The garden was a villa of the former Ryukyu Kingdom. It was used for the royal family to retreat and to entertain foreign envoys. A spring-fed pond features two islands, and three Chinese-style bridges built across the pond. The plant landscape consists of both temperate and tropical plants. It is a stroll garden where different views can be enjoyed one after another by promenading along the path circling the pond.
cultural property : historic sites and places of scenic beauty as natural monuments
type : places of special scenic beauty
421-7 Maaji, Naha-shi, Okinawa-ken 902-0072
Tel：098-855-5936
Home page : www.city.naha.okinawa.jp/
It is a garden with a grove and a pond of a villa of the former Ryukyu Kingdom, which was built sometime prior to 1800. It was called Nan’en (south garden) because it was located to the south of Shuri-jyo castle. It was used for the royal family to retreat and to entertain foreign envoys.
A spring-fed pond features two islands and three Chinese-style bridges. An observation deck called “Kanko-dai” is located at the southern edge of the garden, commanding a panoramic view.
The garden features temperate plants, such as pines, plums, willows, and crape myrtles, as well as tropical plants, such as common garcinias (Garcinia subelliptica), Javanese bishop wood (Bischofia javanica), and Indian coral trees (Erythrina variegata). They create a plant landscape with an illusion of four seasons in tropical Okinawa. Although it is a stroll garden, a garden style often used for a Daimyo (feudal lord) garden, it shows components unique to Ryukyu, such as an S-curved stone path to ward off majimun (evil spirits), who can only move in a straight line, an oddly-shaped rock that resembles Chinese Taihu stone (porous limestone), and “funa-ageba” (a boat lift yard) where a boat could be docked.