Hi there! Welcome to the Kyū Shiba Rikyū Garden, one of the oldest and greatest Daimyo gardens in all of Tokyo.

Who am I? You might say I’m the keeper of this garden, heheheh. But let’s not just stand here chewing the cud. Let me show you around.

You came here by train, you say? The road you took here used to be nothing but ocean, you know. It wasn’t always here – once upon a time it was at the bottom of the sea!

It was 350 years ago now, at the start of the Edo period. A time without cranes, dump trucks, or any heavy machines…

Look over there. Wisterias, how lovely! What do you say we head over there?
Hmm? Do you hear that? Sounds like voices.

"Welcome to the Kyū Shiba Rikyū Garden."

Oh! You’re one of the flowers on this canopy, aren’t you?

"Indeed, I am a wisteria flower. I come alive from the middle of April until the start of May, watching over visitors all the while."

Could you tell us what this place was like back in the day?

“Lord Ōkubo Tadatomo, sire of not only Edo but the entire Odawara Domain, built his estate here. The tale goes that he called upon a gardener to construct what would become the garden you see now. Many moons and lords came and went, and this place eventually became home of the Kishū-Tokugawa family at the end of the Edo period. Then the Arisugawa-no-miya branch of the Imperial Family made their residence here. Afterwards, the Imperial Household Agency purchased it and renamed it ‘Shiba Rikyū.’ But that is neither here nor there – we flowers bloom in spring as sure as the human masters come and go. Even after an earthquake ravaged this place and burnt down the trees, new life grew from the wreckage, and so too did we flowers bloom with the seasons. And the garden is now reopened for human visitors.”

Thank you for such a detailed story. But wow…a home for feudal lords! Tell me what you think is the most charming part of this garden, little flower.

“Of course. The garden was designed in the ‘Kaiyūshiki’ style around a seawater pond to enjoy on a gentle stroll. Its landscape gradually changes with every step you take. The elevations and stone arrangements are arranged such that faraway things seem closer than they really are, and vice versa. And here upon my windshaken boughs, I watch over it all.”

Right…the garden was designed so its scenery changes as you walk. Every time you stop, it shows you a different face.

Come now – see that plaza? Let’s take a gander over there first.