The timeframe of its construction is unclear, but it is thought to have been around the beginning of the Edo Period. The garden had been buried under earth and sand dumped by the debris flow of torrential rains in 1941. However, the excavation survey during the reconstruction and improvement project in recent years has revealed the entire garden. Although no associated buildings survived, the garden features have been well preserved.
cultural property : historic sites and places of scenic beauty as natural monuments
type : places of scenic beauty, historic sites
246 Onjōjichō, Ōtsu-shi, Shiga-ken 520-0036
Tel：077-522-2238
Home page : www.shiga-miidera.or.jp/index.htm
Zenpo-in is one of the six sub-temples of Mii-dera. The timeframe of its construction is unclear, but it is thought to have been built at the beginning of the Edo Period. Although the garden was designated as a National Place of Scenic Beauty/Historic Site in 1934, the site was buried under earth and sand dumped by the debris flow of torrential rains in 1941.
However, thanks to a surveyed map by garden research authority, Shigemori Mirei, and an excavation led by forest expert and landscape researcher, Okazaki Aya’aki, the full details of the garden were recovered. Although associated buildings no longer exist, the pond shore and stone arrangements of the garden have been preserved.
Based on a description in the database of the Otsu City Museum of History, the details of the garden’s original design have been recovered, such as two ponds in front of the study, a Nakajima (central island), a stone bridge, and arrangements of large stones. However, neither the study nor the garden has been reconstructed.