Villa Murin-An 無鄰菴
My garden, my love
With a peaceful appearance, Villa Murin-An unveils the complex personality of its founder, a soldier, a politician and a superb garden designer
Yamagata Aritomo (1838-1922) not only distinguished himself by his feats of arms, but also by his refine taste for gardens. For his Kyoto residence, he called upon to Ogawa Jihei (1860-1933), a talented landscape gardener who arranged the new garden south of Nanzen-ji temple area according to his wishes.
Read : Kyoto Katsura Villa
Once the finishing touches were put to the landscaping in 1898, Yamagata found himself in possession of a delightful holiday home. The height of luxury, in addition to a tea house, necessary for every gentleman, the garden has a traditional Japanese house and a western-style house, where a famous summit about the military strategy for the Russo-Japanese War was held in 1903.
See also : Villa Okochi sanso
The owner was truly a man of the Meiji era (1868-1912), in symbiosis with the modernization of his country and open to the world, following his many trips to Europe during the 1870s. A good place for walking, the grounds of the villa Murin-An are reflecting their creator’s aesthetic garden sense, paying respect to Nature which can be discovered all along the small stream that crosses the wild lawn. In autumn, the maple trees turn the landscape red, ephemeral beauties or bad omens...
Discover also : Kôyô, autumn leaves in Japan
