The Kan’ei-ji Temple from Ueno, Tokyo, was established in 1625, during the Kan-ei Era, hence its name. At its peak, with more than 30 buildings, the temple was covering a vast area, the entire zone occupied today by the Ueno Park. It was also very rich, being the family temple of the Tokugawa shoguns (together with the Zojo-ji Temple).
Most of those buildings were destroyed during the Battle of Ueno from 1868, and only a few constructions survived until today, like the Benten-do near the Shinobazu Pond, the Bells of Time (toki no kane), the five-story pagoda from Ueno Zoo and the Toshougu Shrine.
Not even the main hall survived and the one we see today, in the photo, was originally located in the Kitain Temple from Kawagoe City and was dismantled and reassembled here in 1879. But even so, I like visiting Kan’ei-ji for the history it evokes and, from all the pictures I took here, I prefer this one, taken on a rainy day, with a warm light emphasizing the color of the wood and with the rain drops almost spoiling the image…
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Yesterday’s Japan Photo:Colors of Shinjuku |
