Collection
Drawing of the Omote Goten Garden
| Drawing of the Omote Goten Garden |
| Ink and color on paper; 122.8 x 160.2 cm; late Edo period; Important Cultural Property; Gift of the Ii Family |
A depiction of the pond garden built for viewing from the daimyo’s sitting room (Goza-no-onma), showing details on the placement of rocks, trees, artificial hills, stone lanterns, and other features. Steps from the sitting room lead down to a path encircling the 33-meter-long pond. The Tenkōshitsu tea room, too, looks out over the garden from within; a standalone tea house, Futaian, was also built in the garden. When the residence was demolished in the 1870s, most of the rocks were removed, the pond filled in, and the terrain leveled. Reconstruction of the garden was carried out based on this drawing as well as an excavation survey conducted in the garden.
