A famous garden representing the Meiji Era which saved many Tokyoites
The basic form of Kiyosumi Garden was built when residences for an Edo Era business magnate and a feudal lord were established on this site. In 1878 when Japan was undergoing modernization, the founder of Mitsubishi, Yataro Iwasaki, acquired the prominent big business enterprises in Japan, and had a garden built for the benefit of his staff and guests. Then after his passing, his dying wish was fulfilled by his younger brother, Yanosuke, and the beautiful garden surrounding a pond was completed according to traditional Edo style. On the west side of the garden, a Western-style building, designed by Josiah Conder, was built. Kiyosumi had been a distinctive and lovely garden completed with a mix of Edo tradition and Western architecture on the same grounds, but it was heavily damaged in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake and the Conder-designed building was burned down. However, the garden saved many lives as a place of refuge for nearby residents, and so Yanosuke’s son, Hisaya Iwasaki, donated the eastern half of the garden to the city of Tokyo, after which in 1973, the western half was purchased by the Tokyo government, and the garden was opened to the public.
The garden scenery fulfilling the dream of Mitsubishi’s founder
The special feature of Kiyosumi Garden is its construction focusing on the style of the Edo Era while Japan was modernizing during the Meiji Era. With a pond, man-made hills and a dry landscape garden as the core, the garden is centered on the pond which can be enjoyed for its shifting scenery as you walk by. There are plenty of features catering to visitors such as a large pond with a group of central islands, an arbor built in the sukiya style, Tsutsuji-san which resembles a mountain, and step-stone bridges known as iso-watari on the shores of the pond which were thought up of by Yataro Iwasaki himself. Koi carp and turtles inhabit the pond, many species of wild birds can be observed, and the scenery of flowers changing over the four seasons is very soothing. Iwasaki once remarked, “If you feel anguished, look at a famous garden”, and Kiyosumi is the garden of his dreams brought to life. Spend a calming time at Kiyosumi Garden.