This is a residence and garden of the Takanashi Family who was a head of the village of Kamihanawa throughout the Edo Period. The mansion is considered part of the cultural property as it conveys what the house of a wealthy farmer, who created his fortune by manufacturing soy sauce in the Shimousa region, would have been in that time period. There were renovations in the beginning of the Showa Era and the garden has a unique design mixed with modern tastes. It was designated as the first National Place of Scenic Beauty in the Chiba Prefecture in 2001.
cultural property : historic sites and places of scenic beauty as natural monuments
type : places of scenic beauty
507 Kamihanawa, Noda-shi, Chiba-ken 278-0033
Tel：04-7122-2070
This garden is inside a mansion of a wealthy farmer from the Edo Period in Noda City, Chiba Prefecture. The Takanashi Family was a head of the village of Kamihanawa (current Noda City) throughout the Edo Period and involved in the soy sauce brewery from early on. They made a fortune with the manufacture of soy sauce in the second half of the Edo Period because they had a transportation advantage being close to the Edo River. This garden was created with the wealth coming from the soy sauce business.
During the Edo Period, the garden was originally centered with streams and a pond in front of a study, but the current design only uses stepping stones in a wide grass field. It is because the main building and tearoom of the garden underwent renovations from the Meiji Era to the beginning of the Showa Era and modern designs have been incorporated to the garden. However, a canal and stone walls are placed according to the original landscape based on the layout from the Edo Period, and modern designs are masterfully blended.