A Tendai temple founded in 805 by Dengyo Daishi Saicho at the imperial command of Emperor Kammu, once a celebrated temple with vast grounds. It is also known as the site of the "Saigyo-an" hermitage where the poet-monk Saigyo lived, making it a place of pilgrimage for poets. Today it is a small temple quietly situated south of Maruyama Park, receiving pilgrims as the 7th temple on the Kyoto Twelve…

Sourinji is a Tendai temple said to have been founded in 805 by Dengyo Daishi Saicho at the imperial command of Emperor Kammu. In its early years, the temple was renowned for its vast precinct, which included the full complement of seven main halls. During the Heian period, the poet-monk Saigyo is s…