is a metropolitan garden in Chūō ward,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Located at the mouth of the

Sumida River The is a river that flows through central Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi (in Kita-ku) and flows into Tokyo Bay. Its tributaries include the Kanda and Shakujii rivers. It passes through the Kita, Adachi, Arak ...

, it was opened to the public on April 1, 1946. A landscaped garden of 250,216 m² includes Shioiri-no-ike (Tidal Pond), and the garden is surrounded by a seawater moat filled by

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. Th ...

. It was remodeled as a public garden on the site of a villa belonging to the ruling Tokugawa family in the 17th century. At the centre of Shioiri-no-ike is a teahouse, reached by two bridges, where visitors can enjoy refreshments, such as ''

matcha is a finely ground powder of green tea specially processed from shade-grown tea leaves. Shade growing gives matcha its characteristic bright green color and strong umami flavor. Matcha is typically consumed suspended in hot water. Matcha ori ...

'' and Japanese sweets, in the tea-ceremony style. The garden includes a peony garden, a plum tree grove and fields with flowers for every season. Japanese

falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...

and

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

are demonstrated at New Year.

History

In 1654,

Tokugawa Tsunashige was the third son of Tokugawa Iemitsu. His mother was Iemitsu's concubine Onatsu no Kata. His childhood name was Chomatsu (長松). When Iemitsu died in 1651, he was only 8 years old. After he was given Kofu Domain, he remained there until h ...

, the younger brother of

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the ...

and ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' of

Kōfu Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The domain was centered at Kōfu Castle what is now the city of Kōfu, Yamanashi.

, received permission to reclaim land from

Edo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan spanning the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture, on the southern coast of the island of Honshu. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. T ...

, upon which he built a villa and garden. The property was inherited by his son,

Tokugawa Ienobu (11 June 1662 – 12 November 1712) was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iem ...

, who later became 6th Tokugawa shōgun. Succeeding generations of shōgun used the location as a secondary residence, and from the time of

Tokugawa Ienari Tokugawa Ienari (, 18 November 1773 – 22 March 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan'', p. 21./ref> ...

through

Tokugawa Ieyoshi was the 12th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan',' p. 21./ref> Biography Ieyoshi was born as the second son of the 11th ''shōgun'', Tokugawa Ienari and named Toshijirō (敏 ...

, it was a place where the shōgun could indulge in

. The main palace at Hama was destroyed by fire in 1724, and has not been rebuilt since. In 1729, an elephant which had been received by the shōgun as a present from

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

was kept on the grounds for 12 years. During the

Bakumatsu period were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunat ...

, the site was turned over to the Tokugawa Navy as a training ground. In 1867, the shogunate erected a western-style stone building as a place for foreign diplomats to stay when visiting Edo. After 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, the site was proclaimed the by

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

, and continued to be used as a

state guest house {{Unreferenced, date=May 2022 A state guest house is a building owned by the government of a country which is used as an official residence for visiting foreign dignitaries, especially during state visits or for other important events. Africa M ...

until the construction of the

Rokumeikan The was a large two-story building in Tokyo, completed in 1883, which became a controversial symbol of Westernisation in the Meiji period. Commissioned for the housing of foreign guests by the Foreign Minister Inoue Kaoru, it was designed by ...

. In 1879, Emperor Meiji received Crown Prince

Frederick William The name Frederick William usually refers to several monarchs and princes of the Hohenzollern dynasty: * Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (1620–1688) * Frederick William, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1675–1713) * Frederick William I of ...

of Germany at the Hama-rikyū. Later that year, former United States President

Ulysses Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as commanding general, Grant led the Union Army to victory in the American Civil War ...

stayed for a month at the Hama-rikyū during his extended visit to Japan. The state guest house was demolished in 1889. The gardens burned during the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

and again in March 1945 during the Tokyo air raid. In November 1945, the Hama-rikyū was transferred from the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

and was opened as a public garden in April 1946. In 1952, it was designated as a Special National Historic Site and also as a Special National Place of Scenic Beauty. Various teahouses have been reconstructed in the 2010s.

Access

Visitors can access the garden via either of the two northern gates or via the Tokyo Cruise Ship (

water bus A water taxi or a water bus is a boat used to provide public or private transport, usually, but not always, in an urban environment. Service may be scheduled with multiple stops, operating in a similar manner to a bus, or on de ...

) on a 35-minute ride from

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as . History The development of Asaku ...

. ;Main Exit *

Tsukijishijō Station is a subway station in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan operated by the Tokyo subway operator Toei Subway. It serves the lower part of the Tsukiji district, including the former location of the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market (which moved to T ...

(

Toei Ōedo Line The is a rapid transit railway line of the municipal Toei Subway network in Tokyo, Japan. It commenced full operations on December 12, 2000; using the Japanese calendar this reads "12/12/12" as the year 2000 equals Heisei 12. The line is comple ...

) – 7 minutes walk *

Shiodome Station is a railway station in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It serves as an interchange for the Toei Ōedo Line (E-19) and Yurikamome (U-02). Line *Yurikamome *Toei Ōedo Line Station layout The two parts of the station are not directly linked to one anothe ...

(

) – 7 minutes walk *Shiodome Station ( Yurikamome Line) – 7 minutes walk *

Shimbashi Station is a major interchange railway station in Tokyo's Minato Ward, located centrally and a 10-minute walk from the Ginza shopping district, directly south of Tokyo station. Many train services such as limited express trains (except the Shōnan ( ...

(

Toei Asakusa Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the municipal subway operator Toei Subway. The line runs between in Ōta, Tokyo, Ōta and in Sumida, Tokyo, Sumida. The line is named after the Asakusa district, a cultural center of Tokyo, un ...

) – 12 minutes walk ;Middle Exit *

(Toei Ōedo Line) – 5 minutes walk *

Hamamatsuchō Station is a railway station in Hamamatsuchō, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Tokyo Monorail. Lines Hamamatsuchō Station is served by two JR East lines: the circular Yamanote Line and the Keihin-Tōhoku Li ...

(

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line () is a railway Circle route, loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres ...

) – 15 minutes walk ;Water Bus * Tokyo Cruise Ship (Water Bus) arrives at and departs from inside the garden. The water bus ticket includes admission to the garden.

Gallery

File:Pine trees in Hama-rikyu, Tokyo.jpg, Pine trees near the water File:HamaRikyuAutumn.jpg, Autumn leaves File:2018 Hama-rikyū Garden 02.jpg, Teahouse near the seawater pond File:Hamarikyu Gardens.jpg, The pond File:Nakajima-no-ochaya 110925 2.jpg File:Matsu-no-ochaya 130111.JPG

References

External links

Hama-rikyu Gardens
– Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association
Hama-rikyu Gardens
– Go Tokyo ( Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau)
Hama-rikyu Gardens Gallery

official website {{Chūō, Tokyo 1654 establishments in Japan Chūō, Tokyo Gardens in Tokyo Special Historic Sites Special Places of Scenic Beauty Tokyo Bay

History

Access

Gallery

See also

References

External links