Kunenan (nine-year hermitage)

The villa and garden of Yataro Itami, a Saga businessman of the Meiji era, was designated as a national place of scenic beauty in 1995. The garden was commissioned to Kurume Hori, a master gardener who is said to be unrivaled in the field of teahouses and gardens in Kyushu, and was constructed over a period of nine years from 1900.
The villa is a modern Japanese-style sukiya (tea ceremony house) with a thatched roof, clay walls with cedar bark, bamboo latticework, and a bamboo wet-rim, all of which were carefully and thoroughly examined in terms of materials, color, design, and structure.
The garden is decorated with many azaleas, maples, moss, and other trees, creating a beautiful scene throughout the four seasons. The deep grove of trees blends well with the surrounding landscape, and the garden provides a borrowed view of the expanse of Chikushino and the Ariake Sea.
The garden is open to the public in November, when the autumn leaves are beautiful, and in May, when the fresh greenery is relaxing.

Known as a scenic spot in Japan for its beautiful autumn foliage, Kunnenan was originally the villa of Yataro Itami, a wealthy businessman from Saga. It was built over a period of nine years, beginning in 1897, under the guidance of a Jodo Shinshu monk, Hori Osho. From this origin, it was named “Kyunen-an” (Nine Year Hermitage). The residence is in the sukiya style, and the garden has a borrowed view of the Tsukushi Plain. Plants such as azaleas and maples are arranged in the garden, and native groves of trees and cedar moss create a beautiful scene. The garden used to be open to the public for nine days every year in mid-November, when the leaves turn red, but it is now also open to the public during the season of fresh greenery.

The villa and garden of Yataro Itami, a Saga businessman in the Meiji era (1868-1912), was designated as a national place of scenic beauty in 1995 (Heisei 7) as “Kyunen-an. The villa, 98 tsubo (860 m2) in area, was built in 1892, and the garden was designed by the renowned Kurume teahouse and garden builder Hori Wassho, who spent nine years building the garden until 1900.

The villa is a modern Japanese-style sukiya-style building with elements of a tea ceremony room and shoin (drawing room), with a reed-thatched roof with irimoya (gabled roof), cedar bark hip-roofed earthen walls, a series of small windows with bamboo lattices, and a wet-edge made of madake bamboo, all carefully and meticulously examined in terms of materials, color, design, and structure.

The garden is planted with a variety of trees, including azaleas, maples, and moss, creating a beautiful seasonal scene. Surrounded by abundant trees, the garden blends harmoniously with the surrounding landscape, and the borrowed scenery garden offers a panoramic view of the expanse of Chikushino and the Ariake Sea in the distance.

The garden is open to the public every year in November, when the autumn leaves are beautiful, and in May, when the fresh greenery is soothing.

Autumn at Kyunen-an is spectacular!
In autumn, the garden at Kyu-nen-an is a beautiful gradation of different colors created by the various types of autumn leaves. The garden and the surrounding mountains become one, creating an almost otherworldly beauty. The contrast with the green moss is also stunning.

Kyunen-an in spring
The garden was built over a period of nine years by Saga businessman Yataro Itami, and is decorated with a variety of trees, including Japanese maples.

In spring, the entire garden is brightly colored by the fresh green of the fresh maple trees and moss.

Origin of the name “Kyunen-an
The name “Kyunen-an” originally referred to the 14-tsubo (860-square-meter) tea house (now dismantled) built at the northwest end of the present garden. The name “ku-nen” also derives from the fact that the garden was built over a period of nine years.

Outline of Kugennian
Total area: approximately 28,000 square meters (including 22,000 square meters of mountain forest)
Garden area: 6,800 square meters, building area: 97 tsubo (about 320 square meters)

Owner
Kugen-an was completed by Mr. Yataro Itami, a great businessman, at a huge cost and over a long period of time starting in 1892. After that, it was owned by Mr. Kurata, and in 1982, the prefecture purchased the land and the building was donated to the prefecture by Mr. Kurata.

Vegetation
Approximately 60 species (about 700 trees)
Azaleas: 265 trees, maples: 134 trees, mosses: about 40 species (Umasugi moss, Hosobao moss, Kagami moss, etc.)

KUNEN-AN is a sukiya-style mansion and Japanese garden located on Mt.

Outline
KUNEN-AN is a villa built in 1892 by businessman Yataro Itami, and is located on the site of Fudoin, a pagoda of the 36 monasteries of Nibisan Gokokuji Temple, and Nibisan Jizoin, a child monastery. The garden was built over a period of nine years by the Kurume gardener Hori Wako. The 6,800-square-meter garden is filled with maple, azalea, and other trees.

In 1982, Saga Prefecture purchased the land, and the owner donated the buildings to the prefecture, making the Kuenian the property of the prefecture, and on February 21, 1995, it was designated a national place of scenic beauty.

It has been open to the public in the fall since 1988, and has been open to the public in the spring since 2010.

Tea House
In 1920, a tearoom was built in the northwest corner of the Kyu-nen-an. This tearoom had a sign hanging on the wall that read “Kyu-nen-an” (Nine Year Hermitage). Originally, “Kyu-nen-an” referred to this tea house, but it was later dismantled.