This week, we learn about the formal gardens of the old feudal lords.
The daimyo teien are the landscaped gardens built for feudal lords during the Edo period (17th to mid-19th centuries). The provincial lords were obliged to spend part of every year in the political capital, Edo (today's Tokyo), and their Edo mansions maintained elaborate gardens. The Edo style of garden design also spread from there across Japan. These gardens are often massive and typically centered on a large pond. Visitors would walk around the pond to enjoy the various garden features as we might in a theme park today. The gardens reflected the background, wealth and artistic sensibilities of each noble household.
