Rikugien-no-Zu From the National Diet Library collection Tokyo Tales for 2020 No. 1 Chiyoda no Ooku (“The Chiyoda Harem”) O-Hanami (“Flower Viewing”) From the National Diet Library collection The Daimyo Teien of Edo Strolling through some of the capital's most beautiful gardens Text and layout: JQR, with special thanks to the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association Hamarikyu Gardens Koishikawa Korakuen Rikugien

“Tokyo Tales for 2020” is a semi-regular series showcasing the Japanese capital's myriad attractions ahead of the 2020 Olympics. With guidance from Tokyo Metro Senior Managing Director Murao Koichi (visiting professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University and Tokyo City University), JQR will report on

2015 vol.24 14 the day-to-day evolution of one of the world’s great cities. 15 Q A What is a daimyo teien? The ideal Edo period garden, combining form and function. Shinji Isoya During the Edo period, daimyo lords, who were required to split their time between their own domains and the capital city of Edo (Tokyo), competed to construct large gardens at their residences. There were once a thousand such gardens, and though they disappeared in quick succession following the Meiji Restoration, even now a handful remain to evoke the atmosphere of the Edo period. Professor Shinji Isoya, a leading expert in landscape architecture, explains the origins and significance of daimyo teien, and the best ways to enjoy these priceless gardens.

Interview: JQR Photography: TomoyaTakai

2015 vol.24 2015 vol.24 16 17 A Perfect Balance of Scenery and Practicality Gives Daimyo Teien Their Incredible Allure The Tokugawa Shoguns and Daimyo Teien of Edo

1600 Ieyasu aimyo teien are, as the entertaining. Tea, alcohol and food drive toward shokusan kogyo Horaijima and Chikubujima, was both Hidetada name suggests, the teien were served, and of course women (increasing production, encouraging the ocean and Lake Biwa. Recreations 10 D (gardens) of the samurai gathered there as well. The garden was industry) Hamarikyu became the site for of renowned beauty spots instantly 20 Koishikawa class. These are totally more than just a refined place to historic sweet potato cultivation trials recognizable to educated people, such Iemitsu Korakuen different to the garden of the priest, or appreciate the scenery. It was the by scholar and scientist Aoki Konyo. as the Shiraito Falls at Mt. Fuji and 30 1629 that of the noble, and most definitely setting for political intrigue, and a place Today we might call it industrial Hangzhou's West Lake, were positioned 40 more than just superficially charming. to enjoy diverse pleasures, promotion. In those days a statesman's cleverly around the garden, though Hamarikyu Hamarikyu Gardens, for example, were encapsulating the entirety of Edo-period interest in the world had to encompass naturally scaled-down due to space 50 Ietsuna Gardens (Hama no Gyoen) originally the “seaside gardens” (hama culture. industry, culture, the arts, education restrictions. These shrunken landscapes 60 no gyoen) of the shogun's coastal and more. Thus the daimyo teien was a are known as shukkei. Enclosed, Mito Mitsukuni 1654 invites Ming Dynasty Established as seaside home of the residence. Hamarikyu has two duck Beauty in a Garden place for putting into practice all the scaled-down visions of Eden are the CompletedConfucian scholar 70 Zhu Zhiyu to visit; on Kofu clan lords ponds, known as Shinzeniza and Arises from things that underpinned samurai basis of Japan's particular approach to Mitsukuni's orders Zhu chooses the Tsunayoshi Koshindo, which were used for duck- Practicality and society, an open space with a wide garden design. 80 name “Korakuen”

