Katsura Imperial Villa  Katsura Imperial Villa, Japanese Katsura
RikyūKatsura Imperial Villa, Kyōto, Japan.© Radu
Razvan/Shutterstock.comgroup of buildings located in the
southwest suburbs of Kyōto, Japan. The complex was originally
built as a princely estate in the early 17th century and lies on
the bank of the Katsura River, which supplies the water for its
ponds and streams. The estate covers an area of about 16 acres
(6.5 hectares). In 1590 it was given to Prince Toshihito, the
younger brother of the emperor, who developed the estate until
his death in 1629. In the following years it was completed in
substantially its present form by his son, Prince Toshitada, who
built an addition to the main section, two more tea pavilions,
and much of the garden’s stonework.  The estate is completely
enclosed by bamboo fences and high bamboo hedges. The main
buildings, set into a landscape created for them, include three
attached structures, the ko-shoin, chu-shoin, and shin-
shoin—old, middle, and new halls, respective