Hidden at the end of Hanami-k?ji street, Kennin-ji is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Zen sect. Founded in 1202, the founding priest was Y?sai, who is famous for introducing Japan not only to the Zen sect but also to the tradition of drinking tea. At first the temple practiced a mix of Tendai, Shingon and Zen Buddhism, but during the tenure of the 11th abbot, Kennin-ji converted to a purely Zen temple, the first of its kind in Kyoto. The temple suffered from fires and was rebuilt in the mid-thirteenth century and again in the sixteenth century. With a ceiling covered in an ink painting of two giant dragons and gorgeous interior gardens, Kennin-ji is also home to the famous painted screen depicting the gods of wind and thunder that can be found reproduced all over Kyoto.
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