Sento Imperial Palace Gardens: Winding Canals of the Retired Emperors

Why is it significant?

Pass through the earthen walls into the secluded sanctuary of the Sento Imperial Palace Gardens, laid out in sixteen thirty for the retired Emperor Gomizunoo.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Pass through the earthen walls into the secluded sanctuary of the Sento Imperial Palace Gardens, laid out in sixteen thirty for the retired Emperor Gomizunoo. The bustling modern city outside completely fades away, replaced by the gentle murmuring of clear stream water flowing between two interconnected lakes: the North Pond and the South Pond. Curved stone bridges, moss-covered islets, and weeping wisteria trellises frame tranquil vistas that change with every bend in the walking path. The ancient trees cast deep, soothing shadows across the winding gravel paths. Take in the quiet reflections of moss-covered rocks and weeping willow fronds trailing across the glassy surface of the tranquil ponds.

Notice the extraordinary pebble beach curving along the shoreline of the South Pond. Known as the Suhama, this artificial shoreline is paved with approximately one hundred and eleven thousand smooth, oval stones gathered from the shores of Odawara in eastern Japan. For every single stone brought to Kyoto, the shogunate rewarded the supplier with one cup of white rice, making this shore one of the most expensive gravel banks ever constructed in Japanese landscape history.

Master Kobori Enshu originally designed the landscape to provide a contemplative haven for abdicated emperors who had retreated from the intense political pressures of court and shogunate. Although the original palace buildings were destroyed by fire in eighteen fifty-four and never rebuilt, two exquisite teahouses, the Yushintei and Seikaitei, survive amidst the centuries-old maple groves.

Look across the stone-paved beach toward the surface of the pond: in spring, purple wisteria clusters hang low over the water, while in late autumn, fiery red maples mirror themselves across the tranquil surface in silence. The rustic earthen plaster walls and thatched eaves of the pavilions seem to grow organically from the surrounding forest.

Exit the eastern wall of the imperial park onto Tera-machi street, approaching the peaceful forested shrine of Nashinoki.