Kyū-Furukawa Gardens

Kyū-Furukawa Gardens (旧古河庭園, kyū-furukawa teien) is a Tokyo metropolitan park in Nishigahara, Kita, Tokyo. The park includes an old western-style mansion with a rose garden, and a Japanese garden which were built in early 20th century.

Kyū-Furukawa Gardens
Mansion in the gardens
LocationKita, Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates35.742557°N 139.746159°E / 35.742557; 139.746159
Area30,780.86 square metres (331,322.4 sq ft)
Created30 April 1956
The outside of the mansion that can be found in the gardens.

Outline
The Mansion from east

This mansion was built by Baron Toranosuke Furukawa, which includes a western-style building and a western-style garden, and a Japanese-style garden. The western-style building and western-style gardens were completed in 1917, which were designed by English architect Josiah Conder (1852-1920). Conder was called "father of Japanese modern architecture" and also designed Rokumeikan and Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden, Holy Resurrection Cathedral. And the Japanese garden was completed in 1919, which was designed by Japanese-gardener Ogawa Jihei VII.

Baron Furukawa was the owner of Furukawa zaibatu which owned Ashio copper mine .

Western building and garden
The rose garden is built on a slope and has a geometric structure.

The outlook of the building is completely Western-style, and the ground floor rooms are also western-style, but the second floor rooms are mostly in Japanese style with tatami matless. The mansion is built on a steep slope of Musashino Terrace. The building is located on the top of a hill, western-garden on the slope, and Japanese garden on the bottom. The western garden is a complex of Italian style and geometric French style rose garden. On the bottom of the western garden is a Rhododendron plantation which harmonise the western geometric garden and non geometric Japanese garden.

Japanese garden
The Japanese garden, the pond. A Tōrō on the left.

The Japanese garden is surrounded by a deep forest. The Western building and garden are hidden by tall trees. In the centre of the stroll garden is an artificial pond called "Shin- ji- ike" which means "Heart letter pond", because its pattern is designed by Kanji "心(Shin)" which means heart. Around the pond are Tōrōs (stone lanterns), artificial hill, water falls, islands, and a tea ceremony house.[1] The park in its current state was opened to the public in 1956.

Access

General admission is 150 yen. The park is open daily until 5 PM. It is a quick walk from Kami-Nakazato Station on the JR Keihin-Tōhoku Line or Nishigahara Station on the Tokyo Metro Nanboku Line

The garden guesthouse features in the popular series Umineko When They Cry.

See also
  • Parks and gardens in Tokyo

References
  1. "Harmony of western garden and Japanese garden". Archived from the original on 7 April 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2011.


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