About 400 years ago, a major event took place in Kyoto. On September 1626, 3 (Kan'ei 9), the Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada and the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu invited Emperor Gomizunoo to Nijo Castle and gave him a grand reception over five days called the "Kan'ei Imperial Visit."
This Kan'ei Imperial Visit was one of the largest events in the Edo period, having a major impact on politics and culture thereafter.
Next year, 2026, will mark the 400th anniversary. To mark the occasion, a festival called the "Kan'ei Imperial Visit XNUMXth Anniversary Festival" will be held to relive the Kan'ei Imperial Visit in various ways.
What was the Kan'ei Imperial Visit? What does it mean in history and culture?
Following on from the first part, we now bring you the second part.
Many remain in modern Kyoto
A spot connected to the Kan'ei culture
Emperor Gomizunoo's visit to Nijo Castle. Tokugawa Hidetada and Iemitsu made meticulous preparations for this major event, which placed the shogunate on the line. Nijo Castle was expanded, and numerous furnishings and works of art were produced. The lively exchanges between the cultural figures and craftsmen who were responsible for these creations created an environment in which new culture and art could be born.
Kyoto is dotted with numerous locations related to people and events associated with the Kan'ei culture. Here we will introduce just a few of them.
Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine
Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine, located at the summit of Mt. Otoko in Yawata City in the southern part of Kyoto Prefecture, is a historic shrine that dates back to the early Heian period in 859. It has been deeply revered by the people as the guardian deity of the capital, the deity of national peace, and the deity of protection from misfortune and good fortune.
The current shrine building was renovated in 1634 (Kan'ei 11) by order of Tokugawa Iemitsu. Ten buildings, including the main hall, are designated as national treasures.
Until the Meiji period, the shrine was known as a place of syncretism between Shinto and Buddhism, and many monks' quarters were built within the grounds. Shokado Shojo served as the head priest of one of these, Takimotobo. In his later years, he handed over Takimotobo to his disciple and retired to the nearby Izumibo. A stone monument remains at the site of the thatched hut "Shokado" that was attached to one corner of the temple.
Although it was rebuilt by order of Iemitsu, the chrysanthemum crest is not seen on the shrine building. In fact, a "hidden crest" is carved on the back side of the tower gate, in the place most visible to the gods.
Shojo was a leading cultural figure of the Kan'ei period, and showed great talent as a calligrapher, tea master, and painter. In particular, he is known as one of the "Three Great Calligraphers of the Kan'ei Period" along with Konoe Nobutada and Hon'ami Koetsu. The plaque hanging at the first torii gate just inside the main approach is a copy of the calligraphy of Fujiwara no Yukinari, one of the Three Great Calligraphers of the Heian Period, written by Shojo, and features the character "eight" for Hachimangu Shrine transformed into a pair of doves, the divine messengers.
【Facility information】
Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine
Address: 30 Yawata Takabo, Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture
Telephone 075-981-3001
Opening hours: 6:00-18:00
Official website https://iwashimizu.or.jp/
Shokado Garden/Art Museum
The hermitage "Shokado" was removed from the grounds of Iwashimizu Hachimangu Shrine and relocated to the foot of Mt. Otokoyama as a result of the Shinto-Buddhist separation policy during the Meiji period. Since then, it has changed hands several times, and the site is now open to the public as "Shokado Garden." (Currently, the inner garden, including the hermitage "Shokado" and Senbo Shoin, is only open to the public on special open days due to damage caused by the Northern Osaka Earthquake and subsequent restoration work.)
The vast garden of 20,000 square meters consists of an inner garden with a thatched hut called "Shokado" and an outer garden with a stroll-style garden. You can enjoy the scenery of the four seasons, including about 40 kinds of bamboo and bamboo grass, over 200 camellias, as well as plum blossoms, cherry blossoms, and autumn leaves.
