) to make it feel wider even though the garden is short in depth.
In the left corner, we placed a boiling pot shaped stone wash basin, and in the right corner, we placed a square stone lantern and a Koetsuji fence to redirect the eye and make the garden look wider.
The garden of the Kaizando was designed to express happiness with stone structures such as the crane and the turtle, the Shumisen (in Budhism-said to be the highest mountain rising in the center of the world) stone structure, and the seven-storied pagoda. And a gazebo was built with Tsukubai (crouching basin arrangement) and a Suikinkutsu (underground echo chamber) nearby.
We wanted to provide a space of peace and tranquility for the visitors to the Kaizando.