Shugakuin Imperial Villa
| Shugakuin Imperial Villa | |
|---|---|
| Shugaku-in Imperial Villa (修学院離宮 Shugaku-in Rikyū?) | |
Upper Garden pond
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| Type | Japanese garden |
| Location | Kyoto, Japan |
| Coordinates | 35°03′13″N 135°48′06″E / 35.0537°N 135.80174°ECoordinates: 35°03′13″N 135°48′06″E / 35.0537°N 135.80174°E |
| Created | 1655 |
The Shugaku-in Imperial Villa (修学院離宮 Shugaku-in Rikyū?), or Shugaku-in Detached Palace, is a set of gardens and outbuildings (mostly tea-houses) in the hills of the eastern suburbs of Kyoto, Japan (separate from the Kyoto Imperial Palace). It is one of Japan's most important large-scale cultural treasures; its gardens are one of the great masterpieces of Japanese gardening.
Although styled as a "detached palace", often translated as "imperial villa", there were never any large-scale buildings there, as there are at the Katsura Imperial Villa. The 53-hectare (133 acre) grounds actually include three separate gardens, the Lower Garden, Middle Garden (a later addition), and Upper Garden, of which the latter is the most important.
The Imperial Household Agency administers it, and accepts visitors by appointment.
The Shugaku-in was originally constructed by the retired Emperor Go-Mizunoo, starting in 1655, with the initial construction completed in 1659. The site had been previously occupied by the Enshō-ji nunnery, founded by his oldest daughter, Princess Ume-no-miya; it was moved to Nara to make room for Go-Mizunoo's creation.
The Upper Garden contained a large artificial pond, created by building an earthen dam across a ravine; the pond contains a number of small islands. Unlike the typical Japanese garden, it is a very large stroll garden, making extensive use of the technique of borrowing of scenery ("shakkei"). The Lower Garden was originally much more informal than what is now there; originally it was more of a simple arrival station for visiting guests.
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