Sanzen-in is a Tendai Buddhist temple originally located among the subtemples of Enryakuji on the slopes of Mt. Hiei. In 1156 it was moved to its present location near the village of Ohara high in the hills northeast of Kyoto. It is said to have been founded in the late tenth century by Saicho, the priest who introduced Tendai Buddhism to Japan, although it is more likely that its founder was the priest Eshin. As a monzeki temple it counts members of the Imperial family among its abbots. Sanzen-in possesses two small pond gardens that are in sharp contrast aesthetically . The Shuheki-en ("Garden that Gathers Green") is located to the south and east of the reception hall. As the name indicates, it features a dense display of carefully shaped shrubs leading the eye toward a small stone pagoda located at the southwest angle of the garden. The Yusei-en ("Garden of Pure Presence") flanks one of the other subtemples to which Sanzen-in was joined (Ojo Gokuraku-in, "Temple of Rebirth in Paradise"), a well preserved Amida hall constructed in 985 and rebuilt in 1148. Its pond is called Kudoku-ike, "Charity Pond." The large expanse of moss-covered ground to the east of the pond is famous for its cedars and red maples, the latter providing striking color accents in late autumn. Both gardens date from the middle of the seventeenth century, although the Shuheki-en was reworked in the early Edo Period.