House £ 5 ? Garden 
AT KOBE 
the latter sect in Nagoya, 
the complex and amaz¬ 
ingly elaborate Obaku-san, 
just a little way down the 
river, these vast and noble 
structures crush one with 
the very majesty of their 
noble architecture, but for 
charm and fascination and 
keen appeal, one must 
search out tiny sanctuaries 
like this of Koshoji. 
One enters first a little 
forecourt surrounded by 
buildings on three sides, 
the fourth being filled by 
the wall and gateway. The 
hondo or preaching hall 
is in front; a low, simple 
building on the left is the 
in April, as when 1 saw 
it, a great cloud of pink 
vapour poised over all, the 
amazing blossoming of an 
ancient cherry. 
One comes out from 
under the white arch with 
a sudden catching of the 
breath. It is not a large 
temple, indeed it is hardly 
more than a toy, one of 
those still little monasteries 
asleep in a forgotten eddy 
of the turbulent river of 
“ progressbut it is the 
more charming for all that. 
The Nishi and Higashi 
Hongwanji temples of 
Kyoto, the almost terrify¬ 
ing monster belonging to 
AT THE NISHI HONGWANJI, KYOTO 
IN A GARDEN 
