Sengan-en and Shoko Shuseikan will be closed on the day of March 1st due to maintenance work being carried out in the gardens. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
The Sengan-en Hina Matsuri, or Girls' Day Festival beings on February 15th and continues until April 26th. A collection of Hina dolls and their intricately detailed accessories will be on display at the Shoko Shuseikan Museum Annex.
Wash away bad luck in this ancient festival dating back to the "Tale of Genji"
Slip back in time and experience a traditional poetry recital held by a winding stream. Kyokusui-no-en is a major event at Sengan-en and is held once a year.
Gogatsu-nobori are a Shimadzu family tradition celebrating the boy's day festival that stretches back generations. Seven huge poles are erected in the garden and adorned with streamers decorated with climbing dragons and the crests of the Shimadzu family.
Enjoy a powerful performance of taiko drumming from Noda-go Shimadzu Taiko. Feel the echo of the drums around the garden against the impressive backdrop of active volcano Sakurajima.
Dressed in full armour, the members of the Hioki Teppo-tai will show why the Shimadzu were feared on the battlefield with a thunderous display of traditional gunnery.
Irises were much loved by the samurai for their beautiful flowers, which fade and die in only a few days. For the samurai this represented the fleeting nature of life and nobility in death.
The 28th head of the Shimadzu family, Nariakira, was a huge fan of morning glories and even bred several subspecies of his own. The delicate blues, purples, and pinks provide a cooling backdrop to the heat of the Kagoshima summer.
