Shosei-en Garden

Shosei-en Garden is a detached precinct of Higashi Hongan-ji Temple located near Kyoto Station, and it is a stroll-style garden with a central pond. After Hongan-ji split into eastern and western branches, Tokugawa Iemitsu donated land, which became the beginning of Shosei-en. The garden was named "Shosei-en" from a line by the Chinese poet Tao Yuanming: "As one walks through the garden day by day, it becomes ever more delightful." The garden design, incorporating the tastes of the literati Ishikawa Jozan—also famous for creating Shisen-do—is superb, and within the grounds trees and buildings are placed in exquisite balance, collectively known as the "Thirteen Scenic Views of Shosei-en." The site is also said to preserve remnants of the Rokujo Kawara-in estate pond of Minamoto no Toru, a left minister in the early Heian period, the eighth son of Emperor Saga and a figure considered a model for Hikaru Genji in The Tale of Genji. A garden area modeled after Shiogama, a famed scenic spot in Oshu, is said to reflect that legacy, and nearby place names such as Shiogama-cho and Shiokoji Street remain. Despite being only about a 10-minute walk from Kyoto Station, you can stroll quietly through the garden. It is open to the public year-round and is also used as a venue during events held at Higashi Hongan-ji.