Manshuin Temple

This guide to Manshuin Temple in Kyoto follows Ryosho, second son of Prince Toshihito who shaped Katsura Imperial Villa, and his decision as head priest in the 1650s to rebuild this temple in the same refined shoin style, close enough that locals nickname it the little Katsura Rikyu. You'll hear about the Kano Tanyu paintings in the Waterfall and Snow Rooms, and the raked gravel garden with its centuries-old pine trained into the shape of a crane. It traces how a prince who would never inherit the throne built himself a palace anyway.