“Hisago” means “Gourd.”
Affectionately known as “Gourd Rock,” this stone was relocated from Taikoen Park in Osaka to this Hotel.

It’s believed that Gourd Rock was made sometime between the end of the Edo Period and the Taisho Period, and is composed of a mix of Shirakawa and Taiko granite. Shirakawa granite, made of white, fine grainstones, is excavated in Kyoto and was used to raise most of the buildings in and around Kyoto up until the end of the Edo Period. Mount Hiei itself is made up of Shirakawa granite. “Taiko granite” is a type of Shirakawa granite that was reportedly quarried during the days of the Tokugawa shogunate. Compared to more modern granite, it is full of air pockets and erodes easily.

Former Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s battle standard depicted a crest of bottom-heavy gourds spreading outward in the shape of a fan. Gourds have been long beloved as talismans that represent growth and flourishing. They are also venerated as symbols of good luck because they purify the air by vigorously absorbing malice. Toyotomi’s adoration of gourds must have stemmed from this, leading him to create his crest.

Perhaps the one who carved this stone was associated with the Shogun, and therefore gouged the shape of a gourd into it.