Zuirokusan Engaku Kōshō Zenji (瑞鹿山円覚興聖禅寺), or Engaku-ji (円覚寺), is one of the most important Zen Buddhist temple complexes in Japan and is ranked second among Kamakura's Five Mountains. It is situated in the city of Kamakura, in Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo.
The stairs leading to the Sanmon
Drawing of Engaku-ji from the Shinpen Kamakurashi
The Sanmon (main gate)
Emperor Fushimi's calligraphy on top of the Sanmon
The Five Mountains and Ten Monasteries System system, more commonly called simply Five Mountain System, was a network of state-sponsored Chan (Zen) Buddhist temples created in China during the Southern Song (1127–1279). The term "mountain" in this context means "temple" or "monastery", and was adopted because many monasteries were built on isolated mountains. The system originated in India and was later adopted also in Japan during the late Kamakura period (1185–1333).
Kyoto's Nanzen-ji was the supervisor of the whole Five Mountain System in Japan
The zen garden that Musō Soseki built at Tenryū-ji, head of the Kyoto Gozan
The garan at Kenchō-ji, head of the Kamakura Gozan