Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens （Mumyoin）
Fukuyama, Hiroshima
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Venue Overview
Tenjinyama Shinshoji Temple is a temple of the Rinzai sect Kenninji school situated on a campus covering some 70,000 square meters. It was established in 1965 by founding patron Hideo Kambara, a successful shipbuilder, as a memorial for victims of maritime accidents. The Mumyoin hall, where the Hiroshima Architecture Exhibition will be held, is the Temple’s main hall and is located at the highest point on the grounds. The front gardens include three vast dry landscape gardens named Mumyo no Niwa (Garden of Ignorance), Amida Sanzon no Niwa (Garden of the Three Amida Buddhas), and Rakan no Niwa (Garden of the Arhats), all of which were designed by Kinsaku Nakane, a landscape architect known as the “Showa-era Kobori Enshu,” after a famous 17th century garden designer. The temple grounds also include Shogondo, a gallery exhibiting a collection of Zen paintings and calligraphy by Zen master Hakuin. During the Hiroshima Architecture Exhibition 2025, the special exhibition space in the piloti area of Mumyoin will host the exhibition “NEXT ARCHITECTURE—Connecting to Tomorrow,” while the Meimeiken tearoom will host the exhibition “Seijo House – Rebuilding Kenzo Tange’s Residence.”
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Architectural Highlights
Dotted amongst the local red pine trees of the Temple grounds are historical buildings like the main hall, international Zen training hall, and tearoom, as well as modern architecture. Visitors can enjoy the gardens while practicing zazen meditation, copying sutras, and viewing calligraphy and contemporary art. The main gate, constructed entirely of beech wood, was originally part of the former Kayanomiya Palace in Kyoto and was relocated to this site in 1967. Beyond the main gate, the temple office (Shodo), Kohtei, the bathhouse, and Gankuin are arranged around the Shoshintei garden, a pond-and-stream garden designed by the Nakane Garden Research & Landscape Consultant Co. Two of the modern buildings are particularly noteworthy. The temple office, Shodo (completed in 2014), was designed by architect and architectural historian Terunobu Fujimori and is characterized by a pine tree planted on top of its slanted thatched roof. Meanwhile, Kohtei (completed in 2016) was a collaboration between internationally renowned sculptor Kohei Nawa and the creative platform SANDWICH Inc. The softly curving structure, which resembles a boat and is approximately 45 meters in length, floats above a rust-colored stone garden evocative of the open sea. The interior serves as a space for installations where art and Zen philosophy can converge.