Tokugawa Garden

Welcome to Tokugawaen, or the Tokugawa Garden, a sublime example of a 'Daimyo' strolling garden that serves as a living monument to the Owari Tokugawa family, one of the three most important branches of the Tokugawa shogunate.…

Our exploration begins at the Kuromon, or Black Gate, one of the few original structures to survive the firebombing of Nagoya in 1945. This imposing wooden gate served as the main entrance to the former residence of the Owari…

At the center of Tokugawaen lies Ryusen-ko, or the Dragon Spring Lake. In the language of Japanese garden design, this large body of water represents the ocean, while the surrounding rocks and hills represent various islands and…

Continuing along the path, we encounter Ozone-no-taki, a spectacular three-tiered waterfall that drops several meters into a rocky pool. The sound of the falling water is one of the most evocative sensory details of Tokugawaen,…

One of the most architecturally interesting features of the garden is the Seiko-to, a traditional stone dam that divides sections of the water system. This feature is inspired by a famous dam at West Lake in Hangzhou, China,…

Tokugawaen is celebrated for its seasonal beauty, and perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the peony garden. In late April and early May, over a thousand peony plants burst into bloom, featuring a wide range of colors…

No visit to a Daimyo garden would be complete without considering the role of the tea ceremony. Tokugawaen features Kansen-lou, a beautiful building that houses a restaurant and provides an elevated view over Ryusen-ko. …

As we conclude our stroll and prepare to depart through the Kuromon once more, take a final moment to absorb the tranquility of the Tokugawa Garden. We have walked through a landscape that is both a tribute to the past and a…