Shusekitei in Hōkoku Shrine, Osaka

Beautiful Stone Garden in the shrine honoring Hideyoshi

By Takako Sakamoto

Community writer

When I was standing in front of the main hall of Hōkoku Shrine, I found a garden with stones to the right of the shrine

The sign explaining the garden, 'Shuseki-tei', which means, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's stone garden. This garden was donated by Kyoto Rinsen Association, which is an organization that researches Japanese gardens. Since the Ishiyama Honganji Temple (ishi is stone, yama is mountain) used to stand here before Osaka Castle was built, this garden was designed to focus on stones. The stones used here were quarried in Tokushima, which is famous for colorful greenish stone

Colorful stones quarried in Tokushima. The stones used for the stone walls of Tokushima Castle are also colorful like these

Other stones and sand, with weeds growing here and there

Hideyoshi's stone garden viewed from a stage made of stone

Tiled roof and green tree outside the stone garden

When I was exploring Hōkoku Shrine in Osaka Castle Park, I spotted a stone garden fenced in at the corner of the shrine, just beside the main hall. I learned later that it is called, 'Shuseki-tei', literally, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's stone garden. It was donated by the Kyoto Rinsen (Garden) Association in 1972, and was designed by a famous Japanese garden designer, Mirei Shigemori (1896–1975). Colorful greenish stones quarried in Tokushima are used in this garden, and I was intrigued because I saw the same kind of colorful stones on the stone walls of Tokushima Castle just recently. Unfortunately, the garden was closed. When I inquired later, the staff of Hōkoku Shrine said it's open only on special occasions, such as during Golden Week holidays in May or New Year holidays. But even though the gate was closed, I could see a lot from the gate and over the walls, though I had to stand on my tiptoes!