The garden consists of a garden with Hojo (the chief monk’s residence), which is believed to have been made in the Edo Period, and Yoko-en, which was newly built in 1965. The garden with Hojo is in a Karesansui (dry landscape) style that spreads to the west and south of the Hojo. Yoko-en was built when the bamboo forest behind it died off altogether as it reached the end of its life.
cultural property : historic sites and places of scenic beauty as natural monuments
type : places of scenic beauty, historic sites
1 Hanazonomyōshinjichō, Ukyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 616-8035
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Myoshin-ji is the head temple of the Myoshin-ji school (the Rinzai sect). Its garden consists of a garden with Hojo (the chief monk’s residence), which is believed to have been created in the Edo Period, and Yoko-en, which was newly constructed in modern times. The garden with Hojo is in a Karesansui (dry landscape) style that spreads to the west and south of the Hojo. Yoko-en was built when the bamboo forest behind it died off altogether as the plants reached the ends of their lives.
The western section of the garden with Hojo is believed to have been made by the Muromachi Period painter, Kano Motonobu. It is called “Motonobu’s Garden.” Motonobu is considered to have established the Kano-style painting school.
Yoko-en was newly built in 1965 in the area where the bamboo forest, the Hojo garden’s background, used to grow. The bamboo forest died off in the late 1950s and early 1960s as it reached the end of its natural life. Yoko-en was designed and built by garden expert, Nakane Kinsaku. On the both sides of the site, he created Karesansui gardens named “Yo-no-niwa (Yang Garden)” and “In-no-niwa (Ying Garden).