hunting. There were also areas for Purpose range of roles. Rikugien, created almost 70 years after Visit by shogun Rikugien 90 Tsunayoshi's mother horse-riding and archery. A warrior had Koishikawa Korakuen, contains scaled- Keishoin. Tsunayoshi removes most of the Becomes shogunal 1695 to be battle-ready at all down landscapes such as Deshio-no- 1700 large and strangely- villa, dubbed the Essentially an Visit by shogun shaped rocks from Hamagoden or “ Completed Tsunayoshi's times, so honing one's minato and Fujishiro-toge from the Ienobu the paths for easier seaside residence” Enclosure for daughters Tsuru- 10 Tokugawa Yoshimune hime and Mai-hime martial skills was a a Scaled-Down “Eighty-eight famous scenic spots” Ietsugu Over 700 large trees adds a textile workshop, are felled sugar factory, saltworks, routine part of daily life. Ideal celebrated in the Manyoshu and Kokin 20 Yoshimune blacksmith's forge, and medicinal herb garden Therefore the gardens Wakashu poetry anthologies. Rikugien Elephant gifted to were equipped with Creating a garden starts is a waka poem theme park, its 30 the shogun arrives from Nagasaki, and facilities of this sort. with enclosing a space, methodology identical to that of is kept on grounds 40 for several years Because the owner of and in fact the English Disneyland or Universal Studios: only Ieshige Hamarikyu constructed word garden originally the theme is different. In the embrace of 50 the garden with potential refers to such an enclosure. his garden, its creator, cultured in 60 Ieharu combat in mind, its The space is enclosed things Japanese and Chinese, recreated Extensive alterations design and location also using any one of a number his ideal realm. 70 carried out, including construction of the Shiraito Falls, starting serve a strategic purpose. of methods, such as a stone Duckponds extended in the time of 6th lord Pond dries up 80 Harumori with addition of the Enclosed by a solid stone wall, fence, or moat. Creating Grand Vistas Shinzeniza pond Ienari Completed wall, with a masugata On the largest scale, this Connected to the Abandoned for 20 90 years double gate at the entrance, could mean having your Outside world Hamarikyu has the In Professor Shinji's opinion, viewing Japanese gardens through the lens of garden surrounded by 1800 Restoration work Zen or wider Buddhist thought has the opposite effect of making them hard to carried out over a trappings of a castle. understand. Any discussion of gardens, he says, must start by acknowledging mountains. A microcosm in Utilizing mountains, towers, etc. located year 10 Shogun Ienari's Traveling from Edo Castle that first and foremost, they are places to be enjoyed. a basin, so to speak. outside the garden as the main vistas official wife Kodaiin visits and along the Yamashita Enclosure is a fundamental of the garden, rather than simply part of 20 enjoys fishing moat and down the requirement for any space the general view, is a device known as 30 Tsukiji River to the boat landing, Crucial to the culture of landscape in which human beings are going to shakkei. Whenever human beings find Ieyoshi in an emergency one would have been architecture is the harmony of utility feel secure. This is why Japan's ancient themselves enclosed, a desire to 40 able to access the open sea. In other and scenery. By utility we mean capitals were all situated in basins. connect to the outside arises. People 50 words, the garden is designed to practicality, and by scenery, the So we take a space, enclose and living in Japan’s Edo-period isolation Iesada facilitate flight if the shogun was trapped. garden's visual qualities, such as the secure it, and build our ideal world, our dreamed of foreign lands. During the 60 Iemochi That said, samurai were not constantly attractive nature of its vistas. Aiming for Eden, inside. feudal period, the day-to-day lives and Naval officer school Yoshinobu spoiling for a fight. They prepared a balance between and consideration What constitutes that ideal has varied social behavior of the daimyo were also 70 transferred from Tsukiji themselves for both war and peace, for these things is fundamental to over the centuries. In ancient times in a sense psychologically enclosed. with the skills to achieve their aims garden design, and this holds true for people kept things simple with the This applied even to the shogun, and The daimyo teien occupied extensive sites, and took many years to construct. Koishikawa Korakuen was constructed in 1629 by Tokugawa Yorifusa, founder of the Mito branch of through diplomatic hospitality as well all gardens. Beauty can only emerge worship of gods and buddhas. In the Tokugawa Ienari (1773-1841) visited the Tokugawa clan, at his secondary (later main) residence in Edo. Work on the garden as battle. Gardens were highly prized from the unity of utility and scenery. early modern period, having begun to his “seaside garden” frequently for rest was completed by the second lord of the domain, Mitsukuni. Hamarikyu Gardens began life as the shogun's falconry range, then in 1654 was gifted by Tokugawa Ietsuna, the as settings for such diplomacy. When it comes to daimyo teien, utility acquire economic clout and technical and recreation, as a respite from the fourth shogun, to his younger brother Matsudaira Tsunashige, who reclaimed land and Hamarikyu Gardens include the ability, people started to build the built a villa there.Further landscaping and alterations were carried out by various shoguns was not only military. Hamarikyu stifling nature of his duties. Freed from over the centuries, until the garden had largely acquired its present-day form by the Nakajima-no-Ochaya (Island Teahouse) encompassed medicine, food and worlds and landscapes to which they other cares Ienari found the energy to time of the eleventh shogun, Tokugawa Ienari. Rikugien was constructed over a period of seven years by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, on land gifted in 1695 by the fifth shogun, and Matsu-no-Ochaya (Pine Teahouse) agriculture as well, with a medicinal aspired. For example, Koishikawa father 53 offspring. This must be the Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. plus the recently restored Tsubame-no- herb garden, vegetable garden, plum Korakuen includes famous sightseeing greatest testament to the restorative Ochaya (Swallow Teahouse), which trees, tea field, and rice paddies on the destinations from Japan and China. powers of gardens (laughs). You may were used for socializing and grounds. And in the spirit of the later Daisensui Pond, containing the islands think I jest, but no, not entirely. Many

