This is the ruins of Hatae Imperial Villa, where retired Emperor Gomizunoo spent his time in Rakuhoku in the early Edo period as a villa with a great view of Mt. Hiei. In 1678, it was converted to a Zen temple, and in 1680, it was designated as an imperial temple. It is famous for its splendid dry landscape garden with Mt. Hiei as its backdrop, and celebrities from around the world have visited this area.

It is said that some people can't stop crying when they see the garden, which has been designated as a nationally designated place of scenic beauty and incorporates Mt. Hiei into its scenery. The horizontal hedges, the cedar and cypress trees beyond, and the ridgeline of Mt. Hiei in the background all come together to create a one-of-a-kind landscape. Approximately 400 years have passed since Retired Emperor Gomizunoo was built, and the fact that you can still see the same scenery today is thanks to the people who have preserved the Japanese culture of borrowing views. The current chief priest is one of the key figures who worked hard to realize the Kyoto City View and Landscape Creation Ordinance, which was designed to protect valuable borrowed landscapes from being destroyed by urban development. If the ordinance had not been enacted in 2007, the magnificent scenery, where even Mt. Hiei in the background can be seen as part of the garden, might have disappeared from this world.

Hatae Imperial Villa, the predecessor of Shugakuin Imperial Villa, was the mountain villa of the retired Emperor Gomizunoo until its completion. The connection between the imperial family and Entsu-ji Temple is strong, and in addition to the palanquin used by the Imperial Palace to travel to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, a chozubachi shaped like a 16-petalled chrysanthemum emblem still remains in the hallway leading from the entrance to the study hall. It is

The charm of Entsuji Temple, where nature and tradition intertwine, is not only its dry landscape garden with Mt. Hiei as its backdrop. In the precincts, native maple trees and weeping mountain bushes that are hard to see elsewhere are planted, allowing you to experience the ultimate in sophistication and beauty.