「医光寺庭園」島根県益田市・”Ikoji teien ” Masuda city, Shimane pref.

雪舟の生涯は記録がほとんどなく謎に包まれています。一つの場所にはとどまらず生涯の多くの時間を漂泊についやしたそのライフスタイルは芭蕉の生き方のモデルになったとも言われています。雪舟は1420年頃に岡山で生まれ、やがて京都の相国寺で画僧として修行たのち、大内氏というパトロンを得て山口に移り住んで画房「雲谷庵・うんこくあん」を開いて創作活動に励みます。積極的にも後進の指導にもあたり雪舟の教えを受けた画家は「雲谷派」と総称されています。雪舟は47歳の頃、大内氏の遣明船で大陸へ遊学し水墨画の本場であった明朝でも高い評価を得ます。50歳の頃に帰国。福岡糸島付近に上陸した雪舟は博多を経由し応仁の乱の戦乱を避けて福岡を南下し川崎町〜英彦山〜大分を経て山口に帰還したのち、57歳の頃には再び大分に戻りもう一つの画房「天開図画廊・てんかいずがろう」を構え東九州を中心に創作活動を行いました。この背景には日明貿易で大内氏と対立していた大友氏との関連が推察されますが詳しくは不明です。雪舟は山口の雲谷庵で亡くなったという説も有力ですが、晩年になると雪舟はながらくパトロンだった大内氏の後ろだてを失ったため京へ帰ることとなり、その途中立ち寄った益田で以前から領主「益田兼堯（かねたか）像」を描くなど親交の深かった益田氏に手厚くもてなされそのまま滞在、益田が終焉の地になったとも言われています。雪舟は領主の益田氏に大いに歓迎され住職を任された医光寺や近くの萬福寺で作庭を行っています。

　医光寺庭園は、寺の背後の山の急斜面と本堂のあいだの狭小地に池を作り背後の斜面に植栽を施した池泉鑑賞式（一部回遊）庭園です。池は鶴のかたちをしており亀島を浮かべています。亀島の上には三尊石が組まれています。また池の対岸向かって左の急斜面には枯滝石組みが見られ、上部には須弥山石が据えられています。庭園左手には楓が、背後斜面の右上部にはシダレ桜が植栽されていますが雪舟作庭当時からそうだったかどうかが不明です。昭和期には重森三玲による計測、平成時代に大規模な修復が行われています。この「医光寺庭園」は同じく益田の「萬福寺庭園」、山口の「常栄寺庭園」、福岡の「旧亀石坊庭園」とともに「雪州四大庭園」に数えられています。

■名称：医光寺庭園

■住所：島根県益田市染羽町4-29

■TEL：0856-22-1668

■公開時間：夏季8:30-17:30 、冬季8:30-17:00

■駐車場：有り　無料

■アクセス：JR山陰本線・益田駅からバスで10分：バス停「益田医光寺」徒歩すぐ

”Ikoji teien ” Masuda city, Shimane pref.・「医光寺庭園」島根県益田市

The life of Sesshu is a mystery with few records. It is said that his lifestyle of wandering his life became a model for Basho's way of life. Sesshu was born in Okayama around 1420, and after training as a painter at Sokokuji Temple in Kyoto, he got a patron named Mr. Ouchi and moved to Yamaguchi to work hard at Unkokuan. At the age of 47, he boarded Mr. Ouchi's trading ship and traveled to the Ming dynasty. His artistic talent was highly regarded in the Ming dynasty, and he even painted murals in the royal palace, and returned to Japan at the age of 50. Sesshu, who landed near Itoshima in Fukuoka Prefecture, went south through Hakata to avoid the war of Ojin, and returned to Yamaguchi via Mt. Hikosan and Oita. When he was 57 years old, he returned to Oita and established "Tenkaizu Garo" separately from Unkokuan in Yamaguchi, and engaged in creative activities mainly in Higashi Kyushu.The background to this is presumed to be related to Mr. Otomo, who was in conflict with Mr. Ouchi, but the details are unknown. There is a strong theory that Sesshu died at Unkokuan in Yamaguchi, but in his later years Sesshu lost his back to Mr. Ouchi and stayed at Masuda in Shimane on his way back to Kyoto, where it ended. It is also said that it became. In any case, there is no doubt that Sesshu in his later years was staying in Masuda, and he is gardening at Ikoji Temple, where he was a priest, and Manpukuji Temple nearby.

The Ikoji Garden is a Chisen kansho shiki (partially Kaiyu shiki) garden where a pond is created in the narrow area between the steep slope of the mountain behind the temple and the main hall, and plants are planted on the slope behind. The pond is in the shape of a crane and floats on Kamejima. Three stones are built on Kamejima. In addition, the dry waterfall stone group can be seen on the steep slope on the left facing the opposite bank of the pond, and Mt. Meru stone is installed at the top. Kaede is planted on the left side of the garden, and weeping cherry trees are planted on the upper right side of the back slope, but it is unknown whether this has been the case since the time of Sesshu gardening. It was measured by Mirei Shigemori in the Showa period, and a large-scale restoration was carried out in the Heisei period. This "Ikoji Garden" is also counted as one of the "Four Great Gardens of Sesshu" along with "Manpukuji Garden" in Masuda, "Jyoeiji Garden" in Yamaguchi, and "Kyu-Kameishibo Garden" in Fukuoka.

■ Name: Ikoji Garden

■ Address: 4-29 Somebacho, Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture

■ TEL: 0856-22-1668

■ Opening hours: Summer 8: 30-17: 30, Winter 8: 30-17: 00

■ Parking lot: Yes, free of charge

■ Access: 10 minutes by bus from Masuda Station on the JR San-In Line: A short walk from the bus stop "Masuda Ikoji"

重森三玲・MireiShigemori