Kangetsuan Teahouse

 

Kangetsuan is a thatched Teahouse in the garden of Fumon-in Temple near Matsue Castle.

In the previous post I covered the temple and garden, and in this post I will focus on the teahouse itself.

After leaving the temple building, the first stop is the waiting area where guests would wait for the host to greet them.

Like the teahouse, it is also thatched. Called Koshikake Machiai, the ceiling is made from planks recycled from clam-fishing boats.

The stepping stones to and from the waiting area are higher than most normal gardens, a feature of Izumo-style gardens that receive a lot of snow.

The teahouse was constructed in 1801 and it is believed Fumai Matsudaira, the lord of the domain and a master of the arts of tea, visited often.

It is also believed that lafcadio Hearn learn Tea Ceremony here.

The teahouse was designed by th 9th head priest of the temple who also happened to be the 9th Head of the Sansai School of Tea, founded by Hosokawa Sansai, one of the 7 disciples of Rikyu.

The inner garden leads to the Nigiriguchi, the half-height entrance with a purpose of instilling humility upon entering.

It also meant swords could not be worn inside the tearoom. A rack for swords can be seen on the right of the photo above.

A circular window in the neighboring room looks out on the pond.

As the name suggests, this building was used to watch the moon. A second moon would appear in reflection in the pond.

The previous post was on the Fumon-in temple and garden.

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Zuiganji Temple Garden

 

Zioganji is a Rinzai Zen temple in Tokushima City on Shikoku.

It was founded in 1614 by Hachisuka Shigenobu, the first lord of the domain.

I have posted earlier on a visit during the Autumn colours time....

The garden at the temple, dating to the early Edo Period, not long after the founding of the temple, is quite famous.

However in recent years it has often been closed, and photos of it are hard to find....

It is built at the base of Mount Bizan and is a stroll-type pond garden..

Compared to most Japanese gardens it has a wilder feel, as most of the greenery is not heavily pruned and trimmed...

Within the garden is a vermillion, three-storey pagoda, seen later in the post.

It also features two teahouses, Shiwatei and Kishoken, which are visible in photos towards the end of this post.

I found the garden intriguing and it felt more like exploring...

There is a famous spring in the garden but I didn't notice it....

I also didn't notice the Kirishitan Toro, the stone lantern base with carving of Mary disguised on it.

I would think the garden is excellent in the Autumn, though it was closed when I visited at that season..

The previous post in this series on Tokushima was on the garden at the castle ruins.

if you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the most recent posts.