Fascinating Garden
Culture Experience

Shōsei-en Garden, the guest reception hall of Higashi Honganji Temple that still has the feeling of the Edo period.

Shosei-en Garden was created on land donated to Higashi Honganji Temple by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third Tokugawa shogun. Ever since 1657, when it was established as the retirement residence of St. Sennyo (Higashi Honganji Temple’s thirteenth abbot), Shōsei-en was used as the retirement residence of Higashi Honganji Temple’s successive abbots, Yet with its large pond, sprawling grounds, and elegant rooms, Shōsei-en also functioned as a guest reception hall for Higashi Honganji Temple.

In the late Edo period, Shōsei-en had many visitors, ranging from the Chinese Studies scholar Rai Sanyō to the last shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Its elegant landscape was enjoyed by many and came to be known as the “Thirteen Scenic Views of Shōsei-en Garden.” After the Meiji period, Shōsei-en was visited by many overseas visitors, including Tsar Nicholas II and Helen Keller. Although Shōsei-en has recently been opened to the public, many of the teahouses and reception rooms dotting the garden remain closed to the public.

This plan lets you fully reserve reception rooms and teahouses normally closed to the public.
In addition to reception rooms such as Rinchi-tei, a reception room that juts over the pond, and Tekisui-ken, which features nearby waterfall scenery, we also fully reserve teahouses such as Ro-an, a rare two-storied teahouse, Sōchin-kyo, a teahouse with a boat wharf, and Shukuen-tei, a teahouse built on the North Island with a view of Ingetsuchi Pond. Enjoy a once in a lifetime experience in a special place where garden and architecture become one.