Hello! It's Mo! This time I'm going to introduce Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto. Do you know about this temple? The famous temples in Kyoto are Kinkakuji, Ryoanji, and Kiyomizu-dera, right? So, I'm sure there are some people who don't know much about it. Actually, I only found out about it recently (;・∀・). I feel like I've heard of it before, but maybe not... I'm sure I'm not the only one! I'm sure there are some people who don't know much about Katsura Imperial Villa? Please read to the end and find out about its charm!

 

【table of contents】

☆What is Katsura Imperial Villa?

☆About Katsura Imperial Villa

●The charm of "Gekkanbarou"!

●I'm curious about Shoiken's six undercoat windows!

*Advance reservations are required to visit Katsura Imperial Villa.

 

☆What is Katsura Imperial Villa?

This is a Japanese garden located in Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City. It was created in the early to mid-17th century by Prince Chihito, the first head of the Hachijo family, and Prince Chitada, the second head of the family, and is said to be the pinnacle of Japanese gardens.

It's really beautiful how the garden and architecture blend together so perfectly. It feels more modest than flashy. The Kano school paintings and sliding doors are shiny and gold, but Katsura Imperial Villa matches the natural surroundings, so it feels like a simple, slightly particular architecture that blends in with the natural surroundings.

 

It is said that Prince Tomohito, the first lord of the Hachijo family, who built Katsura Imperial Villa, drew water from the Katsura River, created a pond from it, and floated boats on the pond to gaze at the moon. How elegant! A life that an aristocrat would lead. Many modern people are busy and don't have much time to gaze at the moon. Unfortunately, the opening hours are 3:30 p.m., so we can't enjoy a leisurely view of the moon here, but if you tour while thinking about the aristocrats who spent their time in elegance, you may see a different view.

 

☆About Katsura Imperial Villa

●The charm of "Gekkanbarou"!

●I'm curious about Shoiken's six undercoat windows!

*Advance reservations are required to visit Katsura Imperial Villa.

 

●The charm of "Gekkanbarou"!

As people used to gaze at the moon from boats, many buildings are named after the moon. That shows how strongly people felt about moon-viewing.

One of them, "Gekkanbaro", is a teahouse built by the pond to watch the moon. There are three other teahouses in Katsura Imperial Villa. I wonder if they had a relaxing tea time in one of these teahouses. How envious. The south side of this building is covered with shingles (a roof made of overlapping thin wooden boards).

The building has a hipped roof (a roof with roof surfaces that slope in four directions) and a low gabled roof (a traditional roof shaped like an upside-down book). The frame of the Gekkanpa Tower hangs on the north-facing gable, and there is a pond on the east side. From this building, you can look down at the pond, and of course you can see the moon reflected on the water's surface. This building is one story. If it were a one-story house, it would be difficult to see the moon reflected in the pond. However, as this Gekkanpa Tower is built on a small mound of earth, you can look down on the pond. They must really love the moon!

 

●I'm curious about the six undercoat windows at "Shoiken"!

"Shoiken" is also a teahouse, and this building has a thatched hipped roof (a roof made of materials such as Japanese silver grass and Japanese cogon grass with a 4-way sloping roof surface) and shingled eaves (eaves made of overlapping thin wooden boards). It is a rustic teahouse, famous for its six shitajimado windows. A shitajimado is a type of window in which part of the earthen wall is left unpainted, revealing the bamboo arranged in a lattice pattern called komai. These six shitajimado windows are called four seasons windows, and the round moon represents the full moon and the six seasons of the year. "Circle, triangle, and ☐" are used in this Shoiken, but it is said that the size of the circle and the combination of the lattice materials are different for each of the six round windows lined up side by side. If you look closely, you will see that they are somehow different. The lattices are not arranged evenly. Some are slightly thicker, some are thinner, and each one has its own unique character.

 

*Advance reservations are required to visit Katsura Imperial Villa.

Katsura Imperial Villa is a place with a lot of special features, but you actually need to make a reservation in advance! You can make a reservation through the Imperial Household Agency's website, by postcard, or by applying directly to the Imperial Household Agency Kyoto Office in the Kyoto Imperial Palace. We recommend making a reservation early. For more information, please check the Imperial Household Agency's website.

 

Imperial Household Agency website

https://sankan.kunaicho.go.jp/guide/katsura.html

 

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