Haiku Poets, a Shogun, and a Swordsman

Tourist attractions near Shisendo, Part 2 of 3.

Part 1: Shugakuin: Worth the Effort?

Konpukuji Temple is the best option to pair with Shisendo if you have a literary bent. This modest temple has an interesting terraced garden that makes the most of a small space. More importantly for haiku readers is the preserved one room hut where Matsuo Basho lived for one year. The hut itself was rescued from a state of disrepair by Yosa Buson, a less widely known yet equally talented haiku poet who restored it in honour of Basho. One can easily imagine Buson sitting with his friends on the circle of stones outside the hut, composing haiku while enjoying a view of Kyoto.

Nobotokean (sometimes written in English as Nobutsuan): This retreat was built to house the antique collection of a Kyoto restauranteur. Just up the road from Shisendo, it would be the perfect place to stop for a quiet cup of green tea except for one thing, the piped in recordings extolling the history of the place while you attempt to relax. The noise aside, you are almost guaranteed to have the place to yourself while you drink and eat surrounded by the red walls which were often found in Edo period homes. It is worth a look in the back garden to see the ravine that prevents much building on the north side of the road. The tea room of writer Ueda Akinari can also be seen here. He is perhaps best known in the west for writing the story that inspired Mizoguchi Kenji's 1953 classic movie, Ugestu. Incidentally, admission here also allows you to enter the museum across the road from Shisendo that displays some of Ishikawa Jozan’s work.

Hachidai Shrine: Right next door to Shisendo, this shrine was not built for Miyamoto Musashi but it honours him. It’s nothing special, but if you have an interest in the famed swordsman, it would be hard to resist a visit.

Enkoji: A rather unassuming temple, Enkoji’s museum is the main attraction. It displays the woodblock printing press owned by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, which was used to produce the Chinese treatises on politics and government he preferred. Enkoji also displays such personal effects as his writing brush, which has one of his beloved hawks carved on the top of it. If nothing else, these artifacts give a fuller picture of the same man who notoriously ordered his own son to kill himself to appease a political ally.

Manshuin: My first impression on seeing this temple garden was “now I know why golf is so popular in Japan.” Manshuin’s garden is as finely manicured as a putting green, and about as interesting. Perhaps my opinion would change were I to visit it when the maples turn red in autumn.

Tanukidani Shrine: I have never visited this shrine, but Judith Clancy recommends it in her fine book Exploring Kyoto for the kitschy charm of buying amulets to assist with safe driving.

Part 3: Ginkakuji: Silver Pavilion Under a Fiery Mountain