Shugakuin Imperial Villa

修学院離宮Sakyo, Kyoto

Historic area

What makes this place special?

At a Glance

Shugakuin Imperial Villa is a set of three gardens with teahouses on the hillside of eastern Kyoto, at the foot of Mount Hiei. Retired Emperor Go-Mizunoo had it built from 1655 to 1659 as a detached palace, though it never had large palace halls. The Imperial Household Agency manages the grounds, which cover about 54 hectares.

The Lower, Middle and Upper Gardens are linked by pine-lined paths that cross working rice fields, and those fields are part of the designed landscape. The Upper Garden is the most important, a large stroll garden around an artificial pond formed by damming a ravine, with small islands, a waterfall and borrowed views of the hills. In the Middle Garden, the Kyaku-den reception hall holds a zelkova shelf called the Shelf of Mist, counted among Japan's three famous shelves.