KATSURA IMPERIAL VILLA
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 Nishikyo-ku, separate from the Kyoto Imperial Palace). It is one of Japan's most important large-scale cultural treasures.
Its gardens are a masterpiece of Japanese gardening, and
the buildings are even more important, one of the greatest achievements of
Japanese architecture. The palace includes a shoin (building), tea houses,
and a strolling garden. It provides an invaluable window into the villas of
princes of the Edo period.
The palace formerly belonged to the princes of the Hachijo-no-miya (八条宮)
family.
The Imperial Household Agency administers it, and accepts visitors by appointment. In theory you can apply on the day, but you may be disappointed. It is not difficult to apply online and in English, but in Spring and Autumn (Fall) you will normally need to book at least a couple of months in advance.
Katsura Imperial Villa - Japanese Garden. Picture by
Mochi
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 Toshihito (智仁; 1579�1629), the first of the Hachijo-no-miya line,
established the villa at Katsura. The prince was a descendant of Emperor
Ogimachi, and younger brother of Emperor Go-Yozei. Once adopted by Toyotomi
Hideyoshi, he cancelled the adoption when Hideyoshi had a son, and founded
the Hachijo-no-miya house.
The shoin of Katsura Imperial Villa is divided into three parts: the Old
Shoin, the Middle Shoin, and the New Palace. The Old Shoin was built in
around 1615 A.D. The construction of the shoin, teahouse and garden
continued in the time of the second prince, Toshitada (智忠; 1619�1662), and
reached completion after some decades.
The Hachijo-no-miya house changed its name to Tokiwai-no-miya (常磐井宮),
Kyogoku-no-miya (京極宮), and finally Katsura-no-miya (桂宮), before the line
died out in 1881. The Imperial Household Ministry took control of the
Katsura Detached Palace in 1883, and since World War II, the Imperial
Household Agency has been in control.
Buildings and gardens
The Old Shoin, Middle Shoin and New Palace are each in the shoin style, with
irimoya kokerabuki (柿葺) roofs. The Old Shoin shows elements of the sukiya
style in places like the veranda. A space called the moon-viewing platform
protrudes even farther from the veranda, and shows that the main theme of
Katsura Detached Palace was moon-viewing. The walls of the Middle Shoin and
New Palace have ink-paintings by the school of Kanō Tan'yū (狩野 探幽). The
shelving in the upper room of the New Palace is considered especially
noteworthy.
The strolling garden takes water from the Katsura River for the central
pond, around which are the Shōkintei (松琴亭), Shōkatei (賞花亭), Shōiken (笑意軒),
and Gepparō (月波楼); tea houses, hill, sand, bridge, and lanterns. There is
also a Buddhist hall, Onrindō (園林堂).
(Article based on Wikipedia article and used under the GNU Free Documentation License)