Although there is no clear evidence, many believe the temple's garden was created by famed artist Kobori Enshū (小堀遠州 1579-1647).
In 1935 Shigemori Mirei (重森三玲) discovered the original garden had been hidden by an ugly arrangement of rocks added in the Meiji period.
Using a 7-5-3 pattern of trimmed azalea (ツツジ) bushes in the place of rocks, Mirei revived the garden. It is extremely unusual to see a Zen garden without any rocks at all.
Hosomi Yoshiro, deputy chief of Takara Shuzō's (the company behind Crystal Jun) advertising department, recalls that Bowie knew Kyōto inside out.
When he suggested Shōden-ji, no-one in Hosomi's team had ever heard of the temple.
The garden moved Bowie to tears during filming.
#DavidBowie #Shodenji #Kyoto #京都 #Japan #zen #zengarden #temple
When asked to star in an advert for Crystal Jun Rock shōchū, Bowie suggested Shōden-ji (正伝寺) as a filming location.
He shot part of the commercial here in December 1979, and composed 'Crystal Japan'.
Here's a clip⬇️
https://youtu.be/2qvAM7Q-d9w
🧑🎤DAVIE BOWIE & THE TEMPLE🪨
pausing a moment,
the sound of rivers and streams
without end
たたずめば水音のはてもなし
-Taneda Santōka (種田山頭火).
In the late 1970s David Bowie fell in love with Kyōto. The small temple of Shōden-ji (正伝寺) is perhaps most well-known outside of Japan because of him.
Camellia Tea Ceremony