The Heian Jingu shrine was erected in Kyoto in 1895 to commemorate 1,100 years since the Imperial court moved to that city. Behind the shrine’s main buildings lies a magnificent garden known as the Shin-en, a unique homage to the aesthetics of the Heian era (794-1185) created by Jihei Ogawa, one of the leading gardeners of the Meiji Period (1867-1911).

Composed of four distinct gardens – Middle, South, East and West –  the Shin-en is famed for its scenic beauty throughout the seasons: weeping cherries in spring, early summer irises, autumn colors and snowy winter vistas.

The shrine’s famous “rabbit-ear” water irises, a colorful herald of summer, grow in the Naka Shin-en (middle garden). The Naka Shin-en covers approximately 4,300 square meters, about a quarter of which is occupied by a pond known as Soryu-ike. Having passed through a thick cluster of trees by the stream, visitors are suddenly greeted by a large and lovely expanse of water complete with islands and stepping stones, surrounded by nearly one thousand water irises. Best viewed from early to late May, the pond and its blaze of purple conveys visitors back more than a thousand years to the Heian Period.

(Photo Credits: Sekai Bunka)