Kumamoto Suizenji Jojuen Garden: A Place for Cultural Strolls from Faith to History

#7月好去地方2025 The Suizenji Jojuen Garden in Kumamoto City is not only a famous Japanese garden with a strolling style, but also contains rich historical and cultural traces. The "Inari Shrine" in the park was established by the eighth generation of the Kumamoto domain lord of the Higo Hosokawa family, Saizu, in 1809, when he brought the Gobun Rei from Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. It is regarded as an important shrine that protects the abundance of grains, commercial prosperity, family safety and traffic safety. The vermilion torii gates are lined up in a row, and the atmosphere of faith is strong, attracting many worshippers and photography enthusiasts. Going deeper along the path in the park, you can see two bronze statues standing side by side on a high platform - the bronze statues of Hosokawa Fujitaka and Hosokawa Tadatoshi, father and son. Fuji Takahiro (Buddhist name Yusai) was the first ancestor of the Hosokawa family. He served in the Muromachi shogunate, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was a rare daimyo who was both civil and military. He was also an important inheritor of the traditional "ancient and modern transmission" of waka poetry and made outstanding contributions to cultural development. His son Tadatoshi was the founder of the Kumamoto Domain and the founder of the Suizenji Jojuen Garden. He invited the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi to join the domain and prompted him to complete famous works such as "The Book of Five Rings", highlighting Kumamoto's status as a martial arts and cultural center. There is also a "Nagaoka Gozen Bronze Statue" in the park, which was originally built to commemorate the second son of the 14th lord Moriha, Nagaoka Gozen (もりはる), who died in the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. Gozen was the first Chinese to die in the war. The bronze statue was completed by the famous sculptor Koun Takamura in 1906, but it disappeared during World War II due to metal requisition. Now we can only look back at the style of the year from photos. These three cultural facilities not only symbolize the historical heritage of Kumamoto, but also allow tourists to get closer to the beliefs and spirit of the Hosokawa family for hundreds of years while enjoying the scenery. 📍Address: 8-1 Suizenji Park, Chuo-ku, Kumamoto City, Kumamoto Prefecture 🚃Transportation: Kumamoto City Tram "Suizenji Park Station" walk about 3 minutes 🕰️Opening hours: 08:30-17:00 (last admission 16:30) 💰Tickets: 400 yen for adults, 200 yen for children # Suizenji Jojuen # Hosokawa House # Kumamoto Shrine # Lady Garosa # Jixikan # Kumamoto Free Travel # Historic Sites # Higo Hosokawa House # Kumamoto Culture # Inari Shrine