2015 vol.24 2015 vol.24 18 19 view gardens as cultural assets that the composition of the landscape. lone pines or 300-year pines, with a important, so weeding is carried out, should simply be preserved, but this The wonder of daimyo teien is the way distinctive, perfect “tree-like” shape. and the growth of trees restricted. The Stone Wall and Moat Enclosing makes no sense. Gardens have life their beauty is rendered complete by Then there are the groves of trees that This has led to the development of the Garden histories of their own. Study that history the inclusion of the outside landscape collectively form a single landscape. techniques for pruning and training, and The seaside residence served and you will come to understand the as shakkei. For example, Koishikawa Korakuen's topiary. The beauty of the Japanese a similar purpose workings of society and state, moving Just imagine that scene. Grand, Daisensui Pond was made to look like garden is also a beauty maintained by to the outer bastions of Edo between cultures, eras, and societies in breathtaking, like a scroll unfurled. the sea, so the stands of pine around human hands. castle, so the main order to comprehend the big picture. This highly artistic landscape, in the pond are black pine. Finally we come to ground cover, or in gate was a box- shaped masugata Back to the topic at hand. The siting of harmony with nature, has been The plantings on the higher ground at other words, lawn. Lawns have been gate built from a garden is hugely influential. The destroyed by today's careless rush to Koishikawa are red pine, but arranged used since the Heian era, but became large komatsuishi (andesite) rocks. garden here was once even more erect high-rise buildings. These tall to resemble a coastal scene with black a common feature of daimyo teien This was indeed impressive than it appears today, structures in the background reduce pines. Lastly there is the dense cluster during the Edo period. They were not a battle-ready garden. because the high-rises erected around the value of the shogun's seaside of trees that surrounds the garden, used much in the old gardens of Kyoto, it have seriously devalued the landscape. retreat to less than a thousandth what enclosing it. A wall of green isolates where moss was preferred. Daimyo For instance, looking over Shioiri Pond it was in the Edo period. Japan's the garden from the outside world, teien have large expanses of sunny from the Pine Teahouse, one sees an proud, priceless early modern culture rendering it a separate, microcosmic open space, allowing garden designers artificial Mt. Fuji made from a pile of is being lost. space. to include lawns as they please. earth. Compared to the buildings behind While trees such as these dominate the it does not seem especially Fuji-like, Verdant Trees bones of the garden, flowering trees Devices to Help but in the Edo period, it did look like Dominate, While and those with striking autumn colors Visitors Experience Mt. Fuji. If the area in front of the pond Flowering Trees offer seasonal highlights. These are Time in the Gardens in was the foreground, the Mt. Fuji in the and Autumn Tints trees such as ume plum, cherry, Different Ways garden was in the middle distance, and Showcase the Seasons rhododendrons, wisteria, hydrangeas Surprising Contrasts and Effects in the far distance, fleets of sailing and trees with vibrant autumn foliage. Daimyo teien incorporate various boats would have bobbed in the waters The stars of any garden are inevitably Japanese gardens are based on natural devices – both short and long in off Shinagawa. Towering beyond that the trees. There is a certain beauty landscapes. The laurel forests nurtured duration – to cleverly manipulate time would have been the real Mt. Fuji. unique to a decades- or centuries-old by Asian monsoons provide lush so that visitors get maximum enjoyment The foreground, middle distance, stand of trees. backdrops. Thanks to high humidity and out of the landscape. background, and far distance would Dominating the garden are the most temperatures, plants grow quickly. One example of a short-time device is have been carefully incorporated into picturesque standalone trees such as Maintaining the vistas of a garden is the garden path. Walking through Koishikawa Korakuen, one encounters The interview was conducted in the Pine Teahouse at Hamarikyu Gardens. In the Edo period, across Shioiri Pond one could see the sailboats off Shinagawa, great complexity: stepping stones, forks and Mt. Fuji further in the distance. in the path, climbs uphill, and descents to the pond. The path is carefully designed so that the scenery changes in step with the progress made in the direction of travel, like a film unfolding. If a large stepping stone has been set in place, one naturally comes to a stop and takes in the texture of the ground cover, and from there savors the picturesque nature of the pond, islands, waterfall and so on. To help the visitor savor the psychological shift between motion and stillness, the curvature of the path, that is, the pitch and minimum radius of how it bends, is designed in response to the topography, so for instance a walker will struggle up steep slopes and then regain their breath by progressing sedately round the water's edge, Similarly, the surface underfoot changes from paving to stepping stone, then to the wider nobedan path, tiles, gravel The inner garden in front of the Mito clan nakayashiki before entering Koishikawa Korakuen (photo top) and bare earth. An examination of the Beyond the two bridges once stood a large Chinese-style gate. stepping stones furthermore reveals Through the gate was Korakuen, and an area inspired by the old Kisoji trade route through Nagano and Gifu Prefectures. Walking that they stop or take a sharp turn after through a dense grove of trees (photo center), one eventually arrives at Daisensui Pond (photo bottom). nine or twelve steps. One never follows Visitors are surprised to suddenly emerge from a dark mountain the same direction for any distance. It path and be greeted by a vast expanse of water, and a meticulously rendered, vibrantly-hued garden. may be possible to walk briskly along a gravel path, but stepping stones require cautious, single steps. If a person 2015 vol.24 2015 vol.24 20 21 of Shadows. The same goes for the view from a teahouse, or under eaves in Gazing up at “Star” Trees the garden. Whether the sun is beating down, or rain soaks the ground, wide eaves make for a beautiful sight. The soul-piercing nature of a garden shrouded in misty rain may be attributed to Japanese architecture. Then there is the term wabi-sabi, which for ease of understanding I describe to people overseas as “the aesthetics of aging”, or beauty fostered by the passing of time. The character for sabi is also found in words for nature and natural, and means what is right or Garden vistas are often centered on distinctive old or famous trees, such proper: becoming completely and utterly as the 300-year-old pine of Hamarikyu, the “lone pine” of Koishikawa like nature with the passing of time. Korakuen (see photo), and the weeping cherry of Rikugien. Each tree is a dominant player in its garden, with a story to tell. A garden is an artificial creation, so at first it is new, and hard to relax in. How does it turn into something identical to nature? Time. In Japan one can't get away with just slapping on a coat of paint. The English Studying, Crossing, and Savoring speak of weathered beauty, meaning Stepping Stones the look acquired by something that fades and discolors through sun or rain, helping it blend into the surroundings. Pale wood exposed to rain and dew gradually becomes drained of color and takes on a grayish hue. This is what the Japanese aim for. The pale wood of the newly-renovated Swallow Teahouse is According to Professor Shinji, Hamarikyu's best feature is its gentle horizontal lines. Horizontally-constructed buildings, the horizontal feel of bridges and the surface of Daisensui Pond give the shogun's garden scenery a sense of unity. lovely, but that beauty is not yet integrated in the landscape. Once time and exposure to rain and wind have turned the pale wood gray and brown walking along a city street covers 1.3 sunsets, as well as nightfall. On top of of these increments of time, at the and covered the roof in lichen, that is Garden paths take many different forms. Stepping stones crossed meters of ground per second, on a a hill, or by the pond? The angle and same time the designers of Japanese cautiously step by step offer visual enjoyment in their arrangement, as do when we will feel admiration. In my garden path they would slow down to state of the sunrise and sunset are also gardens have endeavored to capitalize variations in walking speed and length of stride. view, the distinctive feature of the about 0.7 meters. Varying the path important. on the changes that take place slowly Japanese garden, its ultimate value, offers walkers different ways to enjoy Then there are the four seasons. over long periods: ten, a hundred, or a lies in the aesthetics of time and walking and take in the sights. Japanese hanafuda playing cards thousand years, in the same manner history, in the beauty of aging. The sound we make when walking also depict flora and fauna from January to that the Chinese speak of “ten years for The aesthetic of time is akin to the Profile changes according to the surface. December. Plants and flowers, e.g., a vista, a century for scenery, a accumulation of tree rings. The spread In the past people wore wooden geta wisteria and hototogisu (lesser cuckoo) millennium for a landscape”. Shinji Isoya and lift of tree roots, mossy rocks, stone (clogs) or straw sandals. Footsteps for April, bush clover and wild boar for lanterns with curly appendages missing. Doctor of Agriculture. Scholar of produce a tune of their own, with July, are combined with events to landscape architecture. Praising Shadows and Falling-down teahouses and dining President of the Tokyo University different beats for different individuals, convey a sense of the seasons. the Aesthetics of Aging rooms. The extraordinary, ever-changing, of Agriculture from 1999-2005. providing rhythmic accompaniment for Plantings in Japanese gardens make Has at various times chaired the enchanting scenes manifested when Japanese Institute of Landscape our circuit of the garden. The tempo use not of green to red or white, but Teahouse architecture is an essential Architecture, City Planning Institute the light and breeze of each season and movements of the body play out, subtle seasonal changes reflected in component of the daimyo teien. For of Japan, and International Society are added to this mix. It is within all of for Southeast Asian Agricultural supplemented by changes in sound and shades of green. Plants sprout, develop example, when eaves are wide, deep Sciences. Professor Emeritus at this that we live our lives. the Tokyo University of Agriculture. scenery. The path possesses a rhythm new shoots, change from bright new shadows form, while light reflected in Please make the time to visit an Edo Awarded the Medal with Purple conducive to enjoying the landscape, growth to a deeper green, then yellow the pond flickers delightfully on the Ribbon in 2007, and the MIDORI garden, and enjoy for yourself this Academic Prize in 2015. Books consisting of subtle changes in time. or red, and lose their leaves. Conifers ceiling of the eaves. Wide eaves make wonderful atmosphere, these captivating include “No” no Jidai (“The Following these subtle alterations in are positioned behind to highlight the for light outside and darkness within. Age of Agriculture”) (Gakugei scenes. Nihon no Teien (“Gardens Shuppansha), Nihon Teien no time are morning and night. Lanterns period from autumn color change to There is a middle ground with five or six Tokushitsu - Yoshiki, Kuukan, and torches are employed in ingenious leaves falling. gradations of shade, as described by of Japan”) (Chuko Keikan (“Characteristics of Shinsho) Japanese Gardens: Styles, Spaces, ways to show off beautiful sunrises and And while showcasing the accumulation Tanizaki Junichiro in his essay In Praise Vistas”) (Tokyo Nodai Shuppankai), Nihon no Teien – Zokei no Waza to Kokoro (“Gardens of Japan – the Technique and Soul of Scenery Building”) (Chuo Koron Shinsha).

