At the foot of Mount Kirishima Part2 - Tour of history and nature #Japan #travel #history

At the foot of Mount Kirishima Part2 – Tour of history and nature #Japan #travel #history

This is a continuation of Part 1. A field full of sweet potatoes! Miyakonojo is famous as a producer of Shochu made from sweet potatoes. 😊 Next, we will head to the Miyakonojo Shimazu Residence located in Miyakonojo City. Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199) appointed Tadahisa Koromune as the administrator of Shimazu-so, one of the largest manors in Japan. From then on, Tadamasa began to use the surname ‘Shimazu.’ The centre of the Shimazu manor was Miyakonojo, which is why Miyakonojo is called the ‘Birthplace of the Shimazu clan.’ Admission fees are 110 yen per person for the main house, 220 yen for adults, 160 yen for high school and university students, and 110 yen for elementary and junior high school students for the museum. This is the residence of the Miyakonojo Shimazu family, where they lived after 1879. The about 16,500 square metres site includes ‘Main gate,’ ‘Main House,’ and ‘Kendo hall,’etc, as well as the Miyakonojo Shimazu Tradition Museum, which preserves and displays materials related to the Shimazu family donated by them. This is the ‘Main gate(Gomon), designated as a tangible cultural property by Miyakonojo City. It was damaged by a typhoon last year, and repairs cost around 13 million yen. During the Meiji period(1868~1912), few people had telephones, so there were only 1 to 3 digits.
The Shimazu family’s phone number was number 6.😊 Let’s go further inside. Miyakonojo Shimazu Tradition Museum This museum displays national treasures and important cultural properties under a different theme every three months. This armour is called ‘Domaru’ and was popular during the Muromachi period(1336~1573). It was designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1994. This armour was given to Tsugamori Kanehiro, a vassal who accompanied Hon’gō Tokihisa(the 10th head of the Shimazu clan of Miyakonojo) to Kagoshima in 1571, by Yoshihisa, the head of the Shimazu clan. It is believed to have been written in the middle of the Edo period(1680~1780). It is interesting to see the detailed descriptions of each piece of armour. (Designated as a cultural property by Miyazaki Prefecture) This saddle and armour were made in 1610, during the early Edo period. (Designated as a cultural property by Miyazaki Prefecture) On top of the black lacquer base, the front wheel depicts ‘Speak no evil,’ the rear wheel depicts ‘See no evil’ and ‘Hear no evil’, and the left and right armour depict ‘See no evil’ and ‘Hear no evil’ respectively. During the Edo period, monkeys were believed to be guardian deities of horses. A map showing the sphere of influence within the Shimazu domain from 1467 to 1603. (Designated as a cultural property by Miyazaki Prefecture)
At this time, Sakurajima was not part of Kagoshima Prefecture, wasn’t it? This is the armour worn by Tadasuke Hongo, who is said to be the founder of the Shimazu clan’s prosperity in the Miyakonojo Basin.
Unfortunately, it was not on display during the first half of the exhibition, so we couldn’t see it. 😢 (Photo: Taken by the Shimazu Residence in Miyakonojo) It used Western armour and was so sturdy that it could withstand gunshots, so it was highly valued by military commanders. (Photo: Taken at the Shimazu Residence in Miyakonojo) The Shimazu Residence in Miyakonojo holds various events every year.
(Photo: Taken at the Shimazu Residence in Miyakonojo) Let’s go to the garden of the main residence. Many gardens in the Meiji period(1868~1912) were a blend of Japanese and Western styles, influenced by Western culture, with large lawns like here. Let’s finally enter the main house.😊 The Emperor and Empress of Japan stayed at this residence in April 1973. We were told that we couldn’t take videos, so we will introduce it with photos only. This is the room where Emperor and Empress used to dine. Replicas of the dishes that were actually served and menus were on display. There was even a television from that era, making it feel like a trip back in time to the 1970s. The table and stools in the garden are Miyakonojo ware, which has a long history dating back to the Edo period (1781). After enjoying the history at the Shimazu Residence in Miyakonojo, we headed to Hydrangea Park, located about 15 km northeast of there. There are currently 28,000 hydrangeas of 103 varieties planted on the 6.9 hectare site. The best time to see them is said to be around mid-June, but even when we visited on 1 July, the hydrangeas were still in full bloom.💕 Apparently, hydrangea flowers are actually deformed leaves that have changed colour.
I didn’t know that.💦 There are said to be about 3,000 varieties of hydrangea, but the original species are four: Lacecap hydrangea, Hydrangea macrophylla, Hydrangea serrata, and Panicle hydrangea. The most common types are Lacecap hydrangea and Hydrangea macrophylla, and Hydrangea macrophylla is a variant of Lacecap hydrangea. (I thought it was the other way around!) The vivid blue colour is very beautiful.💕 It’s a hydrangea with smaller flowers.。
I like its gentle, elegant light pink colour.💕 We’re going to climb up to the observation deck now. Colourful hydrangeas bloom along the stairs, delighting the eyes♪ The pale purple colour of this hydrangea looks like candy, and looks very delicious♪ The stairs to the observation deck are quite steep.💦 But when you turne around halfway up the stairs and look down,… You can enjoy such a wonderful view.♡ Well, let’s climb the stairs again.😊 After climbing the long, long stairs, we continue onward. We finally arrived at the observation deck! Climbing the stairs to the observation deck and stepping out onto the terrace, you see the Miyakonojo Basin spread out before your eyes. On the opposite side of the terrace, you can see the Kirishima mountain range in the distance.♪ We returned to the area near where the first signboard was located. It’s a very elegant purple Lacecap hydrangea, isn’t it?♪ Next, we took the road on the right. This is probably a hydrangea called ‘Konpeito(sugar star candy).’
It grows well in sunny places I think this is a hydrangea called ‘Dance Party.’ It is said to have been created by improving hydrangeas and American horticultural varieties.
It was one of my favourite hydrangeas in this park.💕 Hydrangeas blooming in the rain are beautiful, but hydrangeas illuminated by sunlight are also beautiful, aren’t they?♪
Which hydrangea did you like best?😊

