Kumamoto Suizenji Temple Jojuen Garden: Elegant time with the Hosokawa River Basin Stone and sacred standing sand

#7月好去地方2025
The famous garden "Suizenji Jojuen" in Kumamoto City is not only famous for its beautiful strolling garden, but also has many details with historical and cultural symbols. Among them, the three attractions of "Hosokawa-ryu Bonsai Stone Garden", "Tachisaga" and "Ikoi Hiroba" are the most representative.

Hosokawa-ryu Bonsai Stone Garden
Bonsai is a miniature art that depicts natural scenery with white sand and natural stones in a black lacquer basin. It originated in the Muromachi period and is an extension of the tea ceremony and stone viewing culture. The "Hosokawa-ryu" bonsai displayed in Suizenji Jojuen is one of the schools passed down by the Kumamoto domain lord Hosokawa Tadaoki. Its representative stone "Shigeyama" was personally found by Kobori Enshu, the tea ceremony guide of the Tokugawa Shogun's family, for Tadaoki. Today, the Bonseki school is rare and has become one of the precious traditional cultures. Appreciating the Bonseki composition in the quiet stone garden in the park is not only a visual enjoyment, but also a great way to experience the Japanese aesthetic consciousness.

Tatezuna
Located in the sacred area of the park, "Tatezuna" symbolizes the mountain where the gods descend with two star-shaped white sand cones. Although there is no clear record in the classics, it is said that the ancestors of the Japanese people descended here in ancient times. An odd number of pine leaves are inserted on the upper left and right sides of the Tatezuna, and the combination of three and five represents prayers and the appearance of gods, making people feel as if they are in the presence of divine power. The shape is simple but contains a high degree of symbolism and divine aesthetics.

Ikoi no Hiroba (resting lawn)
This green square is a resting space that tourists can enter freely. The garden has specially planted "Higo Rokka" which symbolizes the traditional gardening culture of Kumamoto. Higo Tsubaki (camellia), Higo Shiyakuyaku (peony), Higo Hanashoubu (iris) and other flowers are exhibited according to the four seasons. Walking among them, you can not only immerse yourself in the beauty of nature, but also appreciate the delicate gardening tradition cultivated by the feudal lord culture.

The tranquility and elegance of Kumamoto quietly flow in Suizenji Jojuen Garden. Whether it is the bonsai philosophy of the Hosokawa family, the Shinto tachisand prayer, or the flower style on the grass, it makes people feel as if they have traveled back to the spiritual world of ancient Kumamoto samurai and cultural people.

# Suizenji Jojuen Garden # Kumamoto Attractions # Hosokawa River Bonsai # Tachisand # Japanese Garden # Higo Rokka # Kumamoto Travel # Japanese Culture # Samurai Aesthetics # Shinto Culture # Bonsai Art # Sacred Imagery # Japanese Garden Tour

Post by Jason906 | Jul 25, 2025