Katsura Imperial Villa

Japanese: 桂離宮 - かつらりきゅう

Located in Katsuramisono, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City, it is known for the unique beauty of its Japanese architecture and gardens. It is currently under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Agency.

[Kudou Yoshiaki]

History

Located in the southwest of Kyoto, on the west bank of the Katsura River, this area, formerly known as Shimokatsura Village, has been a place of leisure for nobles since the Heian period, and Fujiwara no Michinaga's side business, Katsura Sansho, was also located there. The land was inherited by the Konoe family for a long time, but from around 1615 (Genwa 1), it became the property of the Hachijonomiya family. Prince Toshihito (1579-1629), the founder of the Hachijonomiya family, had a penchant for the elegant and refined past of the Heian aristocratic Katsura family, and built a side business here called "Karo-ki Teahouse in a Melon Field." This was the beginning of Katsura Imperial Villa, and the teahouse remains in its original form in the current Koshoin. Prince Toshitada (1619-1662), who succeeded to the Imperial family around 1641 (Kan'ei 18), remodeled part of the Old Study and added the Chushoin, and further added the Musical Instrument Room and Shingoten for the visit of the retired Emperor Gomizunoo in 1663 (Kanbun 3). The current group of shoin buildings, which are arranged in a staggered pattern - the Old Study, Chushoin, Musical Instrument Room and Shingoten - date back to this time, and the old government office at the back was built when the Chushoin was constructed, and the vassals' waiting room when the Shingoten was constructed. However, the current vassals' waiting room was newly built in the Meiji period according to old regulations. The Hachijo family was not blessed with an heir, so the retired emperor or the son of the emperor at the time inherited the family name, and the title of the palace was changed to Tokiwainomiya, Kyogokunomiya, and Katsuranomiya. However, the Katsura family also died out after Princess Sumiko died in 1881 (Meiji 14), and the main residence, Imadegawatei, was moved to the main citadel of Nijo Castle, and Katsura Bekkyo was transferred to the Imperial Household Ministry (now the Imperial Household Agency) in 1883 and named Katsura Imperial Villa. Katsura Imperial Villa was fully repaired from the 1880s to 1930s, but the ground became loose due to the improvement of the Katsura River after 1955 (Showa 30), and the Shoin group needed repair again, so the so-called Showa era repair was carried out from April 1976 to March 1982, and it was restored to its former appearance.

[Kudou Yoshiaki]

Garden and teahouse

Katsura Imperial Villa covers an area of approximately 70,000 square meters and is surrounded by bamboo groves and scrub forests. In the central garden there is a pond with three islands, large and small, each with a complex shoreline that changes its atmosphere, and to the west of the pond are a group of shoin buildings, including the Koshoin, arranged in a staggered pattern. A path winds around the pond, with teahouses built here and there. Follow Goyukimichi from Miyukimon in the north to the shoin buildings, then turn left along the way to enter the path. After passing Momijiyama and Sotetsuyama you will come to Okoshikake, and the stone steps in front of it are also known as Gyo's Tobiishi. After passing Tsuzumi Falls, you can see the sandbar with its Misakitoro lantern and Amanohashidate, and beyond that you can see the Shirakawa stone bridge and Shokin-tei. Shokin-tei is well known for its checkered sliding doors and stone hearth, and has a wooden structure on its eaves. In the woods on the mountain to the east of Shokin-tei is a four-stool called Manjitei.

After passing through Hotarudani from Shokintei, the path becomes a mountain pass, giving the feeling of wandering in the deep mountains. At the top is Shokatei, a teahouse on the pass, which is also known as Tatsuta-ya after the curtain hanging there. Descending the pass is the Onrin-do, a tiled hall that enshrines the memorial tablets of successive generations of the Hachijonomiya family. With its firelight windows, it looks like a Buddhist temple. From the front of the Onrin-do, you will head straight to Ume-no-Baba, but if you turn left along the way, you will come to Shoi-ken, a building with circular underglaze windows and velvet waist-high panels that invite an elegant atmosphere. The square that opens up from Ume-no-Baba in front of the Shin-Goten is said to have been a place where kemari games were held. Stepping stones are lined up between the Old Study and the Musical Instruments Hall, and also serve as a bridge to the plaza. On the hill north of the Old Study stands the Geppa-ro, with its open interior and hollowed-out shoji screens covered in woven silk fabric. Descending the hill from the Geppa-ro leads to the middle gate in front of the Old Study's Okoshiyose. The stone pavement leading from the middle gate to the Okoshiyose is famously known as Shin no Tobiishi (True Stepping Stones).

