Muryōkōin temple was built at the end of the Heian period (twelfth century) by Fujiwara Hidehira, and modeled after Byōdōin. Though all of the temple buildings have been lost, the pond survives as a rice field and the islands as bits of high ground within it, forming valuable remains of a Pure Land garden. Its composition, with an Amida hall flanked by side buildings placed on the central island and facing east, is indeed the same as
Japanese Garden Dictionary: A Glossary for Japanese Gardens and Their History
(C) 2010 by Ono Kenkichi and Walter Edwards. All rights reserved.
