Myokokuji Temple Garden is a traditional Japanese landscape garden located in Hososhima, Hyuga City, Miyazaki Prefecture. Renowned for its beautiful use of borrowed scenery, it was designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty on April 13, 1933. The garden is a peaceful and atmospheric place where natural rock formations, woodland and carefully designed garden features come together.
Please note that this is a different garden from the Myokokuji Temple Garden in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture.
Myokokuji Temple Garden is situated to the southwest of the main hall of Myokokuji Temple. Its design incorporates a small waterfall, three artificial hills, a pond and an island located in the center of the pond.
Behind the garden are exposed rock surfaces and the forested slopes of Mount Komenoyama. These natural features are skillfully incorporated into the landscape, creating a sense that the garden extends beyond its boundaries into the surrounding mountains.
This technique of making use of the natural landscape as borrowed scenery is said to reflect a gardening tradition dating back to the Nanboku-cho period (1336–1392).
Myokokuji Temple Garden is a typical example of a Buddhist garden, with religious meanings incorporated into its individual elements. The overall layout expresses the Buddhist understanding of the universe and the spiritual journey toward enlightenment.
The three artificial hills represent the Three Realms, or the three divisions of existence in Buddhist cosmology.
The exposed cliffs, surrounding forest and waterfall symbolize the defiled world, known in Buddhism as the Saha World, where people experience suffering and imperfection.
The small island floating in the center of the pond represents the Pure Land, the ideal Buddhist realm of peace and enlightenment.
The pond itself symbolizes the Sanzu River, the mythical river that separates the world of the living from the afterlife in Japanese Buddhist belief. The bridge crossing the pond represents the Buddhist teachings, which provide a path toward salvation.
Through these symbolic elements, the entire garden expresses a Buddhist worldview. It is thought that the garden may have been used in the past as a means of teaching Buddhist principles to worshippers and helping them understand religious ideas through the landscape.
The history of the garden is closely connected with that of Myokokuji Temple. The garden’s design techniques and the religious ideas behind them are believed to have been influenced by the Nanboku-cho period.
The garden’s particular beauty lies in the harmony between natural scenery and human craftsmanship. The exposed rock formations and forested slopes of Mount Komenoyama are incorporated as borrowed scenery, giving the garden a sense of scale and continuity with the surrounding landscape.
The central pond and island also visually express Buddhist teachings, making the garden valuable not only as a work of landscape design but also as a cultural and religious heritage site.
Hyuga Myokokuji is a temple of the Nichiren school of Buddhism located in Hososhima, Hyuga City, Miyazaki Prefecture. It is known as an important historical site from which Nichiren Buddhism spread throughout Kyushu.
The temple’s mountain name is Kofukuzan, and it belongs to the Koto lineage of Nichiren Buddhism. Situated on elevated ground overlooking Hososhima Port, it has served as an important place of religious worship for centuries.
The origins of Myokokuji date back to the late Kamakura period (1185–1333). The temple was founded by Nichigo, also known as Saisho Ajari Nichigo, and its second-generation head priest was Nitsuei, also known as Satsuma Ajari Nitsuei.
Nitsuei was the first person from Kyushu to enter the religious lineage of Nichiren. Through his activities, Myokokuji developed into an important center for the spread of Nichiren Buddhism in the region.
Nichigo arrived in Hyuga during the late Kamakura period. He converted an existing esoteric Buddhist hall dedicated to Myo-o, a Buddhist wisdom king, into a hall for worshipping the Lotus Sutra. This transformation is regarded as the beginning of Myokokuji Temple.
Nitsuei subsequently played a major role in spreading Nichiren Buddhism throughout Kyushu, carrying out missionary activities in the Hososhima area.
During the Edo period (1603–1868), Hososhima Port was used as a stopping point by feudal lords from southern Kyushu traveling to and from Edo under the system of alternate attendance, known as sankin-kotai.
Myokokuji was also used as accommodation for these travelers. Around this time, the temple, which had previously been known as Myokokuji or Myotanji, gradually became widely known by the name Myokokuji.
In the final years of the Edo period, Myokokuji received visits from officials of the Tokugawa shogunate as well as prominent local figures, including the scholar Yasui Sokken.
During the Meiji period (1868–1912), the temple belonged to the Nichiren school. It subsequently experienced changes resulting from religious reforms and divisions within the Buddhist organization.
In 1957, the temple changed its affiliation and became independent as the Nichiren Gomon school. In 1976, it returned to the Nichiren school.
Myokokuji preserves a number of important historical and cultural treasures. These include its nationally designated garden, an ancient pair of ginkgo trees, original Buddhist mandalas and a statue of Fudo Myo-o associated with the Ito family.
The temple garden is designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty. Its landscape changes with the seasons, offering visitors different views throughout the year.
The garden also has a history of receiving distinguished guests and well-known visitors, adding to its cultural and historical significance.
Within the temple grounds stand two large ginkgo trees known as the Married Ginkgo Trees. They are estimated to be approximately 300 years old and have been designated as preserved trees by Hyuga City.
These trees have long been objects of local faith and are regarded as symbols of marital harmony, good relationships and household safety. Their impressive size and age make them a notable feature of the temple grounds.
Myokokuji preserves valuable original mandalas written by Nichigo and Nichiyo, important figures in the temple’s religious history.
These mandalas visually express Buddhist teachings and are carefully preserved as treasured religious artifacts of the temple.
The temple also possesses a statue of Fudo Myo-o, a Buddhist wisdom king, believed to date from the Kamakura period.
The statue was worshipped as the personal Buddhist image of the Ito family and is considered to have considerable historical value.
Many legends and historical anecdotes have been passed down at Myokokuji. These stories are closely connected with historical events, local beliefs and the people who visited the temple over the centuries.
One traditional story tells how the priest Nichiyo subdued the vengeful spirits of the Ito family. This legend became an important part of local religious belief, and the story has continued to be passed down through generations.
Myokokuji is also associated with the Battle of the Mimi River, a major historical conflict in the region.
According to tradition, Shimazu Yoshihisa visited the temple to pray for victory before the battle. He subsequently won the conflict, and this story is remembered as evidence of the temple’s importance as a place of worship even among the samurai class.
Hirano Kuniomi, a patriot active during the final years of the Edo period, is also said to have entered the Buddhist priesthood at Myokokuji.
The connection with such a prominent historical figure reflects the temple’s importance during a period of major political and social change in Japan.
During the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, Prince Arisugawa Taruhito is said to have visited Myokokuji and viewed its garden.
This episode suggests that the temple and its garden were also regarded as significant places by important political and social figures of the time.
The famous haiku poet Masaoka Shiki also visited Myokokuji. He is said to have viewed the temple garden and been deeply impressed by its beauty.
The visits of such notable cultural figures further enhance the historical and cultural importance of the temple.
Myokokuji holds a variety of Buddhist ceremonies and traditional events throughout the year. These occasions are important to the local community and provide worshippers and visitors with opportunities to experience the temple’s religious traditions.
A special prayer service held on New Year’s Day to pray for peace, health and prosperity in the coming year.
A festival dedicated to Daikokuten and Bishamonten, two important Buddhist deities traditionally associated with good fortune, prosperity and protection.
A Setsubun ceremony held around the traditional seasonal transition marking the beginning of spring. The ceremony includes prayers associated with the protection and good fortune of worshippers.
A Buddhist chanting ceremony dedicated to the water deity, held around Keichitsu, one of the traditional seasonal markers in the Japanese calendar.
A spring ceremony held around the vernal equinox by the Hachidai Ryuo-ko association, which is dedicated to the Eight Great Dragon Kings.
A religious festival combining the Flower Festival, which celebrates the birth of the Buddha, with a grand ceremony dedicated to Kishimojin, a Buddhist deity traditionally worshipped for the protection of children and safe childbirth.
A Buddhist memorial ceremony known as Segaki, held to offer prayers and food to hungry spirits and to comfort the souls of the deceased.
A ceremony held during the Obon period to welcome and honor ancestral spirits. The event includes a traditional spirit procession known as shoryonagashi.
An autumn ceremony held around the autumnal equinox by the Hachidai Ryuo-ko association, dedicated to the Eight Great Dragon Kings.
A festival featuring ohagi, traditional rice cakes coated with sweet red bean paste, held together with a ceremony commemorating the Ryuko Hoonan, an important event in the history of Nichiren Buddhism.
Oeshiki is an important annual Buddhist ceremony commemorating the death of Nichiren, the founder of Nichiren Buddhism.
A year-end ceremony involving water purification, followed by Jotaki, a ritual burning of sacred objects and offerings. The ceremony marks the end of the year and prepares the temple for the New Year.
Myokokuji Temple and its garden offer a fascinating combination of Japanese landscape design, Buddhist philosophy, history and local traditions. The nationally designated garden expresses Buddhist teachings through its hills, waterfall, pond, island and bridge, while the surrounding rock formations and woodland create a beautiful sense of harmony with nature.
The temple itself preserves a long history dating back to the late Kamakura period, together with valuable cultural properties and stories associated with historical figures. The approximately 300-year-old Married Ginkgo Trees are another special attraction within the grounds.
Visitors interested in Japanese gardens, Buddhist culture and the history of Miyazaki will find Myokokuji a rewarding place to explore. It is a peaceful historic site where natural beauty and centuries of faith continue to coexist.