Hello! It's Mo. Recently, I've become obsessed with temples and shrines in Kyoto, so I've been researching them online and on Instagram and visiting them. Kyoto's temples and shrines are certainly historic, and the gardens are beautiful, so just visiting them soothes the soul. I've been to many temples and shrines so far, and I really think that each one has its own unique characteristics and is very interesting. I've also researched and visited many lesser known gardens. That was a long introduction (lol) This time, I'd like to introduce you to "Shosei-en" in Kyoto. A place associated with the Tale of Genji!? The Tokugawa family competed against the garden left behind by Toyotomi Hideyoshi!? There are a lot of interesting stories behind it! This time, I would like to tell you about the charms of "Shosei-en"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

【table of contents】

☆About Shoseien

What is the origin of the name Shosei-en?

●The history of Shosei-en!

●A large pond that takes up one-sixth of the park! "Ingetsuike Pond"

 

☆About Shoseien

 

What is the origin of the name Shosei-en?

 

Shosei-en is located near Higashi Honganji Temple in Kyoto, near Kyoto Tower and Kyoto Station.

If you look at the map, you can see that the site is a beautiful square. Each side is 180 meters long, and in the old days, it was 100 ken long, so it was called the "Hyakuken Yashiki (Hyakuken Mansion)." In addition, there were trifoliate orange trees (a type of mandarin orange) planted around it, so it was also called the Kikokutei (Kikoku Residence).

Why were trifoliate oranges planted? Not only at Shoseien, trifoliate oranges were used as hedges. The reason is that when they mature, they produce very thick, impressive thorns up to 3cm in length. Apparently, they were popular at one time as a way to keep pests away from the grounds. With so many thorns, they were also effective at keeping wild boars away from the fields.

 

So why was it named Shosei-en?

It is taken from a line in the poem "Return to Home" written by the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming after he resigned from his government job and returned to his hometown, which goes, "Day by day, the garden becomes more charming."

 

●The history of Shosei-en!

When and who built this Shosei-en Garden?

 

In 1641, about 33,000 square meters was donated by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Shogun of the Edo Shogunate, and the garden was created according to the tastes of Ishiyama Jozan. Ishiyama Jozan was a Confucian scholar and Chinese poet in the early Edo period. His father, Nobutada, was a member of a Mikawa samurai clan who served Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was also famous as a landscape designer, and created the gardens of Shisendo, where he lived in seclusion, as well as Shosei-en and the Onan Garden at Ikkyu-ji Temple.

 

The reason for its creation is interesting. Shosei-en is an outlying part of Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, but in fact this garden was built after Higashi Hongan-ji Temple was built! The reason is that Nishi Hongan-ji Temple, which Hideyoshi left behind, had beautiful gardens (Hiunkaku Garden and Kokei Garden), but Higashi Hongan-ji Temple did not have any. The Tokugawa family hated to lose. Perhaps they thought that this would ruin the reputation of the Tokugawa family. They decided to create a garden that was not to be outdone by the garden created by Hideyoshi. Tokugawa Iemitsu handed over a vacant lot that is said to be related to the Tale of Genji, and built a beautiful garden there that was just as good as Nishi Hongan-ji Temple's! However, it burned down twice, in 1858 and 1864! Unfortunately, the current building was rebuilt bit by bit between the beginning and end of the Meiji period. And so this beautiful garden was created. The garden is filled with flowers that bloom in every season, and is known as one of the "Thirteen Views" and highly acclaimed.

 

Shosei-en is a stroll-style garden with a pond. The garden was designed by Ueyakato Landscape Garden.

This is a long-established company founded in 1858. Ueyakato Landscape has been cultivating gardens in Kyoto for a long time, which is why they were able to create such a beautiful and elegant garden. The sense of unity between the pond and the garden is truly a testament to their craftsmanship.

 

●A large pond that takes up one-sixth of the park! "Ingetsuike Pond"

There is a huge pond in Shosei-en! The name of this pond is "Ingetsu-ike Pond". It was named after the beautiful reflection of the moon rising from Higashiyama on the water's surface. In the summer, water lilies bloom beautifully. But you can enjoy it not only in summer, but in autumn as well. In autumn, you can enjoy the bright red autumn leaves. You can enjoy it in all four seasons, so please come and visit!

 

Click here for the official website of Shoseien

http://www.higashihonganji.or.jp/worship/shoseien/

 

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