Kansenen Park and Mizuinari Shrine
Tokyo is home to many parks with wonderful gardens, such as Hamarikyu Gardens, Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens, and Rikugien Gardens.
Though not especially large, there is also a hidden gem of a garden in Waseda, the neighborhood of Yahata Sushi.
Known as Kansenen, it was selected as one of Japan’s 100 Historic Parks. Originally, it was the secondary residence of the Shimizu branch, one of the three Tokugawa gosankyo families.
In the Meiji era, it became the residence of Mr. Sōma Nagatane, and after several transitions, it came under the jurisdiction of Shinjuku Ward.
As the park’s information board explains, spring water emerges from the higher ground within the garden, which has considerable changes in elevation, and flows down into the ponds below, filling the two ponds.
Carp glide serenely through the ponds, turtles can be seen basking in the sun during the day, and birdsong echoes through the woods above.
When the fifth-generation proprietor was a child, he often played at Kansenen.
It is prohibited now, but he used to catch crayfish in the ponds and climb the artificial hill to run around.
From elementary through junior high school, the fifth-generation proprietor attended a nearby judo dojo called Maeda Dojo. On fine days, he and the instructors would run to Kansenen, where he was made to carry an instructor on his back up the artificial hill.
Being judo instructors, they were like solid masses of muscle. They were far too heavy for an elementary school child, and by the time he reached the top of the hill, the muscles throughout his body would be spasming.
Speaking of judo, he also did bunny hops along the gravel approach to Mizuinari Shrine, which adjoins the upper part of Kansenen.
They would go back and forth along the fairly long approach, doing bunny hops.
The way there was manageable, but the return was difficult—they had to do bunny hops backward.
It was truly grueling!
He remembers hopping along, so exhausted he felt like crying.
As mentioned earlier, the approach to Mizuinari Shrine is quite long, and he also remembers that yabusame horseback archery used to be held there every year.
Yabusame was originally held when the area around what is now Waseda-dori Avenue was a riding ground (this was the true Takadanobaba!!). When the shogunate collapsed, the riding ground disappeared and became a road, so the event came to be held at Mizuinari Shrine and Anahachimangu Shrine instead (it is no longer held at Mizuinari Shrine).
The sight of archers in traditional costume galloping past on horseback right before one’s eyes was spectacular!
Even now, when he occasionally visits Mizuinari Shrine, the local guardian shrine, he strolls through the park while recalling those old memories.
The tranquility of both the shrine grounds and Kansenen soothes the weariness of work and gives him renewed energy, for which he is grateful.
Why not pay them a visit yourself?