The gardens of Katsura Imperial Villa are a feast for the eyes, with stone lanterns and water basins placed throughout the paths. The placement of the ponds and artificial hills was designed to allow visitors to enjoy a variety of different landscapes as they walk around, demonstrating the skill of Prince Tomohito in creating the gardens.

[Kudou Yoshiaki]

Shoin

The shoin studies are built using sukiya-style techniques. The old shoin consists of six rooms, with a veranda room and a mikoshiyose to the north. To the east of the first and second rooms of the old shoin is a wide veranda covered with cedar boards, and in front of that is a moon-viewing platform covered with bamboo. The gable of the eastern hipped roof facing the pond is decorated with six-leaf mosaics inlaid with gold leaf, giving it a gorgeous look. The old shoin is built on an earthen platform, and the lower part of the veranda is covered with white walls to hide the earthen platform, but the middle shoin and new palace have an open veranda that resembles a raised floor, giving it a light and airy feel.

Nakashoin consists of four rooms in a rice field shape, with the first, second, and third rooms arranged in the style of locked rooms, and it is said that the sliding door paintings were done by the three Kano brothers Tan'yu, Naonobu, and Yasunobu. When the Koshoin was built as a light teahouse in the mellow fields, it was used as both a guest room and a living room. However, after Nakashoin was expanded, it became the Gozanoma, or the prince's living room, and the Koshoin seems to have been used for entertaining guests. There are mosquito net hangers on the pillars in the second room of Nakashoin, indicating that it was used as a bedroom.

The New Palace was the travel palace of the retired emperor, as the name of the palace suggests. The design of the upper tier of the First Room and the Katsura shelf in the New Palace are superb. In addition, the Gyoken shelf in the Gyoshin Room and the Urakatsuradana shelf in the Okesho Room are also tastefully designed, and show an excellent spatial composition. The areas closely related to daily life, such as the attached Ochozu-no-ma, Okawaya, and Oyudono, have also been well preserved. The sliding doors of the Old Shoin, the Middle Shoin, and the New Palace have different designs, with paper-like patterns of large paulownia crest, ink painting, and paper-like patterns of small paulownia crest, and the transoms are also different, with a reed transom, a quince-shaped transom, and a crescent-shaped transom. Only the New Palace uses nageshi, and each has its own unique appearance.

Furthermore, at Katsura Imperial Villa, the backing timbers of the menkawa pillars and other components have already been split to prevent cracking, and the exposed pillars and lintels have been stained a dark brown before being assembled, and many other noteworthy architectural techniques have been recognized.

[Kudou Yoshiaki]

"Revised Edition of Katsura Imperial Villa by Mori Un (1956, Sogensha)" ▽ "Katsura Imperial Villa by Watsuji Tetsuro (1958, Chuokoron-Shinsha)" ▽ "Original Color Japanese Art 15: Katsura Imperial Villa and the Teahouse by Kawakami Mitsugu and Nakamura Masao (1967, Shogakukan)" ▽ "Treasures of Japanese Art 21: Katsura Imperial Villa by Saito Hidetoshi (1982, Shogakukan)"

[Reference] | Katsuramiya

Katsura Imperial Villa
The Old Shoin (right) and the Middle Shoin (center). The Shingoten is in the back left. Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture © Kyoto Office of the Imperial Household Agency ">

Katsura Imperial Villa

Shokintei
Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture © Kyoto Office of the Imperial Household Agency

Shokintei

Gekkan Tower
Katsura Imperial Villa, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture © Kyoto Office of the Imperial Household Agency

