Kyoto a Cultural Guide. John H. Martin

the art of Kodai-ji-maki-e. Gold lacquer artistry reached a luxurious peak in the designs in this Spirit Hall, since the walls, furniture, cabinets, the altar, and the altar dishes are all decorated in the Kodai-ji-maki-e technique.

      The altar is thus a masterpiece of lacquer craft. Its central image of worship is that of Kannon. Instead of having the usual bodhisattva images on either side of the main image, the Kannon in this memorial hall is flanked by two miniature shrines. The shrine on the left holds a wooden image of the seated Hideyoshi, the shrine case having designs in gold taken from Yodogimi's carriage. Hideyoshi's hat is the one sent to him by the emperor of China. On the opposite side of the altar on the right is a wooden image of Yodogimi as a nun. The building is further embellished with the classical painting of the Thirty-six Poets" by Tosa Mitsunobu (1434-1525) and other works by artists of the Kano school.

      Shigure-tei and Kasa-tei East of the main buildings and further up the hillside are two small, thatch-roofed teahouses, also from the Fushimi castle, which are connected by a thatch-roofed walkway. They bear the names of Shigure-tei (Shower of Rain) and Kasa-tei (Umbrella). The Shigure-tei was designed by Toyobo Sochin, a disciple of Sen-no-Rikyu, the great tea master and garden designer of the late 1500s. At the time of Hideyoshi's 1587 Tea Party at the Kitano Shrine, to which he invited everyone to be present, even "those from China," all the important tea masters designed teahouses which were exhibited at the tea party. Toyobo's teahouse eventually found a permanent home at the Kodai-ji. The Kasa-tei is so-named since, from the inside of the teahouse, the poles or struts supporting the thatched roof radiate from a central point at the conical peak of the roof—thereby resembling the struts of an opened umbrella from the underside. The real name of the teahouse is more romantic: Ankan-kutsu, "Place of Idleness."

      Iho-an Nordiwest of the Kangetsu-dai are two small buildings, one of which is the Iho-an (the Cottage of Lingering Fragrances). According to one account, it was the favorite tea ceremony house of a wealthy merchant and the courtesan Yoshinotayu, a famed dancer and beauty who later married, the merchant. Another account claims this to be an incense ceremony building, supposedly of Hideyoshi's time. Nearby is the Entoku-in, a sub-temple of the Kodai-ji which was once the mansion of Kinoshita Toshifusa, a nephew of Yodogimi. The 1913-rebuilt Hojo (Abbot's Quarters) has a landscape painting on its fusuma (sliding panel) which is thought to be by Tohaku Hasegawa, while the garden of the Hojo lies to its north, a Momoyama dry garden with magnificent rocks from Fushimi castle.

      Among the treasures of the temple on display between November 1-10 each year are gold screens by Kano Motonobu (1476-1559), Kano Koi, and Hasegawa Tohaku (1539-1610). Certain relics of Hideyoshi and Yodogimi remain as well, notably his writing box, her black lacquer "clothes horse," and a set of small dining trays and covered bowls, all originally from the Fushimi castle of Hideyoshi.

      BUNNOSUKE-JAYA