Shosei-en Garden | |
Type: | Garden |
Location: | Japan |
Nearest City: | Kyoto |
Coordinates: | 34.9914°N 135.7633°W |
Shosei-en Garden (渉成園) is a garden in Kyoto, Japan. The garden has teahouses, a hall with a Buddhist altar, and two ponds. The garden was named by Sennyo Shōnin, who used the garden as a residence when he retired in 1653 and was gifted the land by the shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu. Sennyo Shōnin named the garden after a line in the Chinese poem Let Me Return Home Again by Tao Yuanming.
The garden is about 35,000 square meters. It has a large central pond with walking paths around it. Historically, the garden served as a retirement spot for Buddhist abbots, and was also used for enjoying tea ceremony and poetry writing. The garden is now open to the general public. It is considered a Place of Scenic Beauty by the government of Japan.[1]