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In Shōsei-en Garden(渉成園), the nationally designated Place of Scenic Beauty
on the grounds of Higashi Hongan-ji Temple
The name Shōsei-en is derived from a line in the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming’s poem “Let Me Return Home Again.” Crossing over (shō) the days, my garden (en) becomes (sei) ever more tasteful. Let the garden’s beauty transcend the age, continuing over each day and each season. We hope it will be a garden that is loved by many across the world. It is with this wish in mind that the Ueyakato Landscape’s gardeners, who serve as the exclusive garden caretakers of Higashi Hongan-ji Temple, approach their daily work. This winter, our gardeners have launched a project that lets people enjoy Shōsei-en Garden’s appeal even more deeply. Discover messages from our gardeners scattered throughout the garden.
Discover messages from our gardeners scattered throughout the garden.
Each message has a QR code built into it. Scan the QR code
and… enjoy the garden’s allure from the gardener’s point of view.
Period: January 9 (Mon./holiday)-29 (Sun.)
Place: The whole area of Shosei-en Garden, a national Place of Scenic Beauty
Fee: Free *Entry fee required (proceeds used for garden maintenance)
Reservations: Not necessary
Scan the QR code and enjoy the garden’s allure from the gardener’s point of view.
太田陽介
Yosuke Ota
Gardener for Shōsei-en Garden and Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. While striving to innovate garden management that protects the biodiversity living in Shōsei-en Garden, he also works toward organizing and researching improvement projects for the forest floor of the Higashiyama mountains. With affection for all living things, he cares for Shōsei-en Garden by looking at it from the viewpoint of the life living inside it. His philosophy toward the natural world is to “try eating everything once.”
鷲田悟志
Satoshi Washida
Gardener for Shōsei-en Garden and Higashi Hongan-ji Temple. He is a gardener who involves himself in garden creation, attracted to the allure of the Japanese garden as work of art that transcends reason. With contemporary art deepened by learning as his backbone, he cares for the garden daily in hopes of achieving a more intimate connection between Japanese gardens and art/literati culture. At Shōsei-en Garden, he is charge of “Garden Tours Enjoyed with All Five Senses” and the “Sencha Tea Lecture.”
Time: Jan. 9(natl. holiday)-10 (Sun.) 9:00 AM-3:30 PM *Event held rain or shine
Place: Shōsei-en Garden, a national Place of Scenic Beauty
The pine grove by Ingetsu-chi Pond and Rinchi-tei /Tekisui-ken Reception Halls
Max. number of participants: None
Reservations: Not necessary *Limits may be placed on time and number of people for use of rooms
Fee: Free *500 yen entry fee required (proceeds used for garden maintenance)
植彌加藤造園
Ueyakato Landscape
An established Kyoto landscape company which has been a dedicated caretaker of the Nanzen-ji Temple, the head temple of the Rinzai sect of Buddhism, since 1848. UEYAKATO has engaged in fostering and landscape designing the gardens of places of historic importance and Scenic Beauty, the likes of Nanzen-ji Temple, Higashi Honganji Temple, and Chishakuin Temple as well as villas such as Murin-an in the Nanzen-ji neighborhood. Since the implementation of a designated management system by Kyoto prefectural government, we have been managing the Keihanna Commemorative Park. We strive to provide multiple services: landscape gardening, research of historical and biological backgrounds and facility management. He also participates in community development in the Monzen area as a member of the "Ohigashi-san Monzen Mirai Project.
Shōsei-en Garden is a literati-style garden created in the seventeenth century.
Throughout the garden are arrangements allowing you to feel spaces suited to
sencha (infused) tea drinking that the Japanese literati preferred.
On the birthday of Rai San’yō, a Chinese Studies scholar who wrote “A Record of Shōsei-en Garden,” we will hold a seminar by the head of the sencha school of tea.
Please enjoy this opportunity to encounter literati culture.
Shosei-en Garden’s dedicated gardeners will also provide a tour of the garden.
We’ll be opening up Tekisui-Ken Reception Hall, which is usually closed to the public.
Time: Jan. 21(Sat.) 1:30-3:30 PM
Place: Shōsei-en Garden, a national Place of Scenic Beauty Tekisui-ken Reception Hall
Max. number of participants: 15
Fee: Free *500 yen entry fee required (proceeds used for garden maintenance)
*This is a test event for which a questionnaire survey will be conducted.
*Reservations required from the web page.
(Applications will be accepted from January 5, first 15 arrivals)
We’ll be opening up Rinchi-tei Reception Hall, which is usually closed to the public.
We’ll also be preparing hot sencha (infused) tea, so please enjoy warming up
after taking a winter stroll in the garden.
January 21 (Sat.) and 22 (Sun.) 10:00 AM-3:00 PM
Place: Shōsei-en Garden, a national Place of Scenic Beauty Rinchi-tei Reception Hall
Fee: Free *500 yen entry fee required (proceeds used for garden maintenance)
*This is a test event for which a questionnaire survey will be conducted.
*The number of people and time for stay may be limited depends on how crowded it is.
Higashitamamizui-cho, Shimozuya-cho dori Manomachi Higashi-iru, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto
-10 min. walk from JR Kyoto Sta.
-7 min. walk from Gojo Subway Station
-5 min. walk from bus stop Karasuma-Shichijo
Click here for information of Shoseien
Please refrain from contacting Higashi Honganji Temple or Shoseien directly.
Inquiry|| Ueyakato Landscape Co., Ltd. Environmental Culture Planning Division
