Kyū Iwasaki-teien

Ueno & Yanesen


This grand residence offers a Western-style mansion designed by Josiah Conder in 1896, connected to a Japanese house built by Ōkawa Kijuro at the same time, and gardens. It was the home of Hisaya Iwasaki, son of the founder of Mitsubishi, and is a fascinating example of how the cultural elite of the early Meiji period synthesised east and west.

The Western residence is a potpourri of styles, cherry picking design elements from Britain, the US and even the Islamic world. Only a small section of the Japanese house remains, but inside it look out for the delicately painted screens. You can also have tea and sweets here while overlooking the garden.


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