Katsura detached palace is a villa built on the west bank of the Katsura river by Imperial Prince Toshihito of the Hachijō no miya family and his son Imperial Prince Toshitada in the early Edo period (seventeenth century). Its garden is built in the stroll garden style, and contains teahouses around the pond which extends to the front of the palace. It is filled with elements which allow visitors to enjoy changes in scenery while touring on foot or by boat: symbolically miniaturized representations of Ōi river, Amanohashidate, and other places; formal (shin) style stepping stones and a boat landing incorporated into the shore edging, both done in a linear style; novel floral decoration such as a fern palm mountain and a maple leaf mountain; and exquisitely designed stone lanterns. It is praised as the best of Japanese gardens, and is located in Nishigyō ward, Kyoto.
Japanese Garden Dictionary: A Glossary for Japanese Gardens and Their History
(C) 2010 by Ono Kenkichi and Walter Edwards. All rights reserved.
