A couple was crossing the arched bridge seen beyond the Nio-mon Gate of Shomyo-ji Temple

Arched Bridge beyond the Nio-mon Gate of Shomyo-ji Temple

A couple, a man and a woman, were crossing a vermilion-colored arched bridge that could be seen beyond the large Nio-mon gate. This is Shomyo-ji Temple in Yokohama, a temple of the Shingon Ritsu sect. There is a large pond in the center of the temple grounds, and the bridge in the photo is the bridge over the pond. It is rare to find a temple complex with a large pond just past the Nio-mon gate. A garden like this, with a pond immediately after entering the gate and a row of halls on the opposite bank of the pond across a bridge, is called a Pure Land style garden. Under the influence of the Pure Land Buddhism, the Pure Land style garden attempted to reproduce the world of the Pure Land mandala on earth.

The reason why Pure Land-style gardens have flourished since the mid-Heian period is largely due to the historical background. The mid-Heian period coincided with the decline of the regal government and the shift toward the Insei system of government. On the other hand, the samurai were on the rise, and famine and epidemics were also on the rise, creating an atmosphere of decadence in the world. The Pure Land style garden was created to escape from such anxieties. It is said that the reflection of the halls on the surface of the pond reminded people of the Pure Land. The Kanesawa Hojo clan, who had this Pure Land style garden created, may have calmed their anxiety by looking at the halls reflecting on the surface of the water.

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