Isuien Garden (Nara)

 museum, garden, tea house

Open from 09:30 to 16:30 (please enter by 16:00)
Closed on Tuesday (open daily in April, May, October, and November), closed at the end of the year and New Year

Isuen Garden — a traditional Japanese style garden in Nara

Front Garden designed in the Edo period. The Front Garden was built in the 1670's by KIYOSUMI Dōsei. He was a wealthy merchant of Nara-zarashi, hemp fabric and patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate. He built his villa by transferring the Sanshūtei Tea house and erected the Teishūken Tea House in order to enjoy Sencha (steeped green tea). From his villa, they were able to command a view of the Three Cherished Hills of Wakakusayama, Mikasayama and Takamadoyama in the distance. In the middle of the pond are small man-made islands, modelled after a crane and a turtle. Stone lanterns are placed at various points along the pond.

Back Garden designed in the Meiji era. The Back Garden is another Strolling-Around-the-Pond Garden with tsukiyamahills and a tea garden. It was designed by SEKI Tōjirō, a businessman in the early 20th century, in order to enjoy tea ceremonies and gatherings for poems. The garden incorporates the backdrop of the distant beauty of the Naidamon Gate of the Tōdai-ji Temple and the Three Cherished Hills of Wakakusayama, Mikasayama and Takamadoyama.