The outer garden is dotted with three teahouses, each with its own unique style: Shokaku, Umekaku, and Chikukaku. Shokaku is a reproduction of the four-tatami-mat teahouse Kan'unken, built for Shojo by the famous tea master and construction magistrate Kobori Enshu.
Kan'unken was originally a teahouse located at Takimotobo, but it burned down in 1773. It was built jutting out onto the side of Mt. Otokoyama, so it is also known as the "aerial teahouse."
The adjacent Shokado Museum holds exhibitions of the museum's collection, special exhibitions, and other events, focusing on the interior decorations of Shokado and Senbo Shoin, as well as works related to Shojo. The Kyoto Kitcho Shokado Branch (reservations required, TEL 075-971-3311) is also located next door, where you can enjoy the Shokado bento lunch box, invented by Kitcho founder Yuki Teiichi, inspired by the four-piece lacquer box that Shojo used to store small items, while admiring the garden.
【Facility information】
Shokado Garden and Museum
Address: 43-1 Yawata Oyster, Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture
Telephone 075-981-0010
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (last admission at 16:30)
Closed: Every Monday (or the following weekday if Monday is a public holiday) and from 12/27 to 1/4
Admission to the garden: 300 yen for adults, 220 yen for students, 150 yen for children
Museum admission fee: Adults 400 yen and up *Varies depending on the exhibition
Official website https://shokado-garden-art-museum.jp/
Konchi-in Temple
Konchi-in, known as a sub-temple of Nanzen-ji Temple, is a temple that was restored by Ishin Suden in 1605 (Keicho 10). Suden, who served Tokugawa Ieyasu, was known as the "Black Robe Prime Minister" for his major influence in laying the foundations of the shogunate, including drafting the various laws governing the samurai class, despite being a monk. Emperor Gomizunoo bestowed the title of "Honkou Kokushi," and the imperial plaque of Emperor Gomizunoo is displayed on Suden's tower, Kaisan-do, located within the temple grounds.
The Horai-style dry landscape garden "Tsurukame Garden" was created by Kobori Enshu. Behind the large-scale pruning, you can see the Toshogu Shrine, which enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu.
What can be seen here is the dry landscape garden "Tsurukame Garden" created by Kobori Enshu. Enshu was famous as a master of architecture and garden design, but in fact there are not that many gardens with definitive records that he was involved in.
Behind the garden is Toshogu Shrine, which was built to mark the 13th anniversary of Ieyasu's death and was also designed by Enshu. It is the only Gongen-style building in Kyoto, with the main hall entirely lacquered, the walls painted in brilliant colors, and the ceiling of the worship hall features a painting of a roaring dragon by the artist Kano Tan'yū.
"Monkey Catching the Moon" depicts a gibbon trying to grab the moon reflected on the water's surface. Advance reservations are required to view the small study, hojo, and tea room "Hasso-seki" where this sliding door painting can be seen.
The teahouse "Hasoseki" attached to the small study on the north side of the abbot's chamber was also renovated by Enshu, and is counted as one of the "Three Famous Teahouses in Kyoto" along with the Bosen at Kohoan in Daitokuji Temple and the Hassoken at Manshuin. The large number of windows that gave it its name, the outer edge at the nijiriguchi, and the arrangement of the temaeza where the host sits and the tokonoma alcove at the front are typical of the teahouses that Enshu liked. Other highlights include the sliding screen paintings by Hasegawa Tohaku, "Monkey Catching the Moon" and "Old Pine," which decorate the small study, and the sliding screen paintings by the Kano school in the abbot's chamber.
【Facility information】
Konchi-in Temple
Address: 86-12 Nanzenji Fukuchicho, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City
Telephone 075-771-3511
Visiting hours: 8:30-17:00 (until 12:2 from December to February)
Admission fee: 500 yen (700 yen extra for the eight-story window seats)
A diverse arts culture that continues to this day has been nurtured
The Kan'ei period was the "hometown of Japanese culture"
The leading figure in the development of culture during this period was Emperor Gomizunoo, known as a man of culture who loved learning and mastered the tea ceremony and flower arrangement. After the Kan'ei Imperial Visit, many cultural salons were formed around Emperor Gomizunoo, and people who gathered there refined their culture and aesthetic sense.
