Shisendo - Shisendo

Japanese: 詩仙堂 - しせんどう

<br /> This temple is located in Ichijoji Monguchi -cho , Sakyo-ku, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It was originally a mountain villa built in 1641 (Kan'ei 18) by Ishikawa Jozan, a retainer of the Tokugawa clan, for his retirement, and is now a Soto Zen temple. Its official name is Shisendo Jozan-ji Temple. Jozan distinguished himself in the Summer Siege of Osaka, but his achievements were not recognized for disobeying Ieyasu's orders that prohibited fighting for the vanguard, so he abandoned his position and pursued the path of a writer. He later lived in Hiroshima when the Asano clan he served transferred his fief, and eventually returned to Kyoto, where he built a hermitage and lived in retirement for the next 31 years. The name comes from the fact that portraits of 36 Chinese poets, along with poems for each of them that Jozan himself added, are hung on the four walls of the "Shisen-no-Ma" room. Following the example of the Thirty-six Immortal Poets of Japan, the Shisen were selected from the Han, Jin , Tang and Song dynasties, with the opinion of Hayashi Razan, and their portraits were painted by Kano Tanyu . Shisen- do is also called Ototsuka. Ototsuka means a residence built on uneven ground, and the buildings and gardens are built along the slopes and valleys of the mountains. Jozan likened ten elements of the buildings and gardens, including the Shisen-no - Ma, to the Ten Ototsuka Scenes. Jozan was known as a master of gardening in the early Edo period, along with Kobori Enshu, and the gardens he designed himself are filled with flowers that bloom in every season, and the autumn leaves are also very picturesque. It is said that Jozan came up with the idea of the Sozu ( lion- swaying) in the garden. It was designated a national historic site in 1928 (Showa 3). From JR Tokaido Shinkansen or other Kyoto Station, take the city bus to "Ichijoji Kudarimamatsucho" and walk for about 5 minutes.

Source: Kodansha National Historic Site Guide Information

Japanese:

京都府京都市左京区一乗寺門口町にある寺院。もとは徳川家の家臣だった石川丈山(じょうざん)が、1641年（寛永18）に隠居のために造営した山荘で、現在は曹洞宗の禅寺。正式名称を詩仙堂丈山寺という。丈山は大坂夏の陣で手柄を立てたものの、先陣争いを禁じた家康の命令に背いたとして功を認められず、地位を投げ出して文人の道を歩んだ。その後に仕えた浅野家の転封にともなって広島に住み、やがて京都に戻ってこの地に草庵を結び、以後31年にわたって隠居生活を送ったという。名前の由来は「詩仙の間」の四方の壁に、中国の詩人36人の肖像と丈山自身が書き加えたそれぞれの詩を掲げたことによる。詩仙は日本の三十六歌仙にならって林羅山(はやしらざん)の意見を求めながら、漢・晋(しん)・唐・宋の各時代から選ばれ、肖像は狩野探幽(かのうたんゆう)によって描かれた。詩仙堂は凹凸窠(おうとつか)ともいう。凹凸窠とはでこぼこの土地に建てられた住居の意味で、建物や庭園は山の斜面と谷間に沿って造られている。丈山は「詩仙の間」を含めて建物や庭の10個の要素を凹凸窠十境と見立てた。丈山は小堀遠州と並んで江戸初期の庭作りの名人として知られ、自身によって設計された庭は四季折々に花が咲き、秋の紅葉も風情がある。庭の僧都(そうず)（ししおどし）は丈山が考案したと伝えられる。1928年（昭和3）に国の史跡に指定された。JR東海道新幹線ほか京都駅から市バス「一乗寺下り松町」下車、徒歩約5分。

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