Shoseien Garden

Overview

Shoseien Garden, once used as a retirement residence for the chief priests of Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, is a Japanese garden steeped in history. The garden was designed in the early Edo period by Ishikawa Jozan as a shoin-style strolling garden. It features the expansive Ingetsu Pond, which covers one-sixth of the entire site, and thirteen scenic views compiled by Rai Sanyo. Elegant structures are scattered throughout, including the large Rokuhu-tei study, three tea rooms (Sushimuseki, Shukuen-tei, and Daigasa-seki), and Enrindō, which served as the holding hall for the Amitabha Buddha statue of the 21st head priest, Ohtani Kosho. Enrindō, rebuilt in 1957, houses 44 sliding doors painted by Munakata Shiko, completed in 1958 and 1960 to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Shinran's death. Rokuhu-tei, a grand study hall, was designed to frame views of Amida-ga-mine peak in the Higashiyama mountains. Inside, it displays a calligraphy piece of Shoseien Garden by Tokugawa Yoshinobu (the 15th shogun) and a calligraphy piece of Rokuhu-tei by Ishikawa Jozan. It was used as a resting place for Emperor Meiji in 1880. While the garden retains its original design, it was destroyed by fire twice in 1858 and 1864. The current buildings were reconstructed between 1865 and the early Meiji period. The large pond, over 7,000 square meters, is called Ingetsu Pond and was originally fed by the Takase River. After the Biwako Canal opened in the Meiji period, water from the canal was channeled to the garden through a dedicated iron pipe for fire prevention purposes at Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. Open to the public year-round, the garden also serves as a venue for various events held by Higashi Hongan-ji Temple.