Gekkan Tower

Floor plan of Katsura Imperial Villa
©Shogakukan ">

Floor plan of Katsura Imperial Villa

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

京都市西京区桂御園(かつらみその)にあり、日本的な建築と庭園の独自の美しさで知られる。現在は宮内庁の所管。

［工藤圭章］

沿革

京都の南西部、桂川の西岸にあり、かつては下桂(しもかつら)村とよばれていたこの付近一帯は、平安時代以来公家(くげ)の逍遙(しょうよう)の地であり、藤原道長の別業、桂山庄(さんしょう)も営まれていた。この地はその後長く近衛(このえ)家に伝領されたが、1615年（元和1）ごろから八条宮(はちじょうのみや)家の所領に改められている。八条宮家の創設者の智仁(としひと)親王（1579―1629）は風流を好み、平安貴族の桂での雅趣豊かな故事を回想し、ここに別業として「瓜(うり)畑のかろき茶屋」を建てられている。これが桂離宮の始まりで、この茶屋は現在の古書院(こしょいん)にかつての姿をとどめている。1641年（寛永18）ごろに宮家を継いだ智忠(としただ)親王（1619―1662）は古書院の一部を改築して中書院(ちゅうしょいん)を増築し、さらに1663年（寛文3）の後水尾(ごみずのお)上皇の桂御幸(ごこう)のために、楽器の間や新御殿を増築している。現状の古書院、中書院、楽器の間、新御殿と雁行(がんこう)する書院群はこのとき以来のもので、裏側の旧役所は中書院造営時に、また臣下控所は新御殿造営時に建設されている。ただし、現在の臣下控所は明治に旧規に倣って新造されたもの。八条宮家は嗣子(しし)に恵まれず、時の上皇あるいは天皇の皇子が宮家を継がれ、宮号も常磐井宮(ときわいのみや)、京極宮(きょうごくのみや)、桂宮と変えられている。しかし、桂宮も1881年（明治14）淑子(すみこ)内親王が亡くなられてから断絶し、本邸の今出川第(いまでがわてい)は二条城本丸に移築され、桂別業も1883年宮内省（現、宮内庁）に移管されて桂離宮と名づけられた。桂離宮は明治20年代から30年代にかけて全面的に修理されたが、1955年（昭和30）以降の桂川の改修に関連して地盤が緩み、書院群もふたたび修理が必要となったので、1976年4月から1982年3月までいわゆる昭和の大修理が行われ、昔日の姿に復されている。

［工藤圭章］

庭園とお茶屋

桂離宮の敷地は約7万平方メートル。周囲は竹藪(たけやぶ)や雑木林で囲まれている。中央の庭には大小三つの中島のある池があり、汀(みぎわ)はそれぞれ入り組んで趣(おもむき)を変え、池の西には古書院をはじめとする書院群が雁行(がんこう)して配置されている。池の周辺には回遊路が巡らされ、茶屋が所々に建てられている。北の御幸門(みゆきもん)から書院群に至る御幸道をたどり、途中左折すると回遊路に入る。紅葉(もみじ)山、蘇鉄(そてつ)山を過ぎると御腰掛(おこしかけ)があり、この前面の石の延段(のべだん)は行(ぎょう)の飛石(とびいし)の異名がある。ついで鼓(つづみ)の滝を過ぎると、岬灯籠(みさきとうろう)のある洲浜(すはま)と天橋立(あまのはしだて)が見え、そのかなたに白川石の石橋と松琴亭(しょうきんてい)を望む。松琴亭にはくど構(かまえ)が土庇(どひさし)にあり、市松模様の襖(ふすま)や石炉(せきろ)がよく知られている。松琴亭の東の山の木立の中には、卍亭(まんじてい)とよばれる四ツ腰掛がある。