Continuing from Part 1, let’s take a look at Miyakonojo at the foot of Mount Kirishima in the south-west of Miyazaki City.
The Miyakonojo Shimazu Residence is registered as a national tangible cultural property. The grounds include the Miyakonojo Shimazu Heritage Museum and the main residence, which has been preserved and is open to the public as it was when Japanese Emperor and Empress stayed there in 1973.
The ‘Hydrangeas Park,’ spanning 6.9 hectares, features 103 varieties of hydrangeas, totaling 28,000 plants. From the castle-shaped observation deck at an elevation of 210 metres, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the Kirishima mountain range and the Miyakonojo basin.
Hope you will enjoy it all the way to the end♪
No talk. Only sound of nature and the music by Rinaldo and Satomi.
#Japan #Travel #history #nature #hydrangea

If you want to read subtitles, activate subtitles for videos in the settings.

On this channel, you can find my and my Italian husband’s favorite places (mainly Miyazaki).
We would be very happy if you give us a high rating, comment or subscribe to our channel.

Thank you for watching. ❤️

Location map:
Shimazu Residence in Miyakonojo
https://www.google.com/maps/place/都城島津邸/@31.7180086,131.0685609,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x353f27128a9e1dcf:0x4bb6d9948a4b7a7c!8m2!3d31.7180086!4d131.0685609!16s%2Fg%2F1tdkpkb7!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Hydrangea Park in Miyakonojo
https://www.google.com/maps/search/都城あじさい公園+google/@31.7721704,131.1564357,16z/data=!5m1!1e4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcyMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

Timestamps:
0:00 – Opening
0:37 – Arrive at Shimazu Residence in Miyakonojo
2:12 – Miyakonojo Shimazu Tradition Museum
4:02 – Garden of Shimazu clan
4:39 – Main House of Shimazu clan
5:45 – Arrive at Hydrangea Park
12:15 – The castle-shaped observation deck
14:16 – Hydrangea called ‘Konpeito(sugar star candy).’
14:40 – Hydrangea called ‘Dance Party.’

2 Comments