Tokugawa-en

Tokugawaen is a Japanese garden that originated on the site of the former “Ozone O-yashiki,” an estate built in 1695 by Tokugawa Mitsutomo, the second lord of the Owari Domain, as a retirement residence. At the time, the grounds covered an enormous area of about 130,000 tsubo (approximately 44 hectares), and it is said that boats were once floated on the garden pond for sightseeing. After Mitsutomo’s death, the site was used as the residence of senior retainers of the Owari Domain, and from the Meiji period onward it became the residence of the Owari Tokugawa family. In 1931, the mansion and garden were donated to Nagoya City by Tokugawa Yoshichika, the nineteenth head of the family, and were opened to the public the following year as Tokugawaen. However, much of the garden was destroyed in the Nagoya air raid of 1945. It was later used as a public park, and in 2004 it was re-developed as a Japanese garden, recreating the design of a daimyo garden in a modern form to become its present-day appearance.

Today, Tokugawaen is a pond-strolling Japanese garden covering a total area of about 2.3 hectares, inheriting a style common to the major daimyo gardens of the Edo period. Within the garden, Japan’s natural scenery is symbolically expressed through a composition in which clear streams descend from a waterfall through a valley and flow into a pond representing the sea. Another major feature is the dynamic three-dimensional arrangement of rock formations and artificial hills, making use of the area’s steep terrain and existing woodland, and using massive stones that evoke the vigor of samurai society.

One of the highlights is the “Dragon Gate Waterfall,” recreated based on a waterfall that once stood at the Owari Tokugawa family’s Edo lower residence, with a display in which the water volume increases every 20 minutes. Another attraction is the “Ozone Waterfall,” which has a three-tiered structure with a total drop of about 6 meters, allowing visitors to enjoy a variety of water expressions through the different rock arrangements on each tier. The view of Ryuosen Lake, with its Chinese-style stone bridge and elegantly swimming nishikigoi carp, is also one of Tokugawaen’s signature landscapes.

The garden is home to a wide variety of plants, including a peony garden and iris beds, as well as lotus, water lilies, and crape myrtle, allowing visitors to enjoy the beauty of each season, from spring peonies and early summer irises to fresh greenery and autumn foliage. In autumn especially, Japanese maples turn the garden vividly red and gold, and nighttime illuminations are also held.

In addition, Tokugawaen features several Registered Tangible Cultural Properties, including the Tokugawaen Black Gate, side longhouse, walls, bucket well, and Sozan-so. The Black Gate preserves the dignity of the former main gate of the Ozone residence, while Sozan-so is known as an excellent example of modern Japanese-style architecture. Combined with a visit to the adjacent Tokugawa Art Museum, visitors can gain a deeper appreciation of the history and culture of the Owari Tokugawa family, as well as the appeal of Japanese gardens.