| Many of the buildings extant today at Ninna-ji date to the time of the third [[Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa shogun]], [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]] (r. [[1623]]-[[1651]]). The temple's ''kondô'' (main hall, lit. "golden hall"), today designated a [[National Treasure]], was formerly a part of the [[Kyoto Imperial Palace]] compound; the bell tower, Mie-dô, [[Kannon]]-dô, sutra hall, five-story pagoda, and [[Nio|Niô]]-mon (gate) all date to the time of Tokugawa Iemitsu, and are all considered [[Important Cultural Properties]]. | | Many of the buildings extant today at Ninna-ji date to the time of the third [[Tokugawa shogunate|Tokugawa shogun]], [[Tokugawa Iemitsu]] (r. [[1623]]-[[1651]]). The temple's ''kondô'' (main hall, lit. "golden hall"), today designated a [[National Treasure]], was formerly a part of the [[Kyoto Imperial Palace]] compound; the bell tower, Mie-dô, [[Kannon]]-dô, sutra hall, five-story pagoda, and [[Nio|Niô]]-mon (gate) all date to the time of Tokugawa Iemitsu, and are all considered [[Important Cultural Properties]]. |
| + | *The temple's Shiro Shoin ("white study") was built in [[1890]] to serve as a temporary ''shinden'' ("palace") following the destruction of the ''goten'' ("palace") in a fire in [[1887]]. A new ''shinden'' was built afterwards, and this structure was then renamed the Shiro Shoin. A series of ''[[fusuma]]'' (sliding screen) paintings decorating the walls of the ''[[shoin]]'' depicting pine trees are by ''[[Nihonga]]'' painter Fukunaga Seihan, and date to 1937. |