Shointei Garden Tsuwano

 

Saronoki is a comoex of buildings in the old castle town of Tsuwano, known as a "Little Kyoto".

Mostly a souvenir store Saranoki also has a fast food restaurant with ice cream, and a more traditional restaurant and coffee shop with views of a traditional garden known as Shointei.

The property is inside what was the samurai quarter of the town, and this site was the residence of the highest-ranking retainer of the local lord.

The owner of the establishment was kind enough to take around some of the private, family areas of the complex and so we were able to viewthe garden from many other angles.

 

It is claimed that the garden has some kind of national recognition,though as a scenic spot or what I don't know,

In fact none of the sources I use for traditional garden information has any info at all.

The previous post in this series on Tsuwano was on the Morijuku Museum and its gardens,,,

Morijuku Art Museum Gardens

 

The Morijuku Art Museum is a small, private art museum in Tsuwano, the castle toen in the mountains of Shimane.

It is housed in a large, traditional house that was the residence of the village headman of the town in the Edo Period.

The exhibition is of  paintings by Tsuwano-born artists Nakao Akira and his wife Yoshiura Maya.

Theer are also some prints by the Spanish artist Goya.

However, for myself the art was not the main interest, as  the main part of the house is open to visitors and includes three distinct gardens that can be enjoyed.

The first is the front garden to the west of the house and through which you must pass to enter.

It is a dry garden with lots of raked sand and in all probability was created when the property was renovated.

The main garden is to the east and is visible from the tatami rooms of the main house.

Apparentlt this garden was originally quite a bit larger but some of the property was sold off many years ago.

The third garden is on the south side and includes a path from the front garden to the teahouse.

The teahouse is part of the main house and can also be entered from within the house.

It is suggested that this south garden shares many features with an Izumo-style garden.

With three distinct gardens, a large traditional house to explore, and also an art exhibit, the Morijuku Art Museum is well worth a visit.

especially when you consider it has free entry.

The previous post in this series on Tsuwano was on the fall colours at Washibara hachimangu Shrine

Just outside town is quite a famous garden at the Hori Estate which I will cover later. Also in the town is a delightful garden at the thatched  Yomeiji Temple.

Even though this was a July weekend with a major event, the Sagimai Dance, ,going on, the town was not at all crowded and I had the Morijuku gardens all to myself.

Washibara Hachimangu in Autumn

 

Washibara Hachimangu Shrine is located at the base of the mountain that has Tsuwano Castle on top.

It was established in the 13th Century by the warrior ancestor of the Yoshimi Clan who moved to what is now the Tsuwano area and established this branch of the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine of Kamakura.

In 1387 the third head of the family moved it to its current location.

A Yabusame training ground was built at this time and it remains the only original Yabusame grounds in all of Japan. Yabusame takes place here on the first Sunday in April and can be viewed in this earlier post.

During the Yabusame festival the shrine grounds are filled with blooming cherry trees, but in the Autumn, the combination of Maple and Ginko trees make for a splendid sight.

There are numerous secondary shrines in the grounds, the most interesting being a branch of Awashima Shrine.

The head Awashima Shrine in Wakayama is famous for its collection of dolls that have been left at the shrine, and many Jaoanese find it quite eery.

The Awashima Shrine here at Washibara Hachimangu also has quite a collection of traditional dolls that have been left.

The Washibara Hachimangu was established at the same time as the first castle on top of the mountain, and when the castle was attacked in 1554 the shrine and all the other temples and shrines in the immediate vicinity were burned down.

In 1568, Yoshimi Masayori rebuilt the shrine. The current thatched tower gate dates from this time.

In 1711 Kamei Tsunechika did major renovations, and the current main hall dates from this time.

The Tower Gate, Worship Hall, and Main Hall are all National Important Cultural Properties and are fine examples of late Muromachi Period shrine architecture. They are all currently undergoing refurbishment.

Between the tower gate and the worship hall is a small pond with a kiyosaibashi bridge across it.

Outside of the yabusame festival in April, the shrine gets very few visitors as it is somewhat out of town, but well worth a visit in the autumn.

These last seven photos were taken on a later visit to the shrine....

The previous post in this series on Tsuwano was on the Yabusame here.