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Heijōkyū Tōin teien
平城宮東院庭園

garden at the Eastern Palace, Nara palace site


An imperial palace garden built in the early Nara period and greatly renovated after the middle of that period. The pond after renovation was curved with a series of peninsulas and inlets. The shore as well as the bottom of the pond was paved with pebbles, and an arrangement of over twenty stones was made on the artificial hill of the north shore. Thought to have been used for imperial banquets, a stone-paved winding watercourse where the Meandering Stream Banquet may have been held was located at the garden's southern and northwestern sides. After excavation, the garden and its buildings have been restored in their entirety. It lies within the Nara palace site, which is inscribed on the World Heritage List as one of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara, as well as being designated a national special historic site. It is also designated a national scenic spot, and located in the city of Nara.


Japanese Garden Dictionary: A Glossary for Japanese Gardens and Their History
(C) 2010 by Ono Kenkichi and Walter Edwards. All rights reserved.