2015 vol.24 2015 vol.24 22 23 1704 Rikugien-no-zu Source: National Diet Library

1905 Photo of Nakanoshima Seikado Bunko collection

2015 Photo of Nakanoshima

This painting and photographs from 1705. Nakanoshima appears to have family invited the triumphant returning down the years featuring the island of been almost bare of trees, the garden's soldiers to a victory celebration at Still Going Strong After 320 Years! Nakanoshima on Rikugien's Daisensui twinned hills standing out in stark relief. Rikugien. Note the abundance of trees Pond show how the garden's landscape Most daimyo teien disappeared at the and dense foliage on Nakanoshima. has changed over time. The painting is end of the Edo period, but Rikugien was Lastly, 2015. Work has been carried Rikugien in Paintings and Photographs part of a trio of Rikugien scrolls painted purchased as a second home in 1878 out on Nakanoshima to restore a more by Kano Tsunenobu and his sons by Iwasaki Yataro. The next photo was manicured look. Chikanobu and Minenobu and gifted to taken in the year the Russo-Japanese the Sento Imperial Palace in August War ended (1905) when the Iwasaki

2015 vol.24 2015 vol.24 24 25 Gardens Take Muscle to Maintain! Garden maintenance 2

Trees and flowers grow, fall and decay... Removing New Growth A Gardener's Work is Never Done. Annually, from April to late May

Perfectly-manicured vistas are the norm stay healthy is an essential aspect of whenever you visit a daimyo teien. the job. For the gardeners, every day is In spring, five to ten new shoots or “candles” According to Rikugien gardener Koichi a battle with the restless seasons, grow out of each pine branch. To maintain Nemoto, maintaining those lovely vistas dealing with everything from weather the shape of the tree, these must be plucked “requires constant work, with no room events, such as typhoons and snow, to off by hand while still pliable. for delay”. insect infestations caused by global Rikugien gardener Nemoto Koichi says For example, in the month after the warming. In spring, pines burst with new growth (photo gardeners evaluate the shape of the tree, top left). Gardeners decide which shoots to rhododendrons have finished flowering, and think about how they want it to develop. leave, and remove the others individually by hand (photo left). The result is a tree with a gardeners at Rikugien prune a thousand Identifying the direction in which shoots tidy shape. of the plants, while at the same time Gardener's uniform are growing, they decide which to leave and tools carrying out other tasks like removing and which to remove, taking two to three new shoots from pine trees and making Gardeners wear traditional work clothes designed primarily for comfort and hours for each pine. unexpected repairs to paths. It's a convenience: a harakake apron with pockets at constant race to keep up with nature. the waist over underwear, and roomy work trousers pulled in below the knee to avoid legs Then there is the nuisance of trees tangling in vegetation. Footwear consists of Garden maintenance 3 dropping leaves, most obviously in indigo blue split-toed tabi that allow the wearer to feel the ground underneath, and grip well. autumn and winter, but this actually Then, a traditional jacket. Finally, wrist and happens throughout the year. Blown by hand guards. Trimming the wind into ponds and rivers, leaves Kimura notes, “In the old days they used to say no wrist guards, no pay. I suppose wrists were Annually,from late April to June accumulate at the bottom, easily injured.” contaminating the water, and producing an unpleasant odor, particularly during Trimming is necessary for the maintenance of Secateurs hot weather. Koishikawa Korakuen artificial features such as hedges. It is gardener Hiroshi Kimura and his team Used for leaves, and particularly important to trim trees such as branches up to little must therefore dredge the river on a finger thickness rhododendrons attractively to stop them monthly basis to avoid visitors being growing too large, and to maintain a good assailed by bad smells. Pruning shears balance with the surroundings. Each tree has We asked Kimura to dress in Each daimyo teien has dedicated Used for branches its own season for trimming: rhododendrons, uniform for our photo. His tools up to thumb width Shears are used to trim spherical topiaries. The trick is to hang at the back from his waist. gardeners on-site working throughout for example, sprout new buds for the coming use one hand as a support, and cut with the other. When the year on maintaining and managing done attractively, the result is a well-groomed landscape. spring about a month after flowering ends, so His wrists are well-protected by the garden. The gardens contain the key is to clip them in that intervening fabric wrist guards. Pruning saw centuries-old trees and herbaceous Used to sever thick month to avoid inadvertently removing buds. plants with attractive seasonal displays, branches and monitoring these to ensure they Garden maintenance 1 Garden maintenance 4 Cleaning out Ponds and Rivers Thinning A monthly event, 2-3 times a Annually, from October to March month in summer

