Shuheki-en Garden, Sanzen-in Temple 聚碧園

Official explanation

Unlike Yusei-en Garden, Shuheki-en Garden is meant to be viewed from a sitting position indoors. The garden features a pond with a number of small islands and a low hill. A stone pagoda stands partway up the slope. The optimal location for admiring the garden and the landscape is from a seated position on the tatami mats toward the back of Kyakuden Hall, the guest hall that was formerly the residence of the temple abbots. This spot provides a panorama of the garden with a full view of the pond, islands, and stone lanterns framed by the wooden veranda. A window also includes a clear view over the valley of Ohara through a design technique known as a “borrowed landscape.”

Sanzen-in Temple was established between 782 and 806, though it is not known who first designed the garden. Records do show, however, that Kanamori Sowa (1584–1657), a tea ceremony master, redesigned the garden during the Edo period (1603–1868).

Read the full explanation

Shuheki-en means “the Garden That Gathers Green,” though its sweeping maple trees are at their most beautiful in the autumn. The placement of rocks, landscaping, and water features are also key features for visitors to enjoy while sampling green tea and traditional Japanese sweets in Kyakuden Hall.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.