Google Earth can be a great tool to search for interesting properties to visit in Kyoto, and it is in fact during some random virtual wandering that I found Shodensanso. I had it on my list at my next visit to Kyoto, but although I managed to get up to the property entrance I still had no idea what was there. Plus, this being a private property of enormous proportions (by Japanese standards...) I was a bit worried of what could happen if I went too far. It took a few years after this unsuccessful attempt to finally put a name on it, and from there another 6 months until by chance I found a blog post in Japanese detailing a visit. Visit which were apparently organized regularly, although the booking by post-card and the limited number of persons allowed per season (200 only!) didn't make things easy. But I did get in, and since that first visit I have tried to visit Shodensan-so every year. Why? TL;DR: it's awesome.
The information I could gather is scarce, but the story of Shodensan-so appears to have started about 900 years ago. The current buildings are more recent, only about a hundred years old. From its inception in 1918 it was a place for practising and promoting the tea ceremony, as the numerous tea rooms attest. Various buildings were progressively added for ten years, until the Shodensan-so Tea Ceremony Foundation (松殿山荘茶道会) was established in 1928. Half the property was confiscated by the army for the duration of World War 2, and when one realizes how close Kyoto was to being levelled during the war it's amazing that the place is still standing. Another side note is the excavation of old fortifications that were found on the edges of the property in 2012-2013.
To this day Shodensan-so remains a centre for the pursuit of "tea excellence". But although the visit includes a tea ceremony experience, Shodensan-so has a lot more to offer for the amateur of Japanese gardens and sukiya architecture.
For example, the entire property was built with one detail in mind: the square/circle duality. It doesn't go as far as having a circular room (a sukiya heresy?) but it probably has everything else: from the ponds (square north, round south) to window shapes, ceiling patterns to lanterns and step-stones to the sweet you will receive with your tea. And you can reach OCD heaven when you notice that even the thin, inch-thick support beams of the ceiling of the secondary entrance hall alternate square and circular sections. Other details abound, like the doors made from a single piece of wood which would be very hard to come by in the 21st century.
Although the place can be intimidating, the staff is very friendly and will show you all these wonderful details with great pleasure. You are also free to roam in the entire property with only a small section used by the resident family being off limits. Speaking about the owners, it is important to state that this is not a temple. A lot of large properties are converted to temples to avoid taxes, but Shodensan-so decided to stay true to their mission, which I can only commend them for. Unfortunately this also means that they are actually quite tight money wise, a pity that can be seen in various places in the form of a cracked wall or a broken shoji. One huge loss is the ponds which are now dry: it was simply prohibitive to keep the water flowing and maintain them. I can only imagine what it would be to have koi carps playing while sipping tea in the tea room precariously built right above the circular pond.
Nevertheless, if you are in Kyoto at the right time this is one very exiting place to visit. I would recommend that you plan at least 2 hours for the visit: although one can do the tour in an hour or so, I've always spent the entire day there as there is always a little interesting detail to appreciate or photograph. Do check the announcements on their website to find which week-end they open in autumn and spring, and be ready to send your ofuku-hagaki (御福ハガキ) pronto to book a visit... Another similar property is the Seifu-so but it is not as grandiose and even harder to visit...
Recommended for: Access: 2000 円 Nearby: Hōju-ji 宝寿寺 (620m) External links: Website, ウィキペディア, 京都風光, Satellite view, Map Keywords: Japan, 日本, Japon, Kyoto, 京都, Uji, Shodensanso, 松殿山荘, Shōdensan-sō Statistics: visited on 12 occasions, id 524, 144 photos (130 extra photos can be found in the archive). |
