Sankei-en
Sankei-en | |
---|---|
Type | Urban park |
Location | Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan |
Coordinates | 35°25′01″N 139°39′36″E / 35.41695°N 139.660042°E |
Created | 1906 |
Sankei-en (
Features[edit]
Sankei-en has a total surface of 175 thousand square meters and features ponds, streams, and undulating paths designed by Sankei Hara himself, plus many historic buildings, such as Tōmyō-ji former three-story pagoda (
Work on the garden started in 1902 and ended in 1908, two years after it was opened to the public. During Hara's own lifetime, the place became an aggregation point for Meiji period artists. World War II caused great damage to the buildings. In 1953 the garden was donated by the Hara family to the City of Yokohama, which created the Sankeien Hoshōkai Foundation for its repair and maintenance. The Foundation started the restoration in 1953 and, five years later, the garden was back almost to its original form and reopened to the public.[1]
The Japanese government has designated ten structures in Sankei-en as Important Cultural Properties, while three more are Tangible Cultural Properties designated by the City of Yokohama.[1] The garden is popular for its cherry blossoms, ume blossoms, and the changing leaves in autumn.
Kakushōkaku[edit]
Next to the entrance, the Kakushōkaku (
Sankei Memorial[edit]
Located immediately after the Kakushōkaku, the Sankei Memorial (
Outer Garden[edit]
The Outer Garden, that is, the area next to the Main Pond, was the first part of the garden to open to the public in 1906. The buildings it contains are the former Tōmyō-ji three-storied pagoda, a tea room called Rindō-an (
Tōmyō-ji's former main hall (Important National Cultural Property) was brought here from Kyoto and is an example of Muromachi period (1336–1557) architecture. Bought in 1988, it was completely restored with intensive work of restoration and reconstruction that lasted five years.[1]
Tōmyō-ji's former three-storied pagoda (Important National Cultural Property) is visible from any point of the garden and is its symbol. It was moved to Sankei-en in 1914.
Tōkei-ji's former butsuden (Important National Cultural Property) used to be the main hall of a Rinzai Zen temple in Kamakura. Its structure and name are typical of that sect. It was bought and moved to Sankei-en in 1907.
Former Yanohara House[edit]
The Former Yanohara House (
Inner Garden[edit]
The Inner Garden, north of the Main Pond, was opened to the public in 1958, and was until then the Hara family's private garden. Its buildings are the Gomon Gate (
Of particular value is the Rinshunkaku (Important National Cultural Property, see photo below), formerly belonging to the Kii House of Tokugawa. It is often compared in beauty to the World famous Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto. Originally the summer residence of Tokugawa Yorinobu, the first head of the Kii House, it used to stand in Iwade, Wakayama prefecture. Acquired by Hara in 1906, it was rebuilt over a period of three years between 1915 and 1917. Divided in three sections, it was decorated by famous artists Kanō Tanyū and Kanō Yasunobu.[1] The transoms between pavilions are decorated with sculpted waves (first pavilion) and special paper containing poetry (second pavilion). The third pavilion's transom is decorated with real gagaku instruments like shō and flutes.
The Gekkaden (Important National Cultural Property) was built in 1603 by Ieyasu, the first of the Tokugawa shōguns within Kyoto's Fushimi Castle. It was bought in 1918 together with the Shunsōro and moved to Sankei-en.[1] Hara then connected it to a pavilion he built, the Kinmokutsu. The paintings on the room partitions are attributed to Momoyama period artist Kaihō Yūshō. The Gekkaden can be rented by the public.
The Tenju-in (Important National Cultural Property) was originally a Jizō-dō in Kita-Kamakura near the great Kenchō-ji Zen temple and was bought in 1916. Tenju-in was Hara's Jibutsu-dō (
Tenzui-ji's former Jutō Ōi-dō[3] (Important National Cultural Property, see image above) was built in 1591 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a resting place for his mother, and is one of the few extant buildings attributable with certainty to him.[1]
The construction of the Chōshūkaku (Important National Cultural Property, see photo below) is traditionally attributed to Iemitsu, third of the Tokugawa shōguns. The pavilion is open to the public in spring and in November for the traditional viewing of the autumn colors.[1]
The Shunsōro (Important National Cultural Property) is a tea room believed to have been built for Oda Urakusai, brother of the more famous Oda Nobunaga.[1] Urakusai was a well-known practitioner of the tea ceremony.
Getting there[edit]
- From Yokohama, take the Negishi Line to Negishi.
- From bus stop No. 1, take any of the buses numbered 58, 99 or 101 and get off at Honmoku.
- Cross the street, walk to the convenience store, turn right and walk straight to the garden (about 500 meters)
Other information[edit]
- Opening hours: 9:00 to 17:00 (entrance allowed until 16:30)
- Ticket price (as of December 2017): 700 Yen
Gallery[edit]
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The Kakushokaku
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The Chōshūkaku
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The Old Yanohara House
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Rinshunkaku
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Autumn foliage
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The pagoda in spring
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A few scenes from the garden in late summer, 2021
See also[edit]
- Ōzone Oshitayashiki
- Katsura Imperial Villa
- Ma (negative space)
- Seven Horticultural Wonders of the World
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Yokohama Sankei Garden, Sankei-en's official site accessed on November 3, 2009 (in Japanese)
- ^ The adoption of one's daughter's husband is a measure traditionally taken in Japan to guarantee the survival of the family name in the absence of male heirs.
- ^ A jutō is a kind of stupa built while the person that will rest in it is still alive. An Ōi-dō is a hall housing either protects or hides something precious, in this case a stupa.