Sengan-en was a villa of the Shimazu Family, the lords of the Satsuma Domain. The garden is built at the bottom of the Isoyama Park with a thick broad-leaved forest on the north side. The south front side of the garden commands a panoramic view of Mt. Sakurajima across Kinko Bay. The waterfall, river wall of a mountain torrent, and splendid stone arrangements using boulders such as a stone bridge have been preserved without any major alteration.

cultural property : historic sites and places of scenic beauty as natural monuments　
type : places of scenic beauty

9700-1 Yoshinochō, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima-ken 892-0871
Tel：099-247-1551

The garden originated in 1658, when an Okariya (rest house of shogun and lord) was built on the Oiso Shimotsu Hamamon mansion, which was the former residence of Karo (chief retainer) Kamata Izumo-no-kami as a villa of Shimazu Mitsuhisa, the 19th lord of the Shimazu Family. The name “Sengan-en” is said to originate from its resemblance to Ryuko-san-sengen (龍虎山仙巌), a scenic site in the Jiangxi Province in China.
The garden is built at the bottom of the Isoyama Park with a thick broad-leaved forest on the north. The south front side of the garden commands a panoramic view of Mt. Sakurajima across Kinko Bay. The garden occupies a wide two-terraced space in front of the building facing the ocean, featuring stone arrangements and stone lanterns. A partial reformation was carried out prior to the first year of the Meiji period. Since then the garden has remained almost intact without suffering from a major change.
Kekura Okari-ya is located approximately 500 meters east of Sengan-en. It was built as an annex of the Shimazu Family. The building survived only for a short period of time. However, the waterfalls, river wall of the mountain stream, stone arrangements using boulders such as stone bridges remained without significant alterations, conveying the landscapes of the end of Edo Period (1853 – 1869).  (Kekura Okari-ya is currently not open to the general public.)

There is also a pond garden called “Ueoniwa” (upper garden) and a garden with a teahouse called “Shitaoniwa” (lower garden) at the western side on the lower level.  Ueoniwa was built as a southern garden of a shoin (study) parlor. It features three Tsukiyamas and an oval pond on the east side. Shitaoniwa features a teahouse to the north, overlooking the wide pond garden on the south side.

cultural property : historic sites and places of scenic beauty as natural monuments　
type : places of scenic beauty

27-20 Tamazatochō, Kagoshima-shi, Kagoshima-ken 890-0012
Tel：099-222-2627

Home page : www.tamazatotei-teien.jp

The garden is located at the west side of Atagoyama, the north hill in Kagoshima city. It is believed to have been built in 1835 by Shimazu Nariakira, the 27th lord of the Simazu Family. At the eastern side of the premises, there is a flat area where a group of main buildings once stood. A pond garden called “Ue-oniwa” (upper garden) was built there, and a garden with a teahouse called “Shita-oniwa” (lower garden) was built at the western side on the lower level. Ue-oniwa was built as the southern garden of a shoin (study) parlor, featuring three Tsukiyama (artificial hills) and an oval pond on the east side. Eroded beach stones were used in the arrangement of the stream flowing into the pond, simulating a mountain stream consisting of multiple branches. The central island is a turtle-shaped rock, which gave the pond its other name of “Kame-no-ike” (turtle pond). The teahouse commands a view of the mountains over trees toward the south. In the Shita-oniwa, a waterfall stream is created symbolizing a gorge on the east side of the teahouse, from which it flows around the southeast corner of the teahouse, goes under the big natural stone bridge, and becomes a waterfall flowing into the pond. The garden has a unique design, such as the central island, boulders, and a dozen of stone lanterns.