Nakazu Bansho-en

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Nakazu Bansho-endaimyo gardenumbrella pineKyogokuMarugame

Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5) · original

Nakazu Bansho-en looks different depending on the season, the weather, and the time of day — none of which a single photo can tell you.

Nakazu Bansho-en was laid out in 1688 on the order of Kyogoku Takatoyo, lord of Marugame, as a five-hectare stroll garden on the coast. The Kyogoku came from Omi, and the central pond was dug in the shape of Lake Biwa with eight islands for the eight famous views of that lake — a homesick lord recreating his home province beside the Inland Sea.

The tree everyone comes for is the Great Umbrella Pine, said to be six hundred years old, trained out flat over a wide area so that it reads as a low green roof rather than a tree. There is a teahouse, a restaurant and the Marugame Art Museum in the grounds, which holds a collection including French painting. The garden is ¥700, the museum ¥500 and a combined ticket ¥1,000.

Before you go

Access hours

Confirm opening hours before travelling

Closed: Confirm rest days before travelling

Entry fee

Garden ¥700 adults and ¥300 elementary and junior high school students | Art museum ¥500 and ¥200 | Combined ticket ¥1,000 and ¥500

Best time to visit

Year-round | Spring for blossom and November for autumn colour

Time to allow

90 minutes

Access route

Access notes

Nakazu-cho 25-1, Marugame, on the coast west of the castle. By car from JR Marugame Station. Garden admission ¥700 for adults and ¥300 for elementary and junior high school students; the Marugame Art Museum is ¥500 and ¥200; a combined ticket is ¥1,000 and ¥500. The pond-and-stroll garden covers 5 hectares, was created in 1688 for the Kyogoku lords of Marugame and is shaped after Lake Biwa with eight islands. A teahouse and restaurant operate in the grounds. Confirm opening hours and rest days before travelling.

What to bring

**The pond is Lake Biwa.** Dug in its shape with eight islands for the eight views, because the Kyogoku came from Omi. Once you know that the garden reads completely differently. **The umbrella pine is the centrepiece.** Six hundred years old and trained flat over a wide span. It is held up on a frame and is the reason most visitors come. **Take the combined ticket.** ¥1,000 for garden and museum against ¥700 for the garden alone. The museum holds French painting, which is unexpected here. **It is a working teahouse garden.** Tea and a restaurant in the grounds, which makes this a slow visit rather than a walk-through. **Combine with Marugame Castle.** The castle with the tallest stone walls in Japan is fifteen minutes away and the two are the natural Marugame pairing.

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