Yousuitei Villa
Yōsui-en is the daimyō garden of Wakayama Domain (Kishū), the domain of the Kii-Tokugawa. It is also the site of the Yōsui-tei, a villa and complex of teahouses built in the Sukiya-style. Yōsui-en was built by Tokugawa Harutomi, the tenth lord of Wakayama Domain, in 1818. The garden is centred aro
Background
Yōsui-en is the daimyō garden of Wakayama Domain (Kishū), the domain of the Kii-Tokugawa. It is also the site of the Yōsui-tei, a villa and complex of teahouses built in the Sukiya-style. Yōsui-en was built by Tokugawa Harutomi, the tenth lord of Wakayama Domain, in 1818.
The garden is centred around a brackish pond fed by sea water from two sluices, the Himon gates. One of these is part of a lock called the Funagura (boat depot). The Funagura is now silted up and home to many crabs which live in crab holes they burrow in the sandy mud.
Yōsui-en's tidal pond is home to a lot of wildlife. It is spanned by the Mitushashi, a series of three bridges, and the Taikobashi, which connects it to Shugoshintō ('Guardian Deity Island'). I saw a cormorant on the Mitsuhashi. These bridges are now concrete, a legacy of Tokugawa Yorimichi, the last head of the Kishū branch of the Tokugawa.
The shioiri-type lake features several rock formations evocative of the mythical Mount Penglai. Certain features nod to Xī Hú (West Lake) in Hángzhōu, China, which I have visited. The garden is adjacent to the surviving halls of the Minato-goten ('Port Palace'), a villa constructed by Tokugawa Nariyuki, the eleventh lord of Wakayama Domain, in 1834.
As for Yōsui-tei, it unfortunately is not open to the public, or wasn't when I visited. It contains a gozanoma (sitting room) where, the brochure tells us, 'Harutomi would graciously sit'. Leading to the gozanoma is a unique corridor called the Hidari Naname Nobori Rōka (Left Diagonal Climbing Corridor) which featured a skewed, diagonal layout of tatami mats, and parallelogram-shaped shōji (paper screens). It's kind of cruel to introduce visitors to such a unique structure but not let them see it, in my view.
Yōsui-tei further features Jissai-an, the oldest tea room in Wakayama Prefecture. This room seats five people comfortably for a tea ceremony. Lord Harutomi is said to have had profound knowledge about the art of sadō (tea ceremony). Jissai-an is not open to the public. However, a recreation of the teahouse can be found at the Wakayama History Hall on the castle grounds.
Yōsui-en is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm year-round (excepting New Year's Day when it opens at 11:00am), and admission is 600¥.
Gallery
| Yousuitei Villa Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Yousuitei Villa |
| Japanese Name | 養翠亭・養翠園 |
| Year | 1818 |
| Residence Type | Daimyo |
| Features | Garden, House |
| Visitor Information | 9:00-17:00; ¥600 |
| Website | https://yosuien.com/ |
| Location | Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture |
| Castle | Wakayama Castle |
| Coordinates | 34.19346, 135.15232 |
| Wakayama Castle and nearby Samurai Homes | |
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| Admin | |
| Visits | |
| Added Jcastle | 2025 |
| Contributor | ART |
