 Last additions - Genkyu-en Garden and Umoregi-no-ya 玄宮園・埋木舎 |
Rakurakuen or Keyali Goten palace has a few other buildings like the Jishin-no-Ma.Feb 14, 2016
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In spring, white herons nest in the high trees of Genkyuen Garden.Feb 14, 2016
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Rakuraku-en or Rakuraku no Ma. In the 1800s, the 12th lord Ii Naoaki built an annex building called Rakuraku-en which faces the garden. 楽々園Feb 14, 2016
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Main building of Rakurakuen.Feb 14, 2016
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Inside the entrance of Rakurakuen.Feb 14, 2016
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About Rakurakuen Palace.Feb 14, 2016
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Entrance to Keyaki Goten Palace or Rakuraku-en. Completed in 1679 by the fourth castle lord Ii Naooki as a familiy residence. It took two years to build. It was highly admired for its beauty. 槻御殿Feb 14, 2016
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Hikone CastleFeb 14, 2016
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Hakkei-teiFeb 14, 2016
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Hosho-dai 鳳翔台Feb 14, 2016
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Inside Hosho-dai tea house. They actually serve tea for a fee. 鳳翔台Feb 14, 2016
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Tea house on Hosho-dai hill. This was used by the daimyo to entertain guests with good views of the garden. 鳳翔台Feb 14, 2016
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Boat landing.Feb 14, 2016
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Moat has lotus.Feb 14, 2016
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Always scenic to see Hikone Castle overlooking Genkyuen Garden.Feb 14, 2016
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Genkyuen has miniature versions of Omi Hakkei (Eight Views of Omi). This is one of them, modeled after the Seta Karahashi Bridge in Otsu.Feb 14, 2016
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Island in the pond.Feb 14, 2016
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Genkyuen Garden was designed to be enjoyed along a circular walking path.Feb 14, 2016
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East entrance to Genkyuen Garden. Small admission charged or you can buy a combination ticket with the castle admission.Feb 14, 2016
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Genkyu-en is a Japanese garden next to Hikone Castle. It was built as a castle garden in 1677 by Ii Naooki, the fourth lord of Hikone Castle. Hakkei-tei Summer House MapFeb 14, 2016
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Scale model of Genkyuen Garden next to Hikone Castle at the top of the picture. Garden has a large pond.Feb 14, 2016
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Across the moat from Hikone Castle is Umoregi-no-ya, a house where Lord Ii Naosuke lived and trained in various arts from age 17 to 32. 埋木舎Jun 12, 2013
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Across the moat from Hikone Castle is Umoregi-no-ya, a reclusive house where Lord Ii Naosuke lived and trained in various arts from age 17 to 32. 埋木舎Jun 12, 2013
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Postcard of Commodore Perry and Ii Naosuke to mark the 50th anniversary of Yokohama Port's opening in 1909.Naosuke's attackers overwhelmed his unprepared bodyguards within minutes. Wounded and defenseless Naosuke was further stabbed in his palanquin multiple times until he was dragged out by his topknot and beheaded by a Satsuma rogue samurai.
After the assassination, hard feelings continued between Hikone and Mito. But in 1968, the two cities put the past behind them and became friendship cities. Hikone gave white swans from Hikone Castle, and Mito gave plum blossom trees from the famous Kairakuen Garden.Jun 12, 2013
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About Lord Ii Naosuke.Naosuke had many enemies who opposed allowing foreigners into Japan or opposed his choice for Shogun Iesada's successor. On a snowy morning on March 24, 1860, Naosuke left his Edo (Tokyo) residence in his palanquin and headed for Edo Castle nearby. Near Sakuradamon Gate, Naosuke was ambushed by 18 anti-foreigner rogue samurai mostly from Mito (Ibaraki Prefecture). It started with a distraction and a bullet hitting Naosuke through his palanquin.Jun 12, 2013
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Near the statue, Hana no Shogai (Flowering Life 花の生涯) monument for Funahashi Seiichi's novel about Naosuke's life that was made into the first NHK Taiga Drama.Jul 02, 2009
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Ii Naosuke (井伊 直弼) (1815-1860) was the Tokugawa shogunate's Chief Minister (Tairo) who favored and concluded commercial treaties with the Western powers and thus broke Japan's isolation from the world.Jan 12, 2009
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The first NHK Taiga Drama series in 1963 was called "Flowering Life" 花の生涯, based on Naosuke's life here in Umoregi-no-ya. This room shows scenes from that TV series.Jan 13, 2008
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PoemsJan 13, 2008
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Jan 13, 2008
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Tea ceremony roomJan 13, 2008
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Living quartersJan 13, 2008
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Two maids looked after Naosuke while he lived here.Jan 13, 2008
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We can peer inside the rooms from outside, but cannot actually enter the building.Jan 13, 2008
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Inside a palanquin.Jan 13, 2008
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Umoregi-no-ya was restored from 1985 to 1991, costing 200 million yen. Subsidized by the Cultural Affairs Agency, the prefecture, and city. It is a Special National Historic Site.Jan 13, 2008
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Palanquin. Did not say that Naosuke rode it.Jan 13, 2008
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Inside a palanquin. Seat back cushion.Jan 13, 2008
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The house has a depressing name. "Umoregi" means petrified wood. Since he was far down the family line to succeed the lordship of his clan, Naosuke did not expect he his life would flower and thereby named this house. 埋木舎Jan 13, 2008
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For tea ceremony, he was the one who coined the phrase "Ichigo Ichie," literally meaning one time, one meeting. It can mean, "happens only once." 一期一会Jan 13, 2008
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Umoregi-no-ya entrance.Jan 13, 2008
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Naosuke bided his time studying and practicing the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, Zen, poetry, martial arts, and other arts.Jan 13, 2008
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These heron birds make nests in Genkyu-en's trees.Jun 05, 2007
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Nesting herons can be quite noisy in spring.Jun 05, 2007
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A heron bringing back a branch to make a nest at Genkyuen Garden in Hikone, Shiga.Jun 05, 2007
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Hikone Castle and Genkyu-en Garden in fallDec 05, 2005
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Hikone Castle and Genkyu-en fall colorsDec 05, 2005
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From mid-Nov. to early Dec., the garden is beautifully lit up at night until 9 pm. Note that although the castle tower is also lit up, you cannot enter the castle grounds after 5 pm.Dec 05, 2005
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Genkyuen entrance gate at night in autumn.Dec 05, 2005
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Nov 11, 2005
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Inside the main room at Rakuraku-en 楽々園Nov 11, 2005
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The garden served as the location of one scene in the TV mini-series "Shogun."Nov 11, 2005
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We cannot cross this bridge.Nov 11, 2005
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Vintage postcard of Genkyuen Garden. Little has changed except that boats no longer ply on the pond.Nov 11, 2005
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Nov 11, 2005
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Built as a castle garden in 1677 by Ii Naooki, the fourth lord of Hikone Castle. The garden has representations of the Eight Views of Omi, Chikubushima island, and the Shiraishi rocks in Lake Biwa.Nov 11, 2005
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Hikone Castle overlooks the Hakkeitei teahouses Genkyuen Garden. Hakkeitei was built at around the same time as the garden.Nov 11, 2005
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Genkyuen Garden's tea houses named Hakkei-tei.Nov 11, 2005
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