Hama-rikyū Gardens

Hama-rikyū Gardens is a beautiful public garden in Chūō ward, Tokyo, Japan. It is near where the Sumida River meets the sea. People have visited it since April 1, 1946. The garden is very big, covering 250,216 square meters. It has many special places, such as Shioiri-no-ike, a tidal pond.

in 1863, photo by Felice Beato

In the middle of Shioiri-no-ike is a small teahouse. You can reach it by two bridges. Visitors can drink matcha and eat Japanese sweets there, like in a traditional tea-ceremony. The garden also has a place for peony flowers, a grove of plum trees, and fields with flowers that bloom in every season.

During the New Year, the garden has special activities such as Japanese falconry and aikido shows. The garden is surrounded by a moat filled with water from Tokyo Bay. Long ago, this place belonged to the powerful Tokugawa family.

History

In 1654, Tokugawa Tsunashige, the son of a leader called the Shōgun, took land from Edo Bay to build a home and garden. Leaders used this place as a quiet spot away from their main palace. They enjoyed activities like falconry there.

The big house at Hama was destroyed by fire in 1724 and was never built again. In 1729, an elephant that a leader received as a gift from Vietnam lived there for twelve years. During the busy Bakumatsu period, the place was used for training by the navy.

After big changes in Japan called the Meiji Restoration, the garden became a place for important visitors. In 1879, an important prince from Germany stayed there. Later that same year, a former leader of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, also visited.

The gardens were damaged by fires during the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake and again in 1945 during the Tokyo air raid. In 1946, the garden was opened to the public. Today, it is a special historic and beautiful place.