JAPAN....IN NAGOYA BIG GARDEN....GREEN AND RELAX....

The Shirotori Garden is a Japanese-style garden with a path running along the banks of streams and ponds. The area of the garden is approximately 3.7 hectares.

The mound at the southwestern corner of the garden represents Mt.Ontake and the stream originating from the mound, the Kiso River.
In the center of the garden lies the Seiu-tei, a complex of tea ceremony rooms.
Seiu-tei was designed after the image of a swan, or “shirotori”, flying down to rest its wings.

Seiu-tei was designed after the image of Seiu-tei depicts the flow of the tides, one of Seiu-tei depicts the flow of the tides, one of the traditional aspects of Japanese gardens. The ebb and flow effect is achieved by the use of modern technology.

Seiu-tei

Located almost smack in the middle of Shirotori Garden, this is in the genuine Sukiya style, the traditional architecture of the tea ceremony cottage.

It stands on the edge of the water. In building it, Sukiya carpenters from Kyoto used nature’s materials to the best advantage.
The exterior form represents a white swan winging down to the water. The garden and the building create a beautiful harmony.

Artificial Hill, Falls, Stream

The mound at the southwestern corner of the garden represents Mt.Ontake and the stream that originates there represents the Kiso Ricer. The whole landscape depicts the flow of the Kiso Eiver from the east of Mt.Ontake on to the Nezame-no-toko ravin

e.

JAPAN.....SUMMER COLOR.....SOFUKU-JI TEMPLE

This is a temple of Zen Buddhist sect, built in 1469.
When ODA Nobunaga moved to Gifu Castle in 1567, he took Sofuku-ji under his patronage as his personal prayer chapel.

After Nobunaga and his son, Nobutada, were killed by AKECHI Mitsuhide during the Honno-ji Incident (1582), many of their personal treasures were sent to and preserved at this temple by Nobunaga's concubine, Onabe-no-kata.
They are now saved in “Oda Nobunaga fu-shi byo”, ODA Nobunaga Father and Son Monument.

The ceiling of the main temple is called “Blood Ceiling”.
Its boards were originally the parts of the floorboards of Gifu Castle which fell to enemy in 1600. They were removed and built into the ceiling of Sofuku-ji to mourn for the soldiers killed in the war.
The ceiling still has some blood stains.

You can also enjoy the front yard made with stones and beautiful Japanese enkianthus in the back yard.

JAPAN....BIG BUDDA IN GIFU

The Gifu Great Buddha is 13.7 meters tall, with ears 2.1 meters long and nose 0.4 meters high. Along with the Great Buddhas at Nara and Kamakura, it is one of the three great Buddha portrait statues in Japan. It was finished in 1832, during the Edo Period (1603-1868) after 38 years of construction. It is designated as an important cultural asset of Gifu prefecture.

The construction technique used for the statue was to first make molds with wood, bamboo, and clay, then layering the molds with Japanese paper decorated with Buddhist sutra, a second layer of Japanese lacquer, and a third and final layer of gilding. This is the largest statue in Japan constructed by this technique. It is known and loved as the “Basket Buddha,” because of its woven bamboo framework, which resembles a basket.

The serene and dignified Buddha smiling down upon his visitors makes the hall a healing and soothing space.