Haibara Samurai Residence

 

The former Haibara Samurai Residence is located in Takahashi, the castle town in the mountains of central Okayama, on the Takahashi River.

It is on a road of former samurai residences at the north of the town, near the base of the mountain on top of which sits Bitchi Matsuyama Castle, known as the highest castle in Japan.

At 430 meters above sea level, it is one of the few castles remaining in Japan with an original tenshu, or keep, and the only mountaintop castle with an original keep.

The former Haibara Residence was built about 170 years ago at the end of the Edo Period.

Unusual for a samurai residence, it was built in what is known as sukiya-style, normally associated with temples and teahouses.

Numerous artifacts including furniture and some armour are on display.

The gardens have also been kept in their original form.

There is a joint entry ticket to this house and the slightly more impressive Orii House next door which I will post about next.

Takahashi is a little off the main tourist routes, but is well worth a visit. While it is not a Preservation District, it has plenty of traditional architecture as well as the amazing castle, some lovely temples, and just outside town a great modern art museum.

On this visit, my second to Takahashi, I was on day 6 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage.

The previous post was on nearby Raikyuji Temple which was used as a home by the daimyo and has an amazing garden by Kobori Enshu.

Adachi Museum of Art Gardens

 

The gardens at the Adachi Museum of Art in Yasugi, Shimane are very well known and have been classed as the top garden in Japan for many consecutive years by an American magazine on Japanese gardens.

With a total of six gardens, they cover a very large area, however, they are not stroll gardens in the traditional sense.

The gardens are viewed from within the buildings and from the connecting corridors and covered walkways between the buildings.

The museum, which opened in 1970, houses a huge collection of Nihonga paintings and also ceramics.

The works of Yokoyama Taikan (1868-1958) a major influence on the Nihonga style,  are especially featured.

In fact, some of the gardens and their features were directly influenced by some of his paintings.

One of the features is the "living paintings", where windows of the museum frame classic views of the garden. Photo 2 is the most well-known example.

While not stroll gardens, it is possible for private tour groups to be taken into some sections of the garden and have things explained by the gardeners.

Like many traditional gardens, shakkei, or borrowed scenery is also in evidence in the main gardens.

As with many of the best gardens, the scenery changes with the seasons. This visit was at the end of April.

The designer is Kinsaku Nakane (1917-1995) who created many gardens outside of Japan but is perhaps most well known as the restorer of the garden at Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto.

I have posted earlier on some of his other gardens in Japan, with the one at the Yoko Museum near Takeo Onsen in Saga, known as Keishu-en, being somewhat similar to his Adachi designs, though much smaller.

More traditional are the gardens at Ohori Park in Fukuoka which I posted on in Spring and in Autumn.

Of course, the other major influence on the design of the grdens was Zenko Adachi (1899-1990) the founder of the museum.

As a young man he sold coal from a cart but went on to make a fortune in real estate, textiles, and rice-trading. He seriously began collecting art in 1959 and his collection formed the basis of the museum.

His ideas were influential on the design of the gardens, especially the notion of "living paintings".

Recently someone commented to me that they found the gardens here a little soul-less.

Not sure I agree with that, but I stand by my intial reaction when I first visited 20 years ago, and that they made me think of a manga version of Japanese gardens....

The museum continues to expand with the newest wing being a gallery devoted to Kitaoji Rosanjin.

Somewhat off the beaten track, the museum still runs free shuttle buses from JR Yasugi station.

The Sesshu Garden in Autumn

 

Tuesday 25th November 2014 and I begin day 22 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage with a visit to Jyoeiji Temple in Yamaguchi City.

Jyoeiji is home to what is considered the greatest garden by Sesshu, so much so that it is simply called The Sesshu Garden.

Sesshu (1420-1506) was a famous Zen monk known mostly as a painter although he was also a garden designer.

Known for creating a distinctly Japanese style of ink-wash painting, his garden are less well known, primarily I think because the majority of the ones that survive are off the beaten tourist track in Yanaguchi, Shimane, and Oita.

I mentioned in an earlier post on the gardens at Komyozenji Temple in Dazaifu that the modern garden designer Mirei Shigemori was one of the initial inspirations for my interest in Japanese gardens, and the second major inspiration was the gardens of Sesshu.

Sesshu was born in what is now Soja in Okayama Prefecture, and the most famous legend about him concerns him as an acolyte.

As a young monk he did study in Kyoto for a while, and a very small garden attributed to him still survives there, but he spent most of his life outside of Kyoto.

The garden at Jyoeiji was designed and built for Ouchi Masanori. The Ouchi were a powerful family who ruled over Suo Province and were involved in the Onin War.

The Onin War, 1467 to 1477, laid waste to Kyoto and  is considered the beginning of the long Warring States Period.

Ouchi Masanori established Yamaguchi as haven of art and culture during this time, including inviting Sesshu.

The garden was built at Masahiro's villa, some ways from his main palace.

Later he established a temple on the site, and centuries later when the Mori Clan ruled the area they transferred Jyoeiji Temple here.

The front part of the garden is grassy with many stone arrangements.

Behind it is a large pond with numerous features.

It is a stroll-type garden with a path going around. At a high point is a gazebo overlooking the pond.

The west side of the garden is planted with bamboo and maple.

One of the main features is a large "dry waterfall" stone arrangement.

The pond features a Turtle Island, a Crane island, a boat stone, and a carp stone in front of the dry waterfall.

As well as the Sesshu Garden, the temple also has two karesansui gardens including one designed by Mirei Shigemori.

In this post I have concentrated on the autumn colours, but in later posts I will cover the karesansui gardens, the Sesshu garden in more detail, and some of the artwork and statuary at the temple.

Previously I posted on the autumn colours at Kyorinbo Temple in Shiga.

There is a lot to see in Yamaguchi City, including one of the Three Great Pagodas of Japan.