The Tokugawa Garden (徳川園 Tokugawa-en) 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 des ...

in the city of Nagoya, central

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 ...

. It is located next to the

Tokugawa Art Museum The is a private art museum, located on the former '' Ōzone Shimoyashiki'' compound in Nagoya, central Japan. Its collection contains more than 12,000 items, including swords, armor, Noh costumes and masks, lacquer furniture, Chinese and Japan ...

History

In the early Edo period (1603-1867), Tokugawa Mitsutomo (1625-1700), the second lord of the

Owari branch The is a branch of the Tokugawa clan, and it is the seniormost house of the '' Gosanke'' ("three honourable houses of the Tokugawa").Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful '' daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this cl ...

, established a vast residence called the '' Ōzone Shimoyashiki''. After his death, the property was passed on to the families of his three retainers Naruse, Ishiko, and Watanabe, until the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

of 1867, when ownership was returned to the Owari Tokugawa. In 1931, Tokugawa Yoshichika (1886-1976), the 19th head of the Tokugawa family, decided that "the time had come to present the property to the community", and donated the land of 23,000 m2 and buildings to the City of Nagoya. Included in the donation were family treasures and the establishment of the Owari Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation. The City opened the garden in 1932, and the foundation opened the art museum in 1935. The garden however was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, leaving only the main gate intact. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the art museum in 1985, nationwide fundraising led by local economic organisations made possible extensive renovations and expansion of the museum. In 2004, aiming to unite many historical inheritances found in the region, the garden, a sanctuary of modern samurai culture representing Japan was built, along with a stroll-style pond to complete its atmosphere. To the south of the garden, the Hōsa Library houses historical materials and documents connected with the Owari Tokugawa family. Access by public transport is by Morishita Station by the Seto line or Ōzone Station by the subway Meijo line.

Layout

Access to the complex is through the main gate, called ''Kuro-mon'' (Black Gate). The gate, which survived the destruction of World War II, is made out of wood and has a gable roof. The garden has a large pond in the middle. Surrounding it are waterfalls, promenades, various tea houses, and bridges. Seasonal blooms of the flowers include

Japanese Apricot ''Prunus mume'' is an East Asian and Southeast Asian tree species classified in the ''Armeniaca'' section of the genus ''Prunus'' subgenus ''Prunus''. Its common names include Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. The flower, long ...

(''ume''), peony (''botan''), iris (''hanashobu''), and maple (''momiji''). Flowers include winter camellia, camellia, Japanese witch-hazel, Shan Zhu Zu, Japanese apricot, apricot, Japanese pachysandra, Lily of the Valley bush, peach trees, azalea, fringed iris, rhododendron, calanthe, Satsuki azalea, tea of heaven, iris, gardenia, lilyturf, cluster amaryllis, Japanese silver leaf, Reineckea, and sasanqua.

Gallery

File:Tokugawaen５.JPG, The main Black Gate (''Kuro-mon'') that leads into the ''Ōzone Shimoyashiki'' where the garden is located File:Tokugawaen2.JPG, Ōzone-no-taki (Ōzone Waterfall) File:名古屋市徳川園の龍仙湖.jpg, Ryusen Lake File:Walls of Tokugawa-en or Tokugawa Garden in Nagoya City.jpg, Walls File:Tokugawaendashizoroe1.JPG, Float Festival in Tokugawa Garden

External links

* * Parks and gardens in Nagoya Owari Tokugawa family Gardens in Aichi Prefecture {{Japan-garden-stub