is a

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

, owned by political and military leader '' Gensui''

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

Yamagata Aritomo ''Gensui (Imperial Japanese Army), Gensui'' Prince , also known as Prince Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a senior-ranking Japanese people, Japanese military commander, twice-elected Prime Minister of Japan, and a leading member of the ''genrō'', an � ...

, designed by Ogawa Jihei and built between 1894 and 1898. It is an example of a classical Japanese promenade garden of the

Meiji Period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

History

'' Gensui''

(1838-1922) was an important figure in the politics and military affairs of the Meiji Period. Born into an old

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

family and devoted to military affairs, he traveled to Europe in 1869 as part of a delegation of experts to study the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

, and when he returned he helped re-organize the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

on the Prussian model. He became Minister of War in 1873, and was twice

Prime Minister of Japan The prime minister of Japan (Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Stat ...

, from 1889 to 1891 and from 1898 to 1900. The completion in 1890 of the

Lake Biwa Canal is a historic waterway in Japan connecting Lake Biwa to the nearby City of Kyoto. Constructed during the Meiji Period the canal was originally designed for the transportation of lake water for drinking, irrigation and industrial purposes, but ...

brought a plentiful source of fresh water to the

Nanzen-ji , or Zuiryusan Nanzen-ji, formerly , is a Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan. Emperor Kameyama established it in 1291 on the site of his previous detached palace. It is also the headquarters of the Nanzen-ji branch of Rinzai Zen. The precincts o ...

temple domain area in Kyoto. Yamagata, who was a great lover of gardens, purchased land in the area and made plans to build a villa and garden using water from the canal and it's associated irrigation network. The then

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Yamagata (he was elevated in the ''

Kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ' ...

'' to being a

Marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

in August 1895, and a

in September 1907) began work on the gardens in 1894, but stopped shortly afterwards due to his involvement in the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the po ...

. Yamagata ordered work to resume when the war was finished this time enlisting the help of the notable garden designer Ogawa Jihei (1860-1933), also known as Ueji, who had built the garden of the recreated

Kyoto Imperial Palace The is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered in 1877. Today, the grounds are open t ...

nearby. In addition to the garden, he built a tea house, a traditional Japanese house, and a modern western-style house, complete with a lawn in the English style, added in 1898.

Description

The garden is sited on the slopes of the Higashiyama Hills, and has a source of water by a canal from

Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th ol ...

, the largest lake in Japan, which feeds a shallow artificial stream, with a triple waterfall which runs through the garden. The garden covers 3135 square meters and features contrasts between shady forests and sunlit open spaces, and a long promenade to see the different sights of the garden, including many views of the Higashiyama Hills.Elisseeff. Pages 106-109. File:Murin-an, Kyoto - IMG 5139.JPG, Garden path in Murin-an File:Murin-an, Kyoto - IMG 5103.JPG, Corner of the residence in Murin-an File:Murin-an, Kyoto - IMG 5113.JPG, Residence in Murin-an File:Murin-an, Kyoto - IMG 5140.JPG, Teahouse at Murin-an File:Murin-an, Kyoto - IMG 5106.JPG, Garden view with bridge in Murin-an

References

Bibliography

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External links

Murin-an official website

{{in lang, ja Buildings and structures in Kyoto Gardens in Kyoto Prefecture Important Cultural Properties of Japan Tourist attractions in Kyoto