Drawing of Genkyūen Garden |
Height 177 cm, width 284 cm; Edo period, 19th century; Gift of the Ii Family |
Genkyūen is the garden of the Keyaki Goten, a detached villa within Hikone Castle’s second enclosure. This drawing of the garden shows landscaping centered around a large pond, as well as the tea houses Rinchikaku and Hōshōdai (left foreground) and Kankyotei (top center), which stood on the grounds during the Edo period. Thirteenth daimyo Ii Naosuke (1815–1860) often held tea gatherings here. The Hikone mizuyachō, a record of tea gatherings hosted by Naosuke, documents four such events held at Genkyūen.