Jigsaw puzzles from Japan

Temples and gardens of Kyoto

Kyoto is Japan's number one tourist magnet, and not without good reason. All around the city are temples and gardens, a reminder of the power and riches that once belonged to the old capital, now captured by the camera of Mizuno Katsuhiko.

On this page: 1000 pieces - 500 pieces - 300 pieces - the photographer - temples and names

1000 pieces

Hônen-in

This temple was built in the Edo period (roughly 1600-1850) to honour Hônen, who was a much earlier Buddhist teacher. This is the central court, the "yard" of the temple head (not quite literally a yard, but hôjô, a square of side ten Japanese feet); the bridge over the pond symbolises the interval between "this world" and "the other world". The rooms we see feature some spectacular screen paintings, and are sometimes used as a venue for concerts.

What does the name mean?

law

thus

temple

Sorry: the gloss is rather mysterious, but after all, it is a personal name.

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10315 (1000-315 on box)
Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$24.27 €15.43 £12.20)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.65 €7.41 £5.85)
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Ginkaku-ji

Built in 1482 by Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, this was intended to be the silver counterpart to the even more famous Kinkaku-ji ("Gold pavilion"), but somehow they never got round to putting the silver foil on, so it's just wood. The "Silver pavilion" is really a nickname, and officially the temple is called Tôzan-jishô-ji.

What does the name mean?

silver

pavilion

temple

This temple is very famous: just do a Google search for 'ginkakuji' to find out lots more about it.

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10334 (1000-334 on box)
Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$24.27 €15.43 £12.20)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.65 €7.41 £5.85)
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Kôdai-ji

An unimaginable amount of effort goes into making the rocks in this garden look as though they got where they are naturally!

What does the name mean?

high

stand

temple

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10318 (1000-318 on box)
Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$24.27 €15.43 £12.20)
Shipping from ¥1200 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$11.65 €7.41 £5.85)
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Ryôan-ji

Autumn leaves form a canopy over the paved approach to Ryôanji, the temple founded in 1450 which is the home of the famous raked pebble garden.

What does the name mean?

dragon

repose

temple

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10349 (1000-349 on box)
Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$24.27 €15.43 £12.20)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$10.68 €6.79 £5.37)
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Yoshimine-dera

Originally built in 1029, this temple stands on a steep mountainside to the west of the city of Kyoto. These globular trimmed azaleas are a common feature of Japanese gardens - and this is a splendid example of a Japanese wall, too. (Read my page on walls.)

What does the name mean?

good

peak

temple

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10336 (1000-336 on box)
Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$24.27 €15.43 £12.20)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$10.68 €6.79 £5.37)
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Shinsen-en

This garden was originally constructed at the same time as the fortifications of the old capital (Heian period: around 800 AD), taking its name from a spring on the site. The graceful simplicity of the arch is a timeless reminder of past glory.

What does the name mean?

god

spring

garden

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10337 (1000-337 on box)
Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$24.27 €15.43 £12.20)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$10.68 €6.79 £5.37)
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Myôman-ji

An elegant bridge in the approach to the main gate crosses an azalea-fringed pond. Although founded in the ancient Muromachi period (roughly 1400s), this temple moved to its current site as recently as 1966. Whereas in Europe much fuss is made over castles and similar monuments being the original pile of stones, the famous wooden buildings of Japan have normally been rebuilt at regular intervals.

What does the name mean?

mystery

full

temple

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 1000 pieces; 75 x 50 cm (30" x 20")
Code: A10335 (1000-335 on box)
Retail price ¥2500 (approx. US$24.27 €15.43 £12.20)
Shipping from ¥1100 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$10.68 €6.79 £5.37)
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500 pieces

Kôdai-ji

Neatly trimmed azalea bushes provide a colour contrast with the building housing the living quarters for this temple.

What does the name mean?

high

stand

temple

In stock
An Appleone puzzle: 500 pieces; 38 x 53 cm (15" x 21")
Code: A05172 (500-172 on box)
Retail price ¥1600 (approx. US$15.53 €9.88 £7.80)
Shipping from ¥700 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$6.80 €4.32 £3.41)
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300 pieces

Kiyomizu Temple with maples

Seen through the maples: the top of the pagoda at this very famous Kyoto temple. The original temple is said to have been founded more than 1200 years ago, but most of the present structure dates from the 1600s.

What does the name mean?

pure

water

temple

In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: B73149 (73-149 on box)
Retail price ¥1200 (approx. US$11.65 €7.41 £5.85)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$4.85 €3.09 £2.44)
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Kôdai-ji pebble garden

Another of the "dry" pebble gardens of Kyoto. The lighting on the cherry blossom and gravel makes a striking image, full of the textural variation that makes a puzzle interesting.

What does the name mean?

high

stand

temple

In stock
A Beverly puzzle: 300 pieces; 38 x 26 cm (15" x 10")
Code: B73152 (73-152 on box)
Retail price ¥1200 (approx. US$11.65 €7.41 £5.85)
Shipping from ¥500 (N. America, Europe, Australasia: approx. US$4.85 €3.09 £2.44)
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Photographs by Mizuno Katsuhiko

It is a pleasant surprise to find puzzles with a credit to the photographer. Born in Kyoto in 1941, Mizuno earned a degree in literature from Doshisha University in 1964. Since 1969 he has worked as a freelance photographer, in a lifelong quest to capture the essence of Japanese tradition in his native city, and resulting in publication of some one hundred books of his photographs.

Although he has some books published in English, none seems to be in print. (Search ABE for used books)

Temples and names

All but one of these names (the exception is Yoshimine-dera) are basically Chinese, so they come out as a string of hard-to-remember syllables. I've added little glosses to the characters (kanji), which should at least be a little more memorable. Take them with a pinch of salt, though. In text I've used characters with circumflex accents (e.g. 'ô') to indicate long vowels; more conventionally these would be macrons as in the blue pronunciation keys.

As usual, I'm writing Japanese names in the original order, so Mizuno is the photographer's family name. (Same as Chinese names, actually, and surely no-one thinks Mao Tse-Tung was "Mr Tung"?) This has always seemed more sensible to me, and recently Japanese practice has swung back this way; at least one of his photo books in English has him as "Mizuno Katsuhiko." Predictably, if you look at the list at ABE half the booksellers have got him backwards.

Other puzzles

Browse other puzzles featuring temples and gardens.
Try the Appleone catalogue for more Kyoto photos. Special orders only take a few days.

Deleted puzzles

For reference: you can view all the puzzles of Mizuno's photographs that are out of print in the Attic.