Keitakuen Garden

Keitakuen is a strolling pond garden (chisen-kaiyu-shiki) located inside Tennoji Park in Tennoji Ward, Osaka City, with an area of 19,800 square meters. The garden’s layout places a pond at the center, with artificial hills built on three sides, and paths, stepping stones, and bridges arranged around it using a technique known as “sawatari” (crossing streams). The garden was designed by the tea master Kizu Issai and constructed by the 7th-generation landscape gardener Ogawa Jihei, known for works such as the gardens of Heian Shrine, Maruyama Park, and Murin-an. Planning began in 1908, and after ten years of work it was completed in 1918. Its name was bestowed by Prince Fushimi Sadaaru. In 1926, it was donated to the City of Osaka by Sumitomo Kichizaemon, the 15th head of the Sumitomo family, a prominent Osaka merchant family dating back to the Edo period. In 1999, the garden was designated a municipal cultural property as a scenic place of exceptional landscape value. Within the garden are the teahouse “Chosei-an” and an azumaya pavilion, making it possible to hold tea gatherings or relax while enjoying seasonal scenery. The garden also offers views of Abeno Harukas.