The charmingly intimate temple of Manshu-in, which served as a retreat for former emperors, is a great place to escape the crowds that descend on other Kyoto temples. The temple was originally founded by Saich艒 on Hiei-zan but was relocated here at the beginning of the Edo period by Ry艒sh艒h艒, the son of Prince Hachij艒nomiya Tomohito (who built Katsura Riky奴).
The graceful temple architecture is often compared with Kyoto's famed Katsura Riky奴 Detached Palace for its detailed woodwork and rare works of art, such as fusuma-e sliding doors painted by Kan艒 Eitoku, a famed artist of the Momoyama period. The kare-sansui garden by Kobori Ensh奴 features a sea of gravel intended to symbolise the flow of a waterfall and stone islands representing cranes and turtles.
A visit to Manshu-in can be paired with a trip to nearby 厂丑颈蝉别苍-诲艒, a charming small temple in the area.
