In Japan, the traditionally does not refer to a single location, but to any residence of retired emperors. Before Akihito abdicated in 2019, the last Emperor to retire did so in 1817, so the designation commonly refers to the historical .

Kyoto Sentō Imperial Palace

Sento Imperial Palace - Seika-tei with beach

The ) is a large garden in

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 c ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

, formerly the grounds of a palace for retired emperors. It is administered by the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial Family, and also the keeping of the Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century AD, up until the Second World War, it ...

and is opened to visitors.

History

Sento Imperial Palace was completed in 1630 for

Emperor Go-Mizunoo was the 108th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Go-Mizunoo's reign spanned the years from 1611 through 1629, and was the first emperor to reign entirely during the Edo period. This 17th-century sovereign was n ...

's retirement, along with the corresponding

Ōmiya Palace refers to a residence of the Empress Dowager of Japan. Literally, Ōmiya means ''Large Palace'', but it is also a courtesy title of the Empress Dowager. Thus, the name Ōmiya Palace does not refer to any specific place, such as Ōmiya-ku, Sait ...

for the Empress Dowager Nyoin. Both palaces were repeatedly destroyed by fire and reconstructed until a blaze in 1854, after which the Sento palace was never rebuilt. (Ōmiya Palace was, however, reconstructed in 1867 and is still used by the emperor whenever he visits Kyoto). Today only two Sento structures, the Seika-tei and Yushin-tei teahouses, remain. The excellent gardens, laid out in 1630 by renowned artist

Kobori Masakazu Kobori (written: 小堀) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese artist and aristocrat *, Japanese tennis player *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese voice actress *, ...

(Kobori Enshu), are now its main attractions.

Layout

The palace grounds are located within the southeast corner of the

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 ...

, and entered via a stately wooden gate within its surrounding earthen wall. A carriage house with graceful triple gables sits just within, but still outside the garden's unadorned inner wall, whose gate leads directly to a fine view opening westward across the garden pond. The garden's primary feature is a large pond with islands and walkways, whose north and south segments were linked by a short canal in 1747. The north pond was extended and reworked from 1684 to 1688; the south pond is notable for its expansive "ocean shore" of rounded stones and cherry trees, an edging of mixed natural and hewn stones, and a separate, understated embankment of squared stones. The ponds contain a variety of highly picturesque islands and six bridges in a varied styles, including one with an impressive

wisteria ''Wisteria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae), that includes ten species of woody twining vines that are native to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Southern Canada, the Eastern United States, and north ...

trellis (built 1895). Two teahouses complete the garden: Seika-tei, single-roofed and spare, at the southern end of the south pond; and Yushin-tei, thatched and rustic with a notable round window, at the western side of the north pond. Image:Sento Imperial Palace - bridge.JPG, A bridge Image:Sento Imperial Palace - mossy hills.JPG, Mossy hills Image:Sento Imperial Palace - pond.JPG, Pond through trees Image:Sento Imperial Palace - Seika-tei.JPG, Seika-tei Image:Sento Imperial Palace - Yushin-tei.JPG, Yushin-tei

Modern Sentō Imperial Palace

Akihito abdicated on 30 April 2019. Until he moved out of the Fukiage Palace located on the grounds of the Imperial Palace on March 31, 2020, the Fukiage Palace was named . Until the

Akasaka Palace , or the , is one of the two state guest houses of the Government of Japan. The other state guesthouse is the Kyoto State Guest House. The palace was originally built as the in 1909. Today the palace is designated by the Government of Japan a ...

is refurbished to accommodate to his old age, he is living temporarily in the Takanawa Residence, who became the .

References

Notes

Citations

Imperial Household Agency , Sento Imperial Palace

* Imperial Household Agency, ''Sento-Gosho (Ex-Emperor's Palace)'', undated booklet (August 2007). * David Young, Michiko Young, ''The Art of the Japanese Garden'', Tuttle Publishing, 2005, page 132. .

External links

] * ttp://www.japanesegardens.jp/gardens/famous/000047.php List of stone lanterns in the garden of Sentō Imperial Palace {{DEFAULTSORT:Sento Imperial Palace Geography of Kyoto Imperial residences in Japan Gardens in Kyoto Prefecture Buildings and structures in Kyoto Tourist attractions in Kyoto Buildings and structures completed in 1630 Burned buildings and structures