Shōdensansō (松殿山荘)

Shōdensansō (松殿山荘)

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, 85 photos (189 extra photos can be found in the archive).

Photos of Shōdensansō:

Shodensanso main hall, Kyoto, Japan
Simple Japanese garden atmosphere in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Colors and geometric patterns on a ceiling of Shoden-sanso, Kyoto, Japan
Colorful checker board pattern on the ceiling of a tea room in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Delicate gold ornament on lacker tea container, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Ikebana and hanging scroll in the tonokoma of a tea room of Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Red stamps and other details of a large wooden sign in Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Two ladles drying on wooden shelves in a tea room of Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Perfect red autumn colours, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Typical yet elaborate sukiya architecture example in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Squares and circles playing together on a ceiling in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Natural colors filling the circle and square shapes of a ceiling in Shosensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Shodensanso main hall ceiling, Kyoto, Japan
Wood repairs on a terrace of Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Ceiling detail with circle and square pattern, Shōdensan-sō, Kyoto, Japan
Before the tea ceremony, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Beginning of tea ceremony, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Poring water with bamboo ladle during tea ceremony in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Sumi-e painting of a bird on a scroll in Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Bamboo ladle resting on water pot during tea ceremony, Shodensanso villa, Kyoto
Bamboo ladle resting on water pot during tea ceremony, Shodensanso villa, Kyoto
Round tsukubai water basin and fallen maple leaves on a rainy autumn day in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Of circles and squares, a classic geometric composition in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Garden view from one of the numerous tea rooms of the Shodensan-so villa, Kyoto, Japan
Tea utensils before the tea ceremony, Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Tea ceremony in Shodensanso, Kyoto
Tea ceremony in Shodensanso, Kyoto
Detail of kimono and sock, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Two ladies in kimono in the gardens of Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Pine tree and ochre earthen wall, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Autumn colors from a tea room of the Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Traditional sukiya architecture of a tea room in Shosendanso, Kyoto, Japan
Round opening in tea room, Shōdensan-sō, Kyoto, Japan
Tea room with view on autumn foliage, Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Smoking water pot with bamboo ladle during tea ceremony in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Hot water pot with bamboo ladle during tea ceremony in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Exquisite tea box and bamboo utensil, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Colorful chessboard ceiling decoration in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Wooden terrace with mountain-shaped reworked areas in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Crane painting on a sliding fusuma door in Shōdensan-sō, Kyoto, Japan
Red fallen maple leaves on wall tiles in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Simple ikebana in early spring season, Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Maple leaves fallen on wall, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Red autumn leaves fallen on rare rounded wall tiles, Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Pointy stone lantern hat in autumn, Shodensanso garden, Kyoto, Japan
Red and orange earthen ceiling colours in Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Wabisabi black and white pattern on sliding doors of a tea room in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
The traditional sukiya architecture of two tea rooms in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Signature on large sign in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Item neatly presented in tokonoma alcove, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Tea set after tea ceremony, Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Rearranging charcoal before tea ceremony, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Gold and nacre inlays of a gree tea container, Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Stamp detail on a large wooden sign at the entrance of Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Small tea house on the grounds of the Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Lantern in corner of dried pond, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Circles and squares on the ceiling of a tea room in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Tea room with decorated ceiling in Shodensan-so, Kyoto, Japan
Seasonal ikebana floral composition in Shodensanso tea room, Kyoto, Japan
Tea ceremony setup, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Sweets served before tea ceremony, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Tea ceremony in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Vapour gently leaving a hot water pot during tea ceremony in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Autumn colour view from tea room, Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Bamboo painting on a door in Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Autumn foliage near tea house in the garden of Shodensanso, Kyoto, Japan
Gentle autumn colours around tea houses in Shodensando garden, Kyoto, Japan
Cute little chubby clay wall with autumn colours in Shodensanso garden, Kyoto, Japan