Katsura Detached Palace
| Katsura Imperial Villa | |
|---|---|
| Katsura Imperial Villa (桂離宮 Katsura Rikyū?) | |
Katsura Imperial Villa in spring
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| Type | Japanese garden |
| Location | Kyoto, Japan |
| Coordinates | 34°59′02″N 135°42′34″E / 34.983889°N 135.709444°ECoordinates: 34°59′02″N 135°42′34″E / 34.983889°N 135.709444°E |
| Created | 17th Century |
The Katsura Imperial Villa (桂離宮 Katsura Rikyū?), or Katsura Detached Palace, is a villa with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan (in Nishikyō-ku, separate from the Kyoto Imperial Palace). It is one of Japan's most important large-scale cultural treasures.
Its gardens are considered a masterpiece of Japanese gardening, and the buildings are regarded among the greatest achievements of Japanese architecture. The palace includes a shoin ("drawing room"), tea houses, and a strolling garden.
The palace belonged to the princes of the Hachijō-no-miya (八条宮) family. The Imperial Household Agency administers it, and accepts visitors by appointment.
The Katsura district of Kyoto has long been favored for villas, and in the Heian period, Fujiwara no Michinaga had a villa there. The members of the Heian court found it an elegant location for viewing the moon.
Prince Hachijō Toshihito (智仁; 1579–1629), the founder of the Katsura Imperial Villa, was born on 13 February 1579. He was the sixth son of Prince Sanehito, and a descendent of Emperor Ogimachi. In 1586, Toshihito was adopted by Hideyoshi Toyotomi, but they separated in 1589 when Hideyoshi had his own son. He presented Toshihito with land that yielded 3000 koku (15,000 bushels of rice) and allowed him to establish a new house in the imperial line, which became the Hachijo family line.[1]
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