Shugakuin Imperial Villa
Sprawling imperial stroll garden with a hand-dug pond and mountain views borrowed into its design.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Shugakuin Imperial Villa in Kyoto opens with Emperor Go-Mizunoo's secret abdication in 1629, driven off the throne by a shogunate that stripped his power and, in the so-called purple robe incident, insulted the priests he had honored. It follows what he built instead, starting in 1655: a garden here where he placed every stone and tree himself. Climb toward the upper garden for the view he spent years arranging by hand.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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