　松琴亭から蛍谷(ほたるだに)を経ると峠道になり、あたかも深山に遊ぶ感がある。頂上には峠の茶屋の賞花亭(しょうかてい)が建ち、掛けるのれんにちなんで竜田(たつた)屋の別称がある。峠を下れば八条宮家代々の位牌(いはい)を祀(まつ)る本瓦葺(ほんかわらぶ)きの園林堂(おんりんどう)がある。火灯窓(かとうまど)をつけ、いかにも仏堂らしい外観をみせる。園林堂の正面からは一路梅の馬場へと至るが、その途中を左折すると笑意軒(しょういけん)があり、この建物では円形の下地窓、ビロードの腰貼(こしば)りが雅趣を誘う。梅の馬場から新御殿前に開ける広場は蹴鞠(けまり)が行われたという。飛石は古書院と楽器の間の両者へと並べられ、広場の砌(みきり)をも兼ねる。古書院北方の丘には月波楼(げっぱろう)が建つが、ここでは開放的な室内や綟(もじ)り織（からみ織）の布を張った中抜きの障子などが印象に残る。月波楼の丘を降りると、古書院の御輿寄(おこしよせ)前の中門に至る。中門から御輿寄へと続く石敷は真(しん)の飛石の名で有名である。

　桂離宮の庭園は回遊路の随所に石灯籠や手水鉢(ちょうずばち)が置かれていて目を楽しませる。池や築山(つきやま)などの配置は、巡り歩くにしたがってさまざまな風景が眺められることを考慮したもので、智仁親王の作庭の巧みさを示している。

［工藤圭章］

書院

書院群は数寄屋(すきや)風の手法が用いられている。古書院は6室からなり、北に縁座敷(えんざしき)と御輿寄がつく。古書院一の間、二の間の東は榑板(くれいた)敷の広縁(ひろえん)で、その前に竹を敷き詰めた月見(つきみ)台が設けられている。池に面した東面の入母屋(いりもや)の妻の懸魚(げぎょ)には金箔(きんぱく)の押された六葉(ろくよう)がつき、華やかさをみせる。古書院は土壇上に建ち、縁の腰下は土壇を隠すように白壁がつけられるが、中書院や新御殿は縁下を高床(たかゆか)らしく吹き放し、軽快さを表している。

　中書院は田の字形の4室からなり、一の間、二の間、三の間は鍵(かぎ)座敷風に並び、襖絵(ふすまえ)は探幽(たんゆう)、尚信(なおのぶ)、安信(やすのぶ)の狩野(かのう)三兄弟がそれぞれ担当したという。瓜畑のかろき茶屋として古書院が建てられていたときは、古書院は客室でもあり、また居室でもあった。しかし、中書院が増築されてからは、ここが御座間(ござのま)、すなわち親王の居室となり、古書院は接客の場にあてられたようである。中書院二の間には蚊帳(かや)の吊手(つりて)が柱にあって、寝室として利用されたことがわかる。

　新御殿は御殿の名が残るように、上皇の御幸御殿であった。新御殿では一の間の上段や桂棚(かつらだな)の意匠がすばらしい。また御寝間(ぎょしんのま)の御剣棚(ぎょけんだな)、御化粧間(おけしょうのま)の裏桂棚(うらかつらだな)など、粋を凝らしていて、優れた空間構成をみせる。付属の御手水間(おちょうずのま)、御厠(おかわや)、御湯殿(おゆどの)など生活に密接する部分の保存もよい。古書院、中書院、新御殿の各書院は、それぞれ襖が大桐(おおぎり)紋の唐紙(からかみ)、墨絵、小桐紋の唐紙と趣向を変え、欄間(らんま)も筬(おさ)欄間、木瓜形(もっこうがた)欄間、月字崩(つきのじくず)し欄間と違えている。長押(なげし)が用いられるのは新御殿だけであり、それぞれ独特のたたずまいを示している。

　また桂離宮では、面皮(めんかわ)柱などの心持(しんもち)材はひび割れを防ぐための背割(せわり)がすでに行われており、見えがかりの柱や鴨居(かもい)などは、黒褐色の色付けが組立て前に施されているなど、建築技法でも注目すべき点が多く認められている。

［工藤圭章］

『森蘊著『改訂　桂離宮』（1956・創元社）』▽『和辻哲郎著『桂離宮』（1958・中央公論社）』▽『川上貢・中村昌生著『原色日本の美術15　桂離宮と茶室』（1967・小学館）』▽『斎藤英俊著『名宝日本の美術21　桂離宮』（1982・小学館）』

[参照項目] | 桂宮

桂離宮

松琴亭

月波楼

桂離宮の平面図

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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