露山堂

The tea room "Rozando" is located in a section of Koyama Park, which is famous for the five-storied pagoda of Rurikoji Temple, a tourist attraction that represents Yamaguchi. This tea room was built in April 1863 by Mouri Takachika (1819-1871), the lord of the Hagi domain who moved the domain office from Hagi to Yamaguchi and built Seijidō on the site of the current Yamaguchi Prefectural Office. It was a tea room set up. This tea room was built at the foot of a mountain named Mt. Ichiro (near the front of the present-day Yamaguchi Prefectural Office), so Takachika named it ``Rozan-do'' by omitting the ``ichi'' character from Mt. Ichiro. . Using the tea ceremony as a cover, Takachika gathered all his servants, regardless of their social status, in this tea room, and in reality they were discussing plots against the shogunate. After the feudal domain was abolished, it was moved to another location, changed hands, and fell into disrepair without being used. Learning of this, Yajiro Shinagawa, who had served as Takachika's close aide for many years, was reluctant to allow the historic building to decay, so together with like-minded people he gathered funds to purchase the tea room, and in April 1891. In May, it was moved to its current location, and at this time a garden was also created around the tea room. The newly created garden has a pond, which is unusual for a tea room garden/outdoor garden, and an island in the center. This island is a type of rocky island with no soil, but it is a very unique island that takes advantage of the natural shapes of local granite and boldly combines them. This kind of technique is not often seen in gardens in other regions. The shape of this island looks like a ``turtle island'' because of the stones that can be seen, but it takes on a completely different shape depending on the direction you look at, and it can also be seen as Horai Island or Mt. Sumeru. Furthermore, on the sea wall surrounding the pond, there are many beautiful stone units placed at intervals, and the most beautiful ones are the sacred beasts that protect the north, south, east, and west, which originated in ancient China, or the four divine islands. It may represent. Around the time the Rozando garden was created, in Kyoto, Aritomo Yamagata, a native of Yamaguchi, appointed the seventh generation Jihei Ogawa (Ueji) to create Murin-an, and was trying to blossom a new garden culture unique to the Meiji era. did. Eventually, a new garden similar to Murin-an was built in Yamaguchi by the Ueji team at the Matsudaya Hotel. Even in such an era, the garden of Rozando shows a revival of ancient China that seems to go against the flow of time. Why? The reason for this is thought to be that from the Edo period to the Meiji period, Yamaguchi's samurai class was heavily influenced by ancient Chinese thought, including Confucianism and Mencius. The pond at Rozando is probably a manifestation of this. Japanese gardens are deeply connected to the natural climate and history of the area. Looking at this island reminds me of the ``Moon Katsura Garden'' (Edo period), which is famous for its ``unparalleled bold technique of placing stones on top of stones'' in Hofu City, also in Yamaguchi Prefecture. The Chugoku region, including Yamaguchi Prefecture, has a landscape of continuous mountain ranges with exposed granite near the mountaintops, and it seems that this unique natural environment has an influence on the way gardens are created. In this garden, the influence of the Izumo style garden can be seen in the rows of stepping stones that lead from the tea room to the pond. Yamaguchi and Shimane are adjacent to each other and have shared many cultures since ancient times, and you can see the unique characteristics of this region. The garden of Rozando is a local garden that has nothing to do with the splendor of the new era of the Meiji era, but it is a wonderful garden that is deeply connected to the history, culture, and climate of this area and can only be seen in the soil that Yamaguchi has diligently cultivated. I think so. When you see the island floating in the center of the pond for the first time, you can't help but be moved by the powerful and original beauty of the structure, which shows the richness of the garden culture that has spread and taken deep roots in Japan's regions. I felt really proud as a Japanese. Every spring and fall, local tea ceremony masters hold a tea ceremony at Rozando and serve matcha to tourists. August 24, 2022 (2022/08/24)

It was originally a tea room located at the foot of a small mountain called Mt. Ichiro, which was on the grounds of the current prefectural office (formerly the domain office grounds). Under the cover of a tea ceremony, Mori Takachika had a secret discussion about the great task of restoring the monarchy. In the Meiji period, Japanese scholar Yoshiki Kondo took over the temple and moved it to Nakagawara, but it gradually fell into decay. Yajiro Shinagawa, who felt sorry for it, moved it to this location and repaired it for preservation. Currently, it is used for tea parties.

This is said to be the tea room built by Prince Mori Takachika. It was the time of autumn leaves On the other hand, the lack of autumn leaves gave it a bitter feel.

I think the front garden would be even more beautiful if it had some autumn leaves. There were Suikinkutsu and Shikaoishi, but there was no water flowing, so they were just there.

Located in Xiangshan Park, you can also take a look at these historical buildings to see the five-story pagoda. According to the data, this building was the place where the lord of the Choshu Domain moved its headquarters to Yamaguchi during the Meiji Restoration. However, at that time, the Choshu Domain The feudal lord is not a very important figure in this period of history, so he may be a bit unfamiliar to foreign tourists. It is recommended to do some homework to get to know them first! However, the inside of the building is not open to the public, and it is actually a bit boring to just look at the outside...