Ryōan-ji (
Shinjitai: 竜安寺,
Kyūjitai: 龍安寺) is a
Zen temple located in northwest
Kyoto,
Japan. It belongs to the
Myōshin-ji school of the
Rinzai branch of Zen
Buddhism. The temple garden is considered to be one of the finest examples of a
Japanese rock garden (
kare-sansui), or zen garden, in Japan. The temple and gardens are listed as
Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.