This time, we received special permission to take drone footage of the Kyu-Iwasaki Residence Gardens.
*Drone photography is normally prohibited in this area.
*These videos and images have been taken after obtaining all necessary applications and permissions.
What is the Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden?
The Kyu-Iwasaki Residence Garden was built in 1896 (Meiji 29) as the main residence of Hisaya, the eldest son of Yataro Iwasaki and the third president of Mitsubishi. In the past, as many as 20 buildings lined the site, which was about 15,000 tsubo (49,000 m2). Today, the site is one-third of the original size, and only three buildings remain: a Western-style building, a billiards room, and a Japanese-style building. The two-story wooden Western-style building with a basement was designed by Josiah Conder, a famous Englishman who also designed the Rokumeikan, and is a representative example of Western-style wooden architecture in modern Japan. The building is decorated in a stunning Jacobean style throughout, and its delicate design, which is not found in the many Western-style buildings built at the same time, exudes an atmosphere of the past.
The billiard room (billiard hall), a separate building designed by Condor, is a wooden Swiss mountain hut-style building that was extremely rare in Japan at the time, and is connected to the Western-style building by an underground passage. The Japanese-style building combined with the Western-style building is said to have been the work of Okawa Kijuro, a famous master carpenter of the time. On the tokonoma alcove and sliding doors, there are still murals that are said to have been sketched by Hashimoto Gaho, a representative Japanese painter of the Meiji period. The existing great hall and other features offer a glimpse into the exquisitely crafted purely Japanese architecture of the time.
The vast garden, which partially follows the style of a feudal lord's garden, combines Japanese and Western styles in its architectural style, and retains the early form of a modern garden with a lawn.
It became national property in 1952. After the war, it was requisitioned by GHQ, and after being returned, it was used as the Supreme Court Judicial Training Institute (until 1970). In 1961, the Western-style building and billiards room were designated as Important Cultural Properties. In 1969, the large hall of the Japanese-style building, along with the sleeve wall on the east side of the building, were designated as Important Cultural Properties, and in 1999, the entire site including the brick walls and the measured drawings were each designated as Important Cultural Properties.
Spring... Somei-Yoshino cherry, Oshima cherry, Lamium, Peony, Spirea
Summer... Hydrangea, Japanese laurel, foxglove, acanthus
Autumn…Ginkgo, Maple
Winter…Daffodils, Christmas roses
access
⚫︎3 minutes walk from Yushima Station (C13) on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line
⚫︎10 minutes walk from Ueno-hirokoji Station (G15) on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
⚫︎10 minutes walk from Ueno Okachimachi Station (E09) on the Toei Subway Oedo Line
⚫︎15 minutes walk from Okachimachi Station on the JR Yamanote Line or Keihin Tohoku Line
1-3-45 Ikenohata, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0008
Opening hours
9:00am - 5:00pm (entry until 4:30pm)
Closed Days
Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29th to January 1st of the following year)
*The park may be open on closed days or with extended hours during events and Golden Week.
*Cultural properties are valuable assets that should be passed on to future generations, and in order to protect them, regular preservation and repair work is required. We ask for your understanding and cooperation.
*The Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Gardens are designated as Important Cultural Properties under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties (Article 2) as a garden of great artistic and aesthetic value, and form the basis for future cultural advancement and development. As such, in order to ensure that they are properly preserved, the facility is intended for many people to enjoy quietly, with the utmost care. Therefore, entry to the gardens with pets or those under the influence of alcohol is not permitted.
*For safety reasons, we do not allow children of elementary school age or younger to visit the park alone. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The website isHere
★Unauthorized downloading and use of photos and videos is prohibited.
★If you are considering using any photos or videos, please contact the management office.
(The same applies to content embedding on YouTube) *The video is currently being prepared.
★To TV station representatives: We are receiving an increasing number of offers and permission to use videos from many stations.
We also have 4K video available, so please feel free to contact us.
★The Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden and nine other gardens are jointly owned with the Tokyo Metropolitan Park Association.
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