Manshu-in – An Imperial Temple at the Foot of the Ichijōji Hills and Its Dry Garden

The temple traces its origins to a lodging founded on Mount Hiei by the monk Saichō in the Enryaku era (782–806) as a place to pray for the nation. When Kitano Tenmangū was built, the monk Zesan of the Sugawara family became its first superintendent, and Manshu-in held that post for some 900 years until the Meiji Restoration.

In 1656 Prince Ryōshō, second son of Prince Hachijō Toshihito who created the Katsura Imperial Villa, became abbot and moved the temple to its present site. Its rank as a temple headed by imperial family members still shows in the five white lines on the walls beside the imperial messenger gate. The large and small shoin halls are fine examples of sukiya-style architecture, and because their nail covers, door pulls and transoms share designs with Katsura, the temple is called a "little Katsura Villa".

The dry garden in front of the large shoin is in the style of Kobori Enshū: crane and turtle islands are set in white sand representing flowing water, and the small shoin is likened to a roofed boat quietly travelling upstream. On the crane island stands a 400-year-old five-needle pine, with a Manshu-in-style "Christian lantern" at its root.

In early May the kirishima azaleas around the large shoin bloom deep crimson, and the temple is also known for autumn leaves. Shisen-dō and Enkō-ji are nearby; combine them for a tour of the Ichijōji temples.