We are near the climax of our tour. At the top of those stone steps we will find “Kyusyaku-Dai.”
Want to know what “Kyusyaku” means? Who better to ask but the namesake themself?

“Hi there, step on up. I’m Kyusyaku-Dai, but people also call me Kyūeidai.”

Two nicknames! What’s the story behind “Kyusyaku”?

“Kyusyaku is my height – just about nine feet! Back in the day they measured things using the ‘shaku’ unit. One shaku was about 30.3 centimeters. By that count nine shaku add up to 272.7 centimeters, or about 2.7 meters. Convert that and you get nine feet! In any case, stand on top of me and watch as your vantage changes.”

I see. And what about “Kyūei”?

“The kanji for ‘ei’ also reads ‘michiru,’ as in ‘the rising of water’ or ‘full moon.’ This area used to connect to the ocean way back when. High tides came along with the waxing of the moon – I’ve seen it countless times. That’s why they call me Kyūeidai.”

It must’ve looked completely different back in those days.

“Yep. Used to be you could look out to every fishing hamlet in the entire Shibaura region from here. The fish were bitin’ in those days – they referred to whatever was caught here as ‘Edo-mae’ or ‘Tokyo-style.’ Shiba shrimp and other local delicacies were presented to noble families. Samurai used to swim here during training, too. Try and picture it: rippling samurai bods cutting through the waves. Puts some hair on your chest, don’t it?”

Kyusyaku-Dai. A symbolic place that has witnessed the garden’s many changes. The view may be full of buildings, but I’m sure you’ll come to cherish this scenery in time as well. Because even the view from here is adrift in time, drawn inevitably by the tides of change.