The Ouchi clan, feudal lords of present Yamaguchi Prefecture, reached the golden age from the 14th century to 16th century, and they created the unique culture based in present Yamaguchi City. At that time, the successive daimyo feudal lords of the Ouchi clan invited cultural figures and court nobles who had fled Kyoto, which was devastated by the civil war. The daimyos created a unique culture called Ouchi culture by fusing the culture of Kyoto with foreign cultures acquired through trade with East Asian countries. The prosperity of the Yamaguchi area at that time can be seen in the accounts of the missionaries Luis Frois and Francisco Xavier, but most of the cultural heritages of that time have been lost. However, the Rurikoji Temple and Sesshu Garden still exist and convey those glorious culture to the present. As an aside, in 1551, the Ouchi clan invited Francisco Xavier to the Yamaguchi area and allowed him to propagate Christianity, so the first Christmas event in Japan was held in Yamaguchi. The first photo is the five-storied pagoda of Rurikoji Temple, which is designated as a national treasure. The second one is a Japanese garden, which is thought to be designed by Sesshu. He is a renowned Zen monk and highly appreciated Indian ink painter.
Licensed tour guide, travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.
全国通訳案内士 高木聖久。
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