The Secret of the "Classic Garden"
Located just a one-minute walk from Karasumaoike, the only station where two Kyoto city subway lines intersect, LOISIR HOTEL CLASSIC GARDEN KYOTO SANJO is in an excellent location and has excellent access from Kyoto Station, but there is something even more special about this hotel.
Stepping inside the hotel, the atmosphere is a complete change from the bustling Karasuma-dori street and a relaxed atmosphere flows through the air. The first thing guests see is the Japanese garden, filled with camellias, azaleas, maples, and other flowers, which can be viewed from the all-glass lobby.
This garden, from which the hotel's name "Classic Garden" comes, is the very "special" place of the hotel. This is where the garden of the Sanjo-Karasuma Palace, the residence of Emperor Toba, who ruled as a cloistered emperor during the Heian period, was located, and the remains of the garden still remain today.
The nobles' salon
The remains of the Imperial Palace were discovered in 1987. Excavations conducted by Chiso, a long-established Kyoto Yuzen kimono store and owner of the property, revealed the remains of a garden and a shinden-zukuri style building.
The first records of the Sanjo Karasuma Imperial Palace date back to the late 11th century, in the middle of the Heian period. It was passed down through Fujiwara Mitsuko and others to the Minister of the Left, Fujiwara Saneyoshi, and it is believed that the garden was created by Saneyoshi.
In 1129, Emperor Shirakawa, Emperor Toba, and Taikenmon'in visited the main residence. The diary of the nobleman who accompanied them states, "The view is beautiful and the terrain is elegant. There are rows of fine horses in the stables, and mandarin ducks are playing in the river." Perhaps Emperor Toba liked it so much that Saneyoshi presented the residence to him, and it became the "Sanjo Karasuma Palace."
The "river" mentioned in the diary refers to a water channel (a waterway that brings water into the garden). The remains of the water channel were excavated from about 2 meters below the surface, and consisted of a dense layer of fist-sized stones. The stones were from the Kamo River, and it is known that they were laid out on top of a layer of clay, with each stone pressed in so that they did not overlap. It appears that the work was done very carefully and meticulously.
In the mid-Heian period, Shinden-style gardens with graceful streams and ponds were popular. In these gardens, aristocrats would enjoy "Kyokusui-no-en" (entrances with curved water paths).
"Kyokusui-no-Utage" is a singing game in which a cup is floated on the water stream, and before the floating cup passes in front of you, you compose a waka poem and drink the sake in the cup. The carefully constructed water stream also suggests that this garden was a salon for the aristocrats.
Most of the paving stones and other artifacts uncovered during the excavation have now been restored underground in the hotel's Japanese garden, although some can still be seen in the garden today.
Jizo statue carved by Saicho!?
There is another object with a unique story enshrined in the garden of LOISIR HOTEL CLASSIC GARDEN KYOTO SANJO.
The two sacred statues are enshrined in a small shrine, the backs of which can be seen from the lobby. At Senso, there is a woodblock print that is thought to date back to the end of the Edo period that describes these sacred statues.
During the reign of Emperor Kanmu (reigned 781-806), Dengyo Daishi Saicho, who founded Mount Hiei, received an imperial decree to carve a statue of Jizo Bodhisattva. The Daishi himself selected a sacred tree and carved the statue. He also reflected his own image in water and carved a statue of himself using the same tree.
Later, when Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei was burned down by Oda Nobunaga, the two statues were taken to a townhouse by the monks. Since it was considered disrespectful to leave them in the townhouse, they tried to move them to another temple, but strangely enough, the sacred statues were as immovable as stones. So they built a storehouse in the town and enshrined the statues there. This is how the name Oguramachi came about. The storehouse was burned down in two subsequent great fires in Kyoto, and in the fire that destroyed most of the city in the Hamaguri Gomon Incident of 1864, but the two statues emerged from the flames.
In other words, the statues enshrined in the shrine are a Jizo statue carved by Saicho, the founder of Tendai Buddhism, and a self-portrait of Saicho.
It was later determined that most of the statues were made in the Kamakura period, but they have always been worshiped as a mysterious Jizo in the town of Mikura. Even today, employees of "Chiso" visit the statue every day, and solemn sutras are read during the Jizo-bon festival at the end of August.
A shrine where Jizo is enshrined
Enjoying the hotel garden
Guests can enjoy this historic Japanese garden in the hotel lobby and the Garden Restaurant.
The all-glass "Garden Dining Room" offers a Japanese-Western buffet breakfast filled with a variety of freshly baked breads, egg dishes, Kyoto-style home cooking, and more. The fresh vegetable salad, inspired by the garden, is a dish unique to this hotel.
Enjoy breakfast with a view of the Japanese garden
Garden Salad, a specialty of "Teien Shokudo"
There is also a "Garden Bath" where you can enjoy the view of the garden while soaking in the bathtub. This is a different garden from the Japanese garden that can be seen from the lobby, but it is a bath with a unique atmosphere.
We look forward to welcoming you to LOISIR HOTEL CLASSIC GARDEN KYOTO SANJO, where you can feel the history unique to this ancient capital, even though you are located in the heart of Kyoto.