The Karamon Gate, which serves as the entrance to Nijo Castle's Ninomaru Palace, was built in time for Emperor Gomizunoo's visit. Its gorgeous, richly colored carvings are magnificent.
Cultural exchange, mainly centered around salons, involved people from all walks of life, and a culture that had previously only been enjoyed by influential members of the imperial family and nobles began to spread to a wider range of people, including samurai and townspeople.
In the Ninomaru Palace, there remain about 3600 sliding screen paintings that were created by the Shogunate's official painter, Kano Tan'yū, with the combined efforts of his school. Of these, 1016 have been designated as Important Cultural Properties by the nation. (Image provided by the Kyoto City Former Imperial Palace Nijo Castle Office)
Another important point to understand about the Kan'ei culture is that the boundary between those who carry culture (performers) and those who enjoy it (viewers) was unclear.
The arts (painting, flower arrangement, tea ceremony, gagaku, Noh and Kyogen, etc.), which were previously the occupation of people with specialized skills, have come to be enjoyed by a wide range of people, from the emperor to townspeople. Furthermore, with the appearance of textbooks, the spread of movable type printing, the establishment of the iemoto system, and the development of wide-area distribution, an era has arrived in which anyone across the archipelago can enjoy culture.
As a result, both those who carried out and those who enjoyed them became more diverse, and a wide variety of artistic cultures blossomed, including the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, painting, architecture, kimono, pottery, books, and incense. Because of the enormous influence it had on later Japanese culture, the Kan'ei period is also known as the "hometown of Japanese culture."
"Kan'ei Imperial Visit 400th Anniversary Festival" and the one-year-ago event
Rediscover the charm of traditional Japanese culture and performing arts
At the "Kan'ei Imperial Visit 2026th Anniversary Festival" to be held next year in XNUMX, numerous events themed around the Kan'ei Imperial Visit and the culture and performing arts of the Kan'ei period are planned, such as a reenactment of the banquet at Nijo Castle, a hypothetical reconstruction of the Imperial Visit Procession, exhibitions, tours, and symposiums related to the Kan'ei Imperial Visit and Kan'ei culture.
A variety of events are planned for the rest of the year as part of the "One Year to Go" event, including special openings of temples and shrines related to the Kan'ei culture, as well as lectures on the culture.
The tea room "Hasso-seki" at Konchi-in Temple was renovated by Kobori Enshu, a tea master who represents the Kan'ei culture.
Kanako Hamasaki, representative of Living History KYOTO, which is planning the 400th anniversary celebration of the Kan'ei Imperial Visit, said, "Despite being an important and symbolic event throughout the Edo period, it is not included in textbooks and is virtually unknown to the general public. We hope that by looking at this historical fact on this XNUMX-year milestone, we can use it as an opportunity to think about its connections to us today and what the future holds."
The Kan'ei Imperial Visit has great significance in both Japanese politics and culture. What happened at the time, and what was born from it? Why not rediscover the charm of Japan's traditional culture and traditional performing arts by learning about it through the "Kan'ei Imperial Visit 400th Anniversary Festival"?
Text by Erina Nomura
Erina Nomura
A writer born in Osaka in 1986 and currently living in Kyoto. After graduating from university, he worked for a production company involved in a variety of media, including publishing, advertising, and the web. In 2020, he went independent and is now working as a freelancer. His areas of interest include craftsmanship, traditional culture, lifestyle, and travel. As a Kyoto correspondent for Premium Japan, he reports on the latest happenings in Kyoto through the "Kyoto News" section of the editorial department's blog.
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