Sengan-en is a must-see sightseeing spot in Kagoshima. It is a mainstay tourist attraction that is always included in guidebooks. The 19th generation leader of the Shimadzu clan, Shimadzu Mitsuhisa, built the garden in 1658 in a location looking out on the beautiful active volcano Sakurajima. Sengan-en also features restaurants, shops, and a Japanese cafe where you can enjoy matcha green tea. In this article, we will introduce the history and highlights of the garden.
Famous Feudal Garden, Sengan-en! Be Overwhelmed by its Scale!
Sengan-en is about 30 minutes by bus from Kagoshima Chuo Station. Built by the 19th Shimadzu clan leader, Mitsuhisa, there are no other feudal gardens in Japan that match it in scale. The garden is designed to incorporate the surrounding landscape into its design, with Kinko Bay becoming a pond, and Sakurajima a hill, the natural and man-made in perfect harmony. Though it is a feudal garden, there are the ruins of a reverberatory furnace on the grounds, and it is considered to be the birthplace of modern Japan, as the site was used to manufacture cannons and for shipbuilding in Japan's race towards modernization at the end of the Edo period. The furnace and the adjoining Shuseikan industrial complex were designated part of the "Sites of Japan's Meiji Industrial Revolution" World Cultural Heritage Site in 2015, bringing attention to the garden.
What to Know Before Visiting Sengan-en! Who was Shimadzu Mitsuhisa?
Mitsuhisa was the 19th leader of the Shimadzu clan, whose stronghold was the Satsuma area (modern-day Kagoshima) from the Kamakura period through the Edo period. Besides Sengan-en, he also focused on other projects in Kagoshima, such as the development and flood control of the Nitta and Kanayama Mines.
Sengan-en is Huge! The Most Efficient Course!
The site is 50,000 square meters and has many attractions. We would like to introduce our recommended course around the grounds.
The first thing to do after entering the garden is to go see the reverberatory furnace ruins. The ruins are of a furnace that was used to melt the iron necessary for cannon production. It was constructed by the 28th Shimadzu clan leader, Nariakira, with reference from Dutch books. To make the bricks heat-resistant, Satsuma-ware pottery techniques were used, and the important basic foundation was built with castle stonework techniques.
Next, you should go see the Main Gate, with the two family crests carved at the top, and the Tin Gate, which is said to have used a whole ton of tin in its construction and then head to the main attraction, the house at the center of the gardens. While it was the residence of the feudal lord while he was there, it also served as a guesthouse for both foreign and domestic dignitaries. The audience chamber, bathroom, bedchamber and such are open to visitors, so you can see what the elegant life of a feudal lord was like. The huge garden, with spectacular views of Kinko Bay and Sakurajima incorporated into the layout, is also spectacular. Lastly, you should finish your rounds with a visit to the Bogakuro Pavilion, which was the location of the meeting between the 28th Shimadzu lord, Nariakira, and Japanese statesman and naval engineer Katsu Kaishu.
There are many other things to see around the grounds, such as the huge rock on the mountain behind the villa that it is said to have taken about 3,900 workers 3 months to carve the characters for "Senjingan" into, and a museum about the Shimadzu clan and the history of Kyushu called the Shoko Shuseikan Museum.
Sengan-en has Many Shops and Restaurants!
For food and drinks at Sengan-en we recommend the Jambo Mochi Shop, which offers the local treat called jambo mochi, a grilled mochi rice cake with soy or miso glaze, skewered by two bamboo sticks (6 for 310 yen), the Japanese-style Sengan-en Matcha Cafe which has matcha and local sencha green teas, and Ohkatei, a restaurant that serves a wide variety of local cuisine.
Other shops to check out are the Sengan-en Brand Shop, which exhibits and sells local Kagoshima traditional crafts, such as Shimazu Satsuma Kiriko glassware, and the Satsuma Gift Shops, which offer the famous Satsuma sweet potato flavored soft serve ice cream and Satsuma-age fried fish cakes for about 400 yen.
Access to Sengan-en
Kagoshima Chuo Station → take [Kagoshima Kotsu “Aira New Town Shako-mae” or Nankoku Kotsu “Kusuda Shako-iki”] bus→ Approximately 15 minutes → get off at the Sengan-en bus stop
Spot Information
- • Spot name：Sengan-en / 仙巌園
- Address：9700-1, Yoshino-cho, Kagoshima city, Kagoshima Prefecture (zipcode 892-0871)
- Access： See above
- Open hours： 8:30～17:30
- Holiday：No holidays
- Wi-Fi : Available within the buildings
- Language：English、Traditional Chinese、Simplified Chinese、and Korean pamphlets available
- Ticket Purchase：Garden, Shoko Shuseikan Museum, Main house: 1,300 yen / Garden and Shoko Shuseikan Museum: 1,000 yen
- Credit cards：All major credit cards and cashless payments accepted
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