Despite Tokyo’s high level of rainfall, Pines like the sun, so going into winter any maintaining an adequate water supply to the tangled branches and unnecessary foliage are gardens is difficult, and at Koishikawa Korakuen removed to give the whole tree access to well water is used. maximum sunlight. First, thinning is carried Differences in river shape modify the flow of out: any surplus branches are identified and water, and water temperature rises in shallow cut off. Then any older needles that are spots where the flow is slower. This makes the changing color or dead are removed. The river dirty, requiring dredging of the riverbed. state of foliage on each branch is checked A pine with new needles loses its neat silhouette (photo Carried out monthly even in midwinter, it is one Gardeners use rakes to collect and remove algae (photo left) and fallen leaves stuck to the bottom, then stir up top right). Excess branches and shoots are removed (photo the riverbed to wash away any smaller debris. This process (photo right) is repeated until the river is clean, taking before pruning. A delicate job requiring a lot top left), then any old needles are plucked off by hand of the most important jobs in the garden. eight people half a day to complete. of patience, work on a large pine can take a (photo left). whole month.

2015 vol.24 2015 vol.24 26 27 The JQR Guide to Daimyo Teien Events Daimyo teien are the scene of many different activities throughout the year, offering great opportunities to take part in important events not Making the Most of Your usually part of the garden experience. Visit to a Daimyo Teien Dates vary each year, so it pays to contact the gardens in advance. Don't make it just about the views: here are some January ● Falconry demonstration January 2 and 3 *Canceled if wet ways to get the most out of your visit to a daimyo teien. 1 Location Hamarikyu Gardens Inner moat grounds Chiyoda no Ooku Funa-Asobi (“Boating”) Cost Free (entrance fee for garden) Falcons are released, National Diet Library collection demonstrating a traditional technique used in falconry

Floral calendar March ● Weeping cherry illuminations Approximately a fortnight from around March 20 Falconry demonstration Hamarikyu Daimyo teien are a riot of flowers blooming all year round, each at its finest for only a brief moment. * Garden open to 21:00 for duration 3 Gardens Rikugien Free (entrance fee for garden) Encountering this fleeting beauty is an unforgettable delight. View beautiful weeping cherries against the night sky

Weeping cherry illuminations Rikugien Hamarikyu Koishikawa Korakuen Rikugien October ● Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony

Wintersweet October 10-11, 2015 Hamarikyu Gardens Wintersweet 10 Tea ceremony 700 yen 300 yen (entrance fee for gardens) Wintersweet Apply for tea service on a return postcard or online (applications close August 31) Other events run on a first-come, first served basis

January Plum trees Daffodils Camellia Adonis ramosa Large-scale tea ceremony featuring tea service, open-air tea ceremony, tea ceremony for beginners Plum trees Plum trees Contact Camellia cornus officinalis ● Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony office Kobushi magnolia 03-6268-8602 http://tokyo-grand-tea-ceremony2015.jp

February Rape flowers from late March Weeping cherry

November ● Edo-senke outdoor tea ceremony Yulan magnolia Cherry blossoms November 3 From 11am Autumn illuminations Rikugien March Yoshino cherry Koishikawa Korakuen Pine grove *Venue change to Kantokutei if wet Free (entrance fee for Large flowered barrenwort Yoshino cherry 11 garden) 30 participants each tea ceremony; first-come, first served Tea service demonstration and tasting Enjoying Matcha at a Iris japonica Mitsuba azalea and enkianthus perulatus Yamazakura (hill cherry) Kerria japonica courtesy of the Edo-senke tea ceremony school Teahouse (ornamental peach) Hanamomo cherry blossom) Yaezakura (double apanese azalea and Kirishima ● Autumn illuminations 「Free park entry dates」 Daimyo teien were also used by April the shogun and daimyo lords for Peony Rhododendron Wisteria Wisteria Fortnight from around November 20 *Garden open to 21:00 for duration entertaining. They would take in 5 “Midori no Hino Hi」 Rikugien Free (entrance fee for garden) 4 the views and entertain guests by Rice planting View stunning autumn tints and gardens against the night sky sharing delicious dishes and 9 “Seniors' week” (alcoholic) drinks at the teahouse. 15〜21 Taking a moment to stop by a * Free entry for one person 60 or

Hydrangea teahouse and imagine those

May Waterlily azalea Rhododendron indicum ● Snow preparations

azalea Rhododendron indicum over and companion November Hamarikyu Gardens/Rikugien long-ago scenes is another delight Iris

hortensia of the daimyo teien. Matcha tea Hydrangea Iris Magnolia grandiflora Free (entrance fee for gardens) All welcome on the day 10 Hydrangea “Residents' day” Watch gardeners use rope and wire in the time-honored fashion 1 and traditional wagashi confections

Japanese bellflower to protect pines from winter frost and snow are served at the Nakajima Teahouse at Hamarikyu Gardens,

June Chinese trumpet vine and the Fukiage Chaya teahouse at Rikugien.

Pollia japonica ● Dine like a Shogun Occasional Dates to be advised Crape myrtle Crape myrtle events Bracted hydrangea Crape myrtle Hamarikyu Gardens Lotus * Contact Hamarikyu Gardens to inquire

July Yellow cosmos A chance to sample dishes that would have been eaten by shogun Tokugawa Ienari Fox's razor Gold-banded lily Ear of rice ● Park tours by directors Cotton rosemallow Occasional August *Contact individual gardens for information Cluster amaryllis events

Bush clover Hamarikyu Gardens /Koishikawa Korakuen/Rikugien Free (entrance fee for garden) Bush clover First in on the day, up to capacity The park director will provide a commentary on the history, Cluster amaryllis Cluster amaryllis

Cosmos plantings, etc. while showing visitors around the garden. Dine like a shogun Hamarikyu Gardens September Contact ● Hamarikyu Gardens 03-3541-0200 ● Koishikawa Korakuen 03-3811-3015 ●Rikugien 03-3941-2222 Sasanqua camellia October Japanese beautyberry

Leopard plant （ Idesia polycarpa Autumn tints

（ （ Maple Japanese wax tree Japanese wax tree Restoration of the Hamarikyu Gardens Swallow Teahouse Autumn tints Autumn tints （ Japanese wax tree In May of this year the Swallow Teahouse Autumn tints （ (Tsubame-no-Ochaya) was restored. One November （ （ （ Autumn tints Maple Maple Ginkgo of five teahouses from Tokugawa Ienari's Autumn tints Autumn tints Autumn tints ） time, built in 1800 and destroyed by ） ） American bombers in 1944, the Swallow Teahouse has now been restored using ） recreations of the 24 different swallow- At only 60 m², December ） shaped copper nail covers from which the the building is ） ） ） teahouse gets its name. Using historical surprisingly compact. resources for reference, the building has In the center is a been faithfully returned to its original look, slightly elevated with the wide eaves typical of sukiya- section of tatami style shoin buildings, white plaster exterior 2015 vol.24 where the shogun walls, and a shingled roof using 3 mm-thick 28 would have sat. 29 cypress. My Memory of Daimyo Teien gardens maintain a high standard of didn't realize there were daimyo teien beauty because people put in so much in Tokyo as well. The first one I learned effort, day after day. This is also one of of was Hamarikyu. Part of the attraction Still entranced 30 years later! the reasons I found myself liking Japan. was being able to cruise on the Sumida River down to Asakusa after looking at Non-Japanese with the gardens, and I took various people An Autumn Day Spent in a Daimyo Teien, no Interest in Autumn there, including a German Tints don't Know the mathematician and a foreign TV crew. where my Appreciation for the Japanese Japanese Autumn Next was Koishikawa Korakuen. A Hungarian friend came to Japan, and Aesthetic was Born Apparently it is often said that non- one day said he had been out to Mathematician Peter Frankl left his native Hungary and traveled the world, eventually Japanese have no interest in autumn Koishikawa Korakuen by himself. He tints, but if so, it can only be because was delighted by the place, and coming to Japan for what he assumed would be his first and last visit. He ended up they have never seen the autumn colors amazed that I didn't know about it. deciding to settle there permanently. of Japan. When I first arrived here it So he invited me to go there with him. One reason was the beauty he encountered during his first visit to a daimyo teien (a was early September and the heat was What an incredible urban oasis. Once garden formerly belonging to a daimyo lord). stifling, and when lecturers at the I'd succeeded in blocking out the university made comments like “Just high-rises in the background, the leafy Interview/JQR Photography/Satoru Naito wait until mid-October and the autumn landscape right in front of me became tints will begin” or “The color of gingko the perfect place for some time out. first came to Japan 30 In the autumn of 1986 I returned to Kumamoto and Senganen (Iso Teien) in leaves changes quickly”, I responded I can't write waka or haiku poetry, but I wish guidebooks would list gardens like Koishikawa Korakuen years ago, at the Japan, this time bringing my parents, Kagoshima. and Rikugien as places where you can enjoy the seasonal with a neutrally polite “Aa so desu ka” I do like to sit in a teahouse taking in variety of Japan and understand Japanese aesthetics. I invitation of the University and spent four weeks showing them Every daimyo teien I visited was (laughs). The thing was, back in the view and pondering my life and of Tokyo. Assuming this around a country I had fallen in love beautiful. The Japanese are very Hungary I had seen plenty of leaves what I want to do with it. Daimyo teien visit to the country would also be my with. We travelled to Kenrokuen in particular about their work, right down turn gold then quickly fall, so at that are marvelous places for young last, I decided to have a good look Kanazawa, Okayama Korakuen, and to tightening the last screw. That point I had no interest at all. Then I couples to go on a date, and where I verdant. Being further north however, around, and with a two-week JR pass in Ohori Park in Fukuoka, and my parents attention to detail is also evident in how went to the aforementioned Okayama invariably sense that singularly Britain doesn't have as many varieties hand, set my sights on Fukuoka. Along were as impressed as I had been by the they care for their gardens. Obviously, Korakuen, and found the maples there a Japanese view of beauty. of tree or colors of foliage as Japan. the way, I got off at Okayama Station red of the maples. The Japanese kanji being gardens, leaves grow and fall fiery red, and moreover, every single Obviously there are gardens in other Japan has a temperate, wet climate, and took a tram to Okayama Korakuen. word for momiji (maple) – consisting of from the trees. Occasionally a typhoon leaf beautifully and delicately rendered countries too, but they have a slightly and so many different varieties of tree, Autumn was well underway, and there the characters for “tree” and “flower” blows through and snaps off branches. down to the tiniest detail. Forming a different sensibility. The Palace of in brilliant colors. The new growth from were pots holding a spectacular display – is a testament to the Japanese ability Nevertheless, the daimyo teien are contrast to the surrounding greenery, Versailles, the châteaux of the Loire when the cherry blossoms fall in early of chrysanthemums near the gate. The to create new words. always immaculately tended. Even the they make a garden shine, and exude a valley: these places also have well- summer to the festival of Obon is maple trees were stunning in their I subsequently went on to visit other irises, which put on such a lovely dignified air. Even travelers from maintained gardens, but the trees are simply stunning. Because flowers bloom scarlet splendor. Every scenic spot in gardens, including Shukkeien in display in the rainy season, only bloom overseas would be excited and intrigued all pruned into the same shapes, to for a long time in Japan, some may find this, my first daimyo teien, was wonderful, Hiroshima, Ritsurin Garden in so beautifully because in Japan people by autumn tints if those tints were the boost the value of the castle. The trees gardens boring without them. But that is and I was entranced by it all. Takamatsu, Suizenji Jojuen in spend time looking after them. The vibrantly-colored, well-proportioned are not for the garden, but to make the not the case. Here at Rikugien, it may autumn foliage of Japan. The only castle look more attractive. be late July, but the different gradations Peter Frankl enjoying high summer at Rikugien. On this day he bursting with praise for his verdant surroundings. problem is that Europeans take their Britain is the part of Europe with the of green are incredibly vivid and a sight holidays in summer, making it hard to most gardens. In France, Spain and to behold. take a long break in autumn and come Italy the summer sun is too intense and Daimyo teien are a proud and precious to Japan. It’s a real pity. lawns dry out. In Britain, on the other part of Japanese culture, and in my hand, it rains a lot, keeping things view a must-see for any visitor to Japan. Relaxing Meditatively while Contemplating the View

When I first started living in Japan, I

Profile Peter Frankl (Japanese name: Furan Heita) Mathematician and street performer. Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Honorary advisor to the Japan Juggling Association.

Born in 1953 in Hungary. In 1979 was exiled to France. In 1982 made his first trip to Japan. Settled in Japan permanently in 1988. Speaks twelve languages, and has visited over 100 countries. Tirelessly gives talks on ways to make life more fun. His first book is titled Kazu ni Tsuyoku Naro (“Getting Better with Numbers”) 2015 vol.24 (Iwanami Junior Shinsho). 2015 vol.24 30 31 The JQR Guide to Daimyo Teien

Hamarikyu Gardens As you enter through the Otemon gate and walk along, the sky overhead seems improbably vast for the center of a city. Breezes from Tokyo Bay waft through a beautiful garden ringed with greenery and flowers. This garden had its beginnings in 1654 when the fourth shogun, Ietsuna Tokugawa, gave the land to his younger brother, Tsunashige Matsudaira, who was chancellor of the Kofu Domain. Matsudaira had the reed-covered foreshore area filled and built a villa called the A map of the villa and grounds drawn 210 years ago in the Kofu Hama Yashiki (Kofu beach residence) there. A series of extensions were Edo period (from the Tokugawa Forestry Management History Research Institute collection). It shows that there was an carried out and by the time of the eleventh shogun, Ienari Tokugawa, the gardens official’s residence and guardhouse next to the Otemon gate. were completed and were known as Hama Gyoen (beachside imperial gardens). The villa of Enryokan was built as a state guest house on the After the Meiji revolution it became an Imperial villa known as Hamarikyu same spot in 1869.

(beachside detached palace). The tidal pond, one of its main attractions, is Shiodome River

maintained through tidal seawater from Tokyo Bay. For a pleasant experience Mount Fuji viewing hill Remains of horse walk across the pond on Otsutaibashi Bridge and take a rest in the teahouse on riding field Shinzenza duck Island teahouse hunting ground the island to enjoy the beautiful view. An impressive three-hundred-year pine Nakanohashi planted by the sixth shogun, Ienobu Tokugawa, is another sight not to be missed. Bridge Ochinyama Hill The Edo atmosphere may be long gone, but you can still enjoy the mysterious Tidal pond Duck mound charm of another time in this elegant garden surrounded by high-rise buildings. Side moat Remains of the Otsutaibashi Umite teahouse Bridge Umite Otsutaibashi bridge Pine teahouse

Hinokuchiyama Hill Nakanogomon DATA Koshindo duck entrance hunting ground Water gate Flowering trees Location: Hamarikyu Gardens, Chuo Ward Tokyo Bay Hobaitei meeting hall Tel.: 03-3541-0200 Shinhinokuchiyama Hill Remains of the Enryokan villa Closed: December 29 to January 1 Peony garden Hours: 9 am to 4:30 pm (July 1 to August 10, 7:30 am to 5 pm) Shogun’s landing

Admission: 300 yen, 150 yen for those 65 and older, free for elementary students and Flower field Office

Tokyo middle school students Plum trees Entrance

Water bus landing Tsukiji River Otemonbashi Bridge Three hundred year pine

Shinbashi Station, Shiodome Station

Skyscrapers are the backdrop to wisteria in full bloom (top left). Water is drawn into the tidal pond through water gates utilizing the tides from Tokyo Bay (bottom left). Rainbow Bridge seen across Tokyo Bay (top right). The extensive garden is dotted with pines that a perfect match to the seaside location (bottom right).

The island teahouse as seen from the tidal pond (left). The three-hundred year old pine tree Two Duck 1 4 planted by the sixth shogun, Ienobu Tokugawa, when he had the gardens renovated (right). Hunting Grounds Koshindo and Shinzenza, two ponds for duck hunting, were established during the period when the A Digital Guide gardens were called Hama Gyoen. A narrow moat was 2 3 to the Garden drawn from each pond and Handheld devices a mound built at the end providing a guide as a lookout (photograph to the garden are ① ). Domestic ducks were fed after banging on the thick available for free loan. boards with a wooden mallet (photograph ② ), to condition Guidance is given in them. The sound of the planks being hit was a signal for Japanese, English, these ducks to head for the moat (photograph ④ ) tempting Chinese (simplified and the wild ducks along with them. The person watching from traditional) and Hangul. the peephole (photograph ③ ) would signal at the right time for others to come alongside the moat and throw a net over to catch the wild ducks.

