「長昌寺」大分県／"Chyosho-ji temple" Oita-pref.

「長昌寺」大分県杵築市

「長昌寺」は城下町杵築の国の重要伝統的建造物群保存地区に選定されている「杵築市北台南台伝統的建造物群保存地区」にすぐ隣接する地区にあります。江戸初期の作庭。大中二つの築山が大胆な石組みでそれぞれ亀と鶴を表し石橋で連結されています。枯滝石組も力強く立派です。大きい方の亀の築山の頂上に昔は茶室があったようですが現在は茶室ではなく小さな仏堂が建っています。失われたものと同規模の建物がそこにあると昔の風景をなぞることが容易になります。すぐ近所の妙経寺の茶室が失われているので「本来こういう景色だったのかな」と比較することもできます。見学者は自由に築山に登れますし石橋も渡れます、拝観者が少ない地方のお庭ならです。江戸時代の人々が築山からの景色を眺めながら茶を嗜んだ様子が偲ばれます。築山の上に茶室を建てるのは杵築地方の庭に共通する特徴のようです。また築山手前に広がる砂庭の飛び石は大胆な石使いで桃山の剛毅さがほんの少しだけ残っている感じがしました。刀のようにも見える長い平石や大きな礼拝石などが目を引きます。このように広い平庭に配した飛び石だけで構成していく様式は島根の出雲流庭園など他でも見られますがこの長昌寺庭園との関係性は不明です。

◼︎名称：「長昌寺」

◼︎住所：大分県杵築市南杵築３８０

◼︎TEL: 0978-62-2681

◼︎駐車場：有り

◼︎アクセス：杵築駅からバスで10分

"Chosho-ji Temple" Kitsuki City, Oita Prefecture

Chosho-ji Temple is located in an area adjacent to the "Kitsuki City Kitadai Minamidai Traditional Buildings Preservation District," which has been designated as an important national preservation district for groups of traditional buildings in the castle town of Kitsuki. The garden was created in the early Edo period. Two large and medium-sized artificial hills are boldly arranged with stones to represent a turtle and a crane, and are connected by a stone bridge. The stonework of the dry waterfall is also powerful and impressive. It seems that there used to be a teahouse on the top of the larger turtle artificial hill, but now there is a small Buddhist hall instead of a teahouse. If a building of the same scale as the one that has been lost is there, it becomes easier to trace the scenery of the past. The teahouse of the nearby Myokyo-ji Temple has been lost, so it is possible to compare the scenery and wonder, "I wonder if this is what it was originally like." Visitors can freely climb the artificial hill and cross the stone bridge, especially in rural gardens with few visitors. It is reminiscent of how people in the Edo period enjoyed tea while looking at the view from the artificial hill. It seems that building a teahouse on top of an artificial hill is a common feature of gardens in the Kitsuki region. The stepping stones in the sand garden in front of the artificial hill are bold, and I felt that there was a little bit of Momoyama's fortitude left. The long flat stone that looks like a sword and the large prayer stone are eye-catching. This style of composing a wide flat garden with only stepping stones can be seen in other places such as Izumo-ryu gardens in Shimane, but the relationship with this Chosho-ji garden is unclear.

◼︎Name: "Choshou-ji"

◼︎Address: 380 Minamikitsuki, Kitsuki City, Oita Prefecture

◼︎TEL: 0978-62-2681

◼︎Parking: Available

◼︎Access: 10 minutes by bus from Kitsuki Station