Abstract
Kan’in mansion was established by Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu in the early Heian period, but there are still many things unknown about the mansion at that time. The purpose of this study is to reveal the design and function of its garden from the standpoint of garden history by collecting and analyzing Chinese poems about the mansion written in the Emperor’s attendances and private farewell parties.
In the Chinese poems were mentioned not only the different amusements like fishing, playing the koto (zither-like Japanese musical instrument), having tea and making poems, but also facilities in the garden such as a fishing pavilion, a tea house and a flower-viewing arbor. That reveals the fact that Kan’in mansion was a place sufficiently prepared for pleasures in the garden and suggests that the hospitality for the Emperor was fully considered because it was an aristocratic mansion. The Emperor’s attendance was for the investiture of Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu and his wife, so it is possible to think that the private poem-making party was held in order to tighten the intimate relationship among them.