2015 vol.24 2015 vol.24 32 33 The JQR Guide to Daimyo Teien

Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens Yorifusa Mito, founder of the Mito Tokugawa dynasty, began creating the gardens in 1629 as part of the residence for the clan’s feudal lord in Edo (as Tokyo used to be called). The gardens were landscaped in a circular style and completed during the reign of his successor, Mitsukuni. The area that is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome, on the other side of the now closed eastern gate, once used to be the residence of the Mito clan. At their largest the grounds were huge, measuring around 88,000 tsubo (approx. 290,400㎡ ) but the current Korakuen is about a quarter of that at 20,000 tsubo (66,000㎡ ). The garden was created around a large pond surrounded by four themed landscapes An illustrated map, drawn in the early Edo period, of the Mito Koishikawa residence and garden (from the Meiji University Museum —sea view, river view, mountain view and rice field view—in order to enjoy a collection). Extensive renovations are believed to have been carried changing landscape as you walk around. When Mitsukuni chose the garden’s out at some stage because of the Noh stage and Kawahara shoin shown on the upper right hand corner of the map, as well as how name, he followed the advice of Ming Dynasty Chinese Confucian scholar Shu the shape of the lake differs greatly from its current configuration. Shunsui. Shu Shunsui chose the name Korakuen (meaning to ‘enjoy after Remains of the others’), based on a Chinese teaching in Yueyang Lou Ji, a literary work by Hakkeido hall Shiodome River Chinese literary figure and politician Fan Zhongyan. The teaching can be Yatsuhashi Bridge translated as ‘Bear the hardship and bitterness before others, enjoy comfort and Engetsukyo Bridge

happiness after others’. Engetsukyo (round moon) Bridge is believed to have Kiyomizu Kannon- do remains Tokujindo Temple Sweet flag been designed by Shu Shunsui, and derives its name from the fact that it looks Shiraito no taki waterfall Rice paddies like a full moon when reflected on the water. Tsutenkyo Bridge Ryukyuyama Hill Maruya pavilion Pine grove Kuhachiya drinking Shorozan Hill house

Togetsubashi River crossing Boat landing West Lake Bridge DATA embankment Shiodome River Horajima Island Kantokutei meeting room Tokudaiji rocks Location: Koraku 1-chome, Bunko Ward Tel.: 03-3811-3015 Entrance Large pond Closed: December 29 to January 1 Chibukushima Hours: 9 am to 4.30 pm (gates close at 5 pm) Island Office Tatsutagawa River Chinese gate Admission: 300 yen, 150 yen for those 65 and older, free for elementary students and Saigyodo remains remains Nobedan Path Tokyo middle school students Iidabashi Station Inner garden

Kisogawa River

The large pond is modeled on the Lake Biwa (top left), with the two islands Horaijma and Chibukujima island positioned accordingly. Engetsukyo Bridge that Shushunsui is said to have designed. The bridge joined with its reflection in the water appears to form the shape of a full moon (bottom left).Tokujindo (top right), the temple where Mitsukuni had wooden statues of the brothers Bo Yi and Shu Chi enshrined. He read about them in the Chinese classic Records of the Grand Historian and was deeply moved (bottom right).

A magnificent single pine tree (left). The West Lake embankment which has been likened to West Lake of Hangzhou in modern day Zhejiang Province (right). Looking out at the pond across Shorozan Hill (bottom). Elementary School Students Plant Rice

In the northern landscape of the garden, which is built on the theme of rice fields, is a field built by Mitsukuni to teach the wife of his heir, Tsunaeda, about the hardships of farmers’ work. In keeping this tradition, since 1975 local elementary school students have planted rice in May and harvested it in September. When the children experience going barefoot into the muddy field for the first time they make a lot of noise. Under the guidance of the garden staff they learn how to plant the rice and harvest it, getting a small taste of how hard a farmer’s work can be.

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Rikugien Gardens Once you visit this tranquil garden you will want to keep going back, again and again. In 1695 Tokugawa shogunate official and samurai Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa was given the land by the fifth shogun, Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, and took seven years to build the garden. Its name comes from a poem in the A map of Rikugien (from the Yanagisawa archives) showing the Rikugi mansion near the gardens, the villa of Yanagisawa, and the ancient Chinese poetry classic Book of Odes, which sets out six principles of daimyo’s residences. Only the gardens are still in existence. poetry. These greatly influenced Ki no Tsurayuki and other compilers of the ancient classic Kokin Wakashu (“Collection of Japanese Poems of Ancient and Modern Times”) in formulating the six elements of waka poetry. Water for the lake was drawn from the Sen river aqueduct, and an artificial island with two hills, Imoyama and Seyama, was built. Scenic views evoking the world of waka Senrijo (remains of were created around the lake; the Deshio no minato harbor, the Fujishiro Pass, horse riding ground)

and the Sasaganino Path that winds like a spider’s web, as well as a recreation Fujinaminohashi Bridge Hydrangea Hill of the famous scenic view Waka no Ura in Wakayama, mentioned in the Entrance Sengoku Station Manyoshu (oldest collection of Japanese poetry) and Kokin Wakashu. The Togetsukyo Bridge Weeping cherry tree Sasanaki Path garden is a changing palette of colors with the weeping cherry blooming in Tazuruhashi Bridge Office Deshio no minato spring, followed by azaleas, and autumn leaves in fall. Fujishirotoge Pass harbor Seyama Hill Daimon gate Yamakagebashi Bridge

Nakanoshima Island Gishuntei tearoom Imoyama Hill

Horajima Island DATA Shinsentei Hall Azalea teahouse Tama no iso shore Location: Hon-komagome 6-chome, Bunkyo Ward Fukiage teahouse Tel.: 03-3941-2222 Closed: December 29 to January 1 Fukiage shore Chidoribashi Bridge Hours: 9 am to 4.30 pm (gates close 5 pm) Waterfall viewing teahouse Admission: 300 yen, 150 yen for those 65 and older, free for elementary students and Mizuwake ishi stone Tokyo middle school students Ginkatei remains

Nakanoshima Island seen from the shore of Tama no iso

The rustic waterfall-viewing teahouse, where the sound of a flowing mountain stream can be enjoyed (top left). The large pond filled with plentiful water surrounded by 2015 vol.24 trees (center left). A vivid autumn scene (bottom left). Azalea lined steps going up the 2015 vol.24 36 Fujishiro Pass (top right). The weeping cherry tree illuminated at night (center right). 37 A beautiful green path, unlikely in the middle of a city (bottom right).