The thousand-year capital, Kyoto—an ancient city ruled by a host of gods where countless Buddhas have bequeathed teachings, its rich narratives woven from infinite threads of elegant aristocratic picture scrolls, the rise and fall of the samurai, and humble prayers of the townsfolk.

1. Seat yourself in the special-purpose SOUND TRIP booth at a participating temple or shrine.
2. Drop a donation in the designated box (300 yen)
3. Slip on the headphones and press play
4. Trip on the sound and the scenery before you

Sanzen-in Temple is something of a travelling temple. It has relocated numerous times since it was founded in 860, with stints in Sakamoto at the foot of Mt. Hiei-zan and the Murasakino precinct of Kyoto before settling in its present location in Ohara during the Meiji era (1868-1912).

Ohara has historically been a place of rest and respite for women and soldiers fleeing war in the capital. One such figure was Kenreimon-in, the daughter of Heian era (794-1185) chancellor Taira no Kiyomori and consort of Emperor Takakura. She lived in seclusion here at Ohara after being expelled from Kyoto when the Taira warrior clan fell. Many other members of the Imperial family, aristocracy, samurai and literati despairing in the burden of this life also moved to the village of Ohara to live in hiding during the Heian and Kamakura (1185-1333) eras.

There’s one other soothing presence in Ohara: Amida Buddha. In a turbulent age of famine, pestilence and war, a notion of mappo shiso, or “the latter day of the law”, pervaded popular thinking. Mappo means the end of Buddhist teachings, a disordered world, or, as it were, the end of the world. In those dark times, Amida Buddhism eased the minds of people searching for salvation in the afterlife. They embraced the faith and its undiscriminating ideology that promised Amida Buddha would welcome anyone who practiced chants to the Pure Land. Salvation was no longer the sole province of elite priests who had devoted themselves to training and achieved enlightenment.

We may draw many parallels between the medieval people and our own selves in these unsure times of pandemic, never-ending war and economic disparity. The democratic nature of Amida Buddhism that allayed the public’s fear of the onset of “the end” is not so far removed from the internet and social media in our own society in the way they give voice to the anonymous instead of the conversation being monopolized by one celebrity or superstar.
This village of Ohara that has brought serenity to souls for centuries is the ideal place to leave the clatter of everyday behind, to reflect, lend an ear to the voice inside, and clear a new path. A SOUND TRIP design Kyoto Ohara map is available at Sanzen-in Temple and other places in the Ohara area. Make the most of your time in the village by visiting some of its other attractions and experiencing more of the soothing sounds of Ohara.

Sanzen-in Temple dates back to the Enryaku era (782 – 806). Its long history began in a hut that the father of Tendai Buddhism, Saicho, put up under a giant pear tree at Mt. Hiei-zan when building Enryaku-ji Temple. After numerous relocations including stints in Omi Sakamoto and various sites in Kyoto, the temple settled in Ohara during the Meiji era (1868-1912). Amida Triad statues in the Ojogokuraku-in hall are designated as National Treasures. The temple is also known for its warabe jizo (child-like Buddhist statues) in the moss garden.

Address: 540 Ohara raigoin-cho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto
Opening hours: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm every day (8:30 am – 5:00 am in November, 9:00 am – 4:30 pm December to February)
Admission fee: General 700 yen, Junior high and high school students 400 yen, Elementary school students 150 yen
Enquiries: 075-744-2531
http://www.sanzenin.or.jp/en/

Ohara—the birthplace of Tendai shomyo(chant). Here at Sanzen-in Temple you can hear Shomyo, a composition that mixes Buddhist chant with the sounds of Ohara—chirping birds, a babbling river, and Otonashi-no-Taki, the waterfall into which generations of monks have practiced reciting their chants—in a musical collage based on themes of hope to enter the Pure Land and prayers for the future.

Lattice windows before you give the impression of rows and rows of dozens of tiny frames. Soft light and fresh breeze from an open window caress your skin. Beyond the windows is a beautiful garden where water, greenery, sky and sun melt into one. The scenery seems to play its own natural rhapsody.

Listening to Shomyo at Sanzen-in Temple, the temple named for ichinen sanzen, one is wrapped in a euphoric sense of meditating in a universe enveloping three thousand realms. It’s a rare experience of oscillating between feelings of rigid tension and weightless floating.

Yoshi Horikawa is a sound creator who records sounds of the environment and daily life, which he transforms into his own unique brand of music. He debuted in 2010 on French label Eklektik Records with the EP Touch. His 2012 EP Wandering and his first album, Vapor, released in 2013, were selected as best album of the year by numerous media outlets. Touring the world with each new release, Horikawa has performed at many of the world’s major festivals including the Glastonbury Festival in the UK. As part of his extensive international career he has collaborated with architect Kengo Kuma, created music for radio and commercials, and designed sound systems.

• Sound Trip【Act Two】Mibudera-temple
• Sound Trip【Act Three】Kifune-jinja Shrine