Renge-ji Temple (蓮華寺), 3

Posted by GJC (Kyoto (京都), Japan) on 25 October 2008 in Architecture.

Showcasing the masterful simplicity of Japanese temple architecture.

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Comments (14)

hwalk from Utah, United States

Love how the ceiling is pushing down on the picture, and then there is the beautiful glimpse of green.

25 Oct 2008 6:06am

cat from Tel Aviv, Israel

Simply beautiful...I really like this sort of architecture, it is so calming and seems to be in harmony with nature rather than competing with it. The greens are superb.

25 Oct 2008 6:11am

@cat: Thanks for the visit and the comment. I think you put it well -- traditional architecture in Japan is built with the land, not on it. Where does the building stop and nature start?

Steve Rice from Olympia, United States

Excellent.

25 Oct 2008 6:25am

Giovanni from Milan, Italy

This series is fantastic! Love this peaceful place, the simplicity, the harmony, the light, the colours!

25 Oct 2008 7:19am

Philip from Joburg, South Africa

Beautiful garden those greens are amazing very nice shot !!

25 Oct 2008 8:16am

akarui from Kagoshima, Japan

Beautiful composition with inside and outside of a temple.

25 Oct 2008 9:26am

beanow from Poland

Beautiful frame, colours (particularly greenness), the light - all is perfect!

25 Oct 2008 10:01am

hugo poon from hong kong, Hong Kong

It's just a delight to get inside this temple... as always, you've captured the atmosphere and lighting beautifully!

25 Oct 2008 10:31am

Ronnie 2¢ from London, United Kingdom

At one with Nature. So beautiful.

25 Oct 2008 10:58am

Lorraine from Gatineau, Canada

What is done in Love can't fail...this is very special :)

25 Oct 2008 2:44pm

Observing from West Cheshire, United Kingdom

What a peaceful place, simple and pleasing to the eye. Zen.

25 Oct 2008 3:32pm

daina from New York, United States

I do think that there is a definite line where the building stops and nature starts. The building is very geometric and looks out on a very organic (no straight lines) nature. When one thinks of the rounded forms of Gaudi for example or even the adobe structures of New Mexico the architecture here does seem structured with mostly straight lines. However I think how it is situated blends with nature beautifully and as you say does not "sit" on it. Matter of fact that is what I like so much about this image - that is looks out on the profusion and tangle of nature from the geometric order of the man made structure. Even tamed nature, as in Japanese gardens (my favorite of favorites), retains a wild grace - a sense of movement that is very rare in architecture.

25 Oct 2008 3:55pm