Rikugien Garden, as one of the representative circuit style gardens from the Edo period, possesses a 300-year history with diverse changes