Inside Shoto-en

Shoto-en is a collection of historic buildings and gardens located in Sannose on Shimokamigari Island in the Inland Sea off Hiroshima. I posted some pictures of the outside here.

Most of the displays are concerned with the many delegations of official emissaries from Korea on their way to Edo who stopped here and were entertained by the local daimyo. A mock up of the lavish banquets given are pretty impressive, and it is said that if the delegations came more often than they did ( 11 delegations stayed on Sannose during the Edo Period) the cost of their entertainment to the daimyo would have resulted in bankruptcy.

There is a big display of Chinese porcelain, gifts from the visiting delegates, which also included the Dutch traders from Dejima in Nagasaki, which is probably where the gifts of lamps came from.

The buildings are in different styles and with different interiors, so there is actually quite a lot to see for the entrance fee of 800 yen. Unless your visit happens top coincide with one of the infrequent bus tours you will also have the place to yourself.

Of course no self-respecting historical museum in Japan can not display agricultural paraphenalia :)

Shotoen (outside)

Shotoen is a collection of different styles of traditional buildings surrounded by gardens in Sannose on Shimokamagari Island in the Inland Sea off the coast of Hiroshima.

The displays showcase the ports history as a major stopping point for elite travellers on their way to Edo. During the Edo period 11 diplomatic missions from Korea stayed here and the Korean connection features strongly around the town.

The buildings are all quite different and include one with a cedar shingle roof which are not so common.

The gardens, buildings, and displays I found really interesting and unusual, and as the island is way off the beaten track there are few visitors so it can all be enjoyed quietly.

It is open every day from 9 to 5 and entrance is 800 yen.

Sannose

Sannose is a small village and port on the east side of Shimokamagari Island. In the 15th and 16th century a castle stood on the hill behind the village and from there tolls were extracted from the traffic on the major sea "highway" through the Inland Sea.

In the Edo Period the port became a major rest stop for travelling dignitaries, daimyos and their entourages on their way to Edo, diplomatic missions from Korea, and the Dutch merchants from Nagasaki. The harbor and stone steps from that period still remain.

Some of these groups could be very large,... one Korean delegation travelled with more than 1,000 bodyguards, and they were all accommodated and feasted during their stay.

There is an art museum, the Rantokaku Art Museum, displaying artists with a connection to the Inland Sea region and works depicting the region, with artworks by Yokoyama Taikan, Heitaro Fukuda, and Manjiro Terauchi among others. There is also a bug museum and an Edo Period Tea House moved here from Takehara, but the main attraction is the Shotoen Garden and Museum which I will post about in the next post on my Aki Nada walk....