Ryotanji Temple Garden: The Pond Garden of the Ii Family Temple
The Ryotanji Temple Garden (竜潭寺庭園, Ryotanji Teien) is a pond garden at Ryotanji Temple in Iinoya, Inasa-cho, Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 1936.
Ryotanji is the family temple of the Ii clan, best known for its link with Jiro Hoshi, Ii Naotora. According to Hamamatsu City, the garden uses the hillside north of the main hall. The official designated name writes the temple's name with a simplified character (竜), while the temple and the city use the traditional form (龍).
Why It Was Designated
Hamamatsu City describes a long east-west pond in front of an artificial hill. A guardian stone stands at the centre of the hill, with a stone waterfall and ravine to its right (east) running down to the pond. Two Nio stones flank it and a worship stone, or meditation stone, faces it, and varied stone groupings line the pond. The hill as a whole represents a crane and a tortoise.
On the date, Hamamatsu City sees mid-Edo features, while Ryotanji attributes the garden to Kobori Enshu and says it was laid out in the early Edo period as the north garden of the main hall, with a pond in the shape of the character for "heart", a classic temple garden.
According to the temple, the stones are local chert, known as yamaishi, which gives the garden a bright, clear character.
What to Look For at the Ryotanji Temple Garden
Hamamatsu City explains that the garden was designed to be seen from the north side of the main hall and from the guest room to the east, with the eye drawn to the mausoleum of the Ii family's memorial tablets at the far (west) end. View it from the main hall first, then from the guest room side, and follow how the composition leads toward the mausoleum.
The temple says satsuki azaleas flower in spring and enkianthus turns red in autumn. In 2026, special night openings of the garden are planned for 27 to 29 November, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Visiting
According to Ryotanji, visiting hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (gates close at 4:30 p.m.), and a visit takes about 60 minutes. Admission, revised in October 2025, is 700 yen for adults and 300 yen for elementary and junior high pupils. The temple closes to visitors every year on 15 August and from 22 to 27 December, and occasionally at other times.
By car it is about 10 minutes south on Route 257 from the Hamamatsu-Inasa interchange of the Shin-Tomei Expressway. By bus, take the Entetsu bus bound for Okuyama from stop 15 at Hamamatsu Station to Jingu-ji and walk about 10 minutes. Telephone the temple on 053-542-0480.
Q&A
- What is the Ryotanji Temple Garden?
- A pond garden at Ryotanji Temple in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, designated a national Place of Scenic Beauty in 1936.
- Who made the Ryotanji Temple Garden?
- The temple attributes it to Kobori Enshu; Hamamatsu City sees features of the mid-Edo period.
- What should I look for at the Ryotanji Temple Garden?
- The central guardian stone, the Nio stones, the worship stone and the crane-and-tortoise hill, composed to lead the eye to the Ii family mausoleum.
- What are the admission fee and hours?
- 700 yen for adults and 300 yen for children; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., gates close at 4:30 p.m.
- Is Ryotanji the same as the temple written 龍潭寺?
- Yes. The designated name uses 竜, while the temple and city use 龍.
Basic Information
| Name | Ryotanji Temple Garden (竜潭寺庭園) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1989 Iinoya, Inasa-cho, Hamana Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture (Ryotanji) |
| Designation | Place of Scenic Beauty |
| Year Designated | Designated 1936/9/3 (Showa 11) |
| Quantity | 1 site |
| Dimensions | No area recorded in the Agency database |
| Owner | Not listed in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; adults 700 yen |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Ryotanji Temple Garden (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/1341
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ryotanji Temple Garden (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/205473
- Hamamatsu City: Ryotanji Temple Garden (Japanese)
- https://www.city.hamamatsu.shizuoka.jp/bunkazai/shitei/inasa/inasa/ryotanji.html
- Ryotanji: Garden (Japanese)
- https://www.ryotanji.com/annai/teien.html
- Ryotanji: Visitor information (Japanese)
- https://www.ryotanji.com/annai/index.html
- Ryotanji: Access and parking (Japanese)
- https://www.ryotanji.com/annai/access.html
Last verified: 2026.09.27