🗺️ Suizenji Jojuen Garden

Suizenji Jojuen is a large strolling garden that utilizes spring water, covering an area of approximately 73,000 square meters. This famous garden originated from the first lord of the Hosokawa clan, Hosokawa Tadafusa, who built a tea house at the site where the Aso spring water emerges. Later, the third lord, Hosokawa Tsunatane, expanded it into a large-scale garden, which is said to have been named "Jojuen" after a poem by the ancient Chinese poet Tao Yuanming. Within the garden, there is the Uzumasa Shrine dedicated to the Hosokawa family, a Noh theater, and the Kinkon Denshu, which was relocated from the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The garden features cherry trees and pine trees, decorative floating stones in the pond, and a hill modeled after Mount Fuji, all of which still retain the appearance of the Edo period. The area, including Suizenji Jojuen, has been selected as one of the Heisei Hundred Famous Waters, attracting many travelers who come from afar for the "Longevity Water" that springs forth from the Uzumasa Shrine. During the grand festival of the Uzumasa Shrine, there are Noh performances and yabusame (mounted archery) offerings. In the tea shop next to the Kinkon Denshu, visitors can sip matcha while enjoying the garden views, which are said to be the most beautiful and can only be seen from this location.

The Hosokawa family's Japanese garden is a tourist attraction in Kumamoto City, second only to Kumamoto Castle. The central pond is a spring water pond selected as one of the Heisei Hundred Famous Waters. The spring within the Uzumi Shrine, which worships the successive lords of the Hosokawa clan, is known as the water of longevity. It is also famous as the discovery site of the water-plant moss used in Japanese cuisine.