ETERNAL BEAUTY KYOTO

Japanese city of Kyoto - not just a wonderful city with wonderful architectural monuments. At a half million residents of Kyoto today has about 2000 churches, hundreds of parks and dozens of palaces. The Japanese themselves call their city a national treasure, and, indeed, a fifth of all the masterpieces of Japanese architecture is precisely in Kyoto.

History of the city began on 22 October 794, when Emperor Kammu with the Crown Prince entered the new capital, called "Heian" - "City of peace and tranquility. " Prior to that, the Japanese capital at Nagaoka, but the palace intrigues led to a political assassination, and then the imperial court decided to change his place of residence, as the city was desecrated by blood.

For the new capital was chosen village Uda County Kadono. Here in 792, Emperor came twice to see the place chosen by his associates. Деревн� ра�полагала�ь в живопи�ной долине �реди гор, и �троительные работы зде�ь начали�ь уже в 793 году. Japanese imperial court then to follow the Chinese model, and a new capital built on the Chinese style - with straight streets intersecting at right angles.

More than a thousand years, Kyoto remained the capital of the land of the rising sun, then going through times of prosperity, it becomes a victim of fire and strife. The waves of history have taken a lot of unique architectural monuments and buildings, but what is preserved in the city, surprised all who visited him in the severity and avarice lines, as well as the splendor and richness.

Foreigners Kyoto primarily associated with the imperial palaces and many-storied pagodas surrounded by pale pink cherry blossom. But if you leave the station square, you′ll get the usual panorama of modern Japanese city: the never-ending stream of cars, boxes of high-rise buildings and a television tower, around the building which once blazed serious passions. Many residents of Kyoto, especially intellectuals, believed that the 100-meter tower mutilated form of ancient Japanese capital. Others, conversely, argued that it would be another landmark in the city.

In 1994, Kyoto, celebrated its 1200-year anniversary, but antiquity is not turned into a museum lifelessness, and its temples and palaces still remain elusive connection times.

Photo — «Eternal Beauty Kyoto»

Kyoto modernity not only eclipsed the old days, but not even pressed the it, but rather merged with it in a coherent whole. For example, opposite the magnificent Palace of the military rulers towering glass Gromada hotel, but far from the ultra-modern station with department stores and hotels are old gray temples.

Now the historic buildings and monuments, temples and shrines, palaces, walls and gardens in Kyoto, so that everywhere you can find any attractions: gently bend the roof of the temple, rising in the distance, or pagoda street, on which the facades of old houses. Special pride of the Japanese is considered a palace complex Katsura1, who began the construction in 1615 as a suburban residence of the Emperor. Its medieval simplicity and beauty of the ever-changing landscape park harmoniously with the elegant pavilions and arbors.

A trace its architectural history with the construction of Kyoto Imperial Palace Ghose, who has repeatedly changed its location and rebuilt. In its present form the palace Goes (which means "honored place") was rebuilt after another fire in 1855. Eleven acres of land surrounded by high mud walls covered with tiles on top in the wall made of six gates, the main of which are Southern. They are opened twice a year, and only the emperor has the right to pass through them. Ordinary visitors and tourists pass through the gates of the palace Seysemon, whose name is quite unusual: "The Gates autumn decrees. "

Center Goes palace is Sisinden - Ceremonial Hall - the adjoining courtyard, covered with white pebbles. Here, in a solemn atmosphere anointed emperor. Like the Buddhist temples of that time, Sisinden has a high concave roof with smooth contours and with calm, restrained lines. Under the eaves of the roof are the gallery, surrounded by a small veranda.

Inside interior is simple and ceremonial hall at the same time magnificent. The smooth polished floorboards reflect massive round pillars, which are made of unpainted, but carefully leveled and polished tree trunks. The facade of the hall facing the south, and the entrance to it is a large sloping staircase, which brings in a sandy garden, devoid of any vegetation.

The territory of the garden is covered with white sand and leveled a rake on the strict geometric lines directed toward the front of the building.

Photo — «Eternal Beauty Kyoto»

Inside Sisinden, on a dais under a huge tent, stands the Imperial throne, made of red sandalwood, inlaid with mother of pearl and adorned with the emblem of the imperial household - 16 flower-petal chrysanthemum, it is the throne for less - for the Empress.

There are many rooms, each of which has its purpose. In one of the emperor prayed, paying tribute to the temple of Ise, where lived the goddess Amaterasu was to give power to the Japanese Emperor. Others were "singing" the board, a kind of security system: even with the most careful step they made a subtle kind of sound. Emperor′s private chambers are located in a building that was constructed above ground - on the low props, as was done in Shinto temples, and surrounded by a veranda with two small staircases leading down into the garden.

During the reign of the shoguns their residence located in the Nijo Castle, founded in the late XVI century, representatives of the Tokugawa dynasty. Castle is low, but long wooden building with a sloping, curved roof and gilded ornaments on the triangular shield that hung over the main entrance. Each room Nijo Castle - its purpose, according to this, he removed with more or less luxury.

Each room has only three walls: the fourth wall, which would have separated the room from the corridor, no. The walls of rooms painted with prominent artists of the famous Kano school. For example, one shows the bending in the wind and reed thin bamboo stalks to another to reproduce the aerial lightness cherry blossoms.

In the first hall of special officials were sure that the person arrived at the castle - just those for whom they say they are. When tourists today are approaching this pavilion, they involuntarily shudder: dozens of dignitaries, dressed in traditional bridal kimono, bowed their heads before the Shogun, who sits on a hill. Behind him - gold-plated sliding doors, behind which always stood bodyguards.

None of the Japanese city does not have as many churches as in Kyoto, and how many for sure - hardly know and the people themselves. Buddhist temples - is usually huge wooden structure with massive columns and broad, curved roof. Kiyomizu ( "Temple of clear water") - exception: he seems to be implanted at a steep wooded slope, and when standing on his porch, then you have a feeling that the temple hangs in the air.

Photo — «Eternal Beauty Kyoto»

An ancient legend tells us about the origin of both "temple clear water.

It was in the VIII century. One monk Entin found flowing waterfall, and he heard these words: "Find this spring, clear waters which flow into the Yodo River. For a long time wandering monk on Mount Otava, until I found deep in the protected forest place, shrouded in fog. Here monk Entin met hermit sage named Geey. The sage gave the monk a piece of wood, in which dwelt the spirit of the goddess of mercy Kannon. Entin, cut out a piece of the priceless image of the goddess, and placed the wooden sculpture in a small bamboo hut, which was the primal and the temple got its name from the transparency of water cascading down the mountainside.

In written sources mention Kiyomizu with 811, when he came under the patronage of the Japanese emperors. In the temple ensemble consists of many buildings: the prayer hall, pagoda, main temple, a canopy for the bell and others - a total of 30 buildings. In the hondo (main temple) on the altar is placed an image of the goddess Kannon.

Always crowded and Sandzyusangendo, which means "Thirty-three": it can take as many faces of Buddha, as a people. In the center of the hall stands a huge statue of the goddess of mercy and compassion, Kannon, and around it contains thousands of these same articles, but the smaller size.

In the main temple hall stretches long gallery, which installed sculptures demons, brought here from all over Japan. In wicked and cruel demons of fury, distorted faces and hands and feet were frozen in a sort of convulsive dance. In the old days, some of them stood at the gate of the temple to protect it from the influence of other people′s spirits.

Large impression on today′s guests Kyoto and traditional gardens, which the Japanese are a model of beauty. A small waterfall, and miniature hills and valleys, trees - everything that makes them unique charm.

In Kyoto, the famous Japanese gardens were concentrated in the temple complex Daytokudzi, founded in XVI-XVII centuries. Different people at different times and on different occasions erected temples and gardens, now concentrated in a small area. Monastery complex consists of the main monastery - the administrative center, as it is the entire complex, and another 23 monasteries, which are subordinated to the Chief.

Photo — «Eternal Beauty Kyoto»

Each of them has its own abbot, their gardens and temples, as well as its status: whether the monastery is closed to the public or parts of it are open, for example, a garden-museum, tea garden, historical site, etc.

Leaving shoes at the door or by changing it to a museum, you embark on the dark, polished by centuries boards porch, you pass into the interior, covered with silky straw mats, and are looking for a lonely place where I could indulge in the contemplation of the garden, consider painting on the inside walls of the temple or just think about their own existence. A small corner of the ground at, for example, under the "tea garden", is a mysterious world, where you can live your whole life and to experience different emotions.

Listen carefully to the silence, you will feel that it is quiet "sounds": somewhere far away "speaks" a small waterfall in the crowns of bamboo rustles the wind, the flowers and bushes buzzing bumblebees . . . Particularly striking is the silence of the cloudy days of late autumn, when you can enjoy complete solitude and unimpeded merge with skillfully organized nature. Then, hours spent on the open gallery or in the depths of the pavilion before apart, walls, shoji overlooking one or the other corner of the garden will seem instant.

But the main attraction of Kyoto and the largest of its value "Garden of Stones", which has still other names - "Philosopher′s Garden," Garden Reandsi. And dozens of interpretations of the fact that a century ago, a wise monk Soami invested in 15 black, rough and varying in size stones scattered on the white sand.

"Fifteen stones" refers to any guide, in fact, many tourists and visitors to observe only 14 of them. Fifteenth stone before my eyes no, obstruct his neighbor. Do step on the wooden gallery stretching along the sandy edge of the rectangle (with the other three sides, "Gardens of Stone" is limited to the stone wall of the monastery) - and again before his eyes, only 14 stones. Fifteenth - one that is still hiding - now appeared in sight, but "disappeared" another stone. Another step for us - and brilliantly planned "chaos" appears in a new composition containing all of the same fifteen stones, one of which is constantly visible.

Photo — «Eternal Beauty Kyoto»

Different people passed through the gallery, and various thoughts evoked in them, "Philosopher′s Garden" . . .

Each era of a long and turbulent life of ancient Kyoto in its history has left its monuments. And now every year on 22 October, in Kyoto, a "Procession of Ages" - a holiday, which began in 1815, when it was erected Heyandzingu Shinto shrine dedicated to the emperors Kammu and Komei. Early in the morning in the church held a solemn service, during which prayers pochivshim rulers. Then submitted to the palanquin, Mikos, in which, according to tradition, are visiting their souls. The beginning of the holiday is the time when participants enter the procession under the arches torii - the largest gate in Japan. Then the process should be a temple to the Imperial Palace, and the road unfolds before the audience pictures of different periods of Japanese history. With exceptional reproduces all the realities of each era and all the details of the costumes in the fashion of those years. For example, the Meiji period (1868-1912) presented to the imperial army and detachments of the peasants. They were the main actors of the Meiji Restoration, which ended the rule of the shoguns (military governors) and restored imperial power.

Tokugawa period (1603-1868) before the episode, when the shogun′s envoy sent to Kyoto to give the emperor ceremonial honors. In mid-borne palanquin procession, followed by horses being taken immense, richly decorated boxes with gifts of the shogun.

The next part of "The process of Ages" is dedicated to two outstanding statesmen, the unifier of the country - the commanders of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. For example, an episode of the episode, leaving deeper and deeper into the chronology, reveals remarkable page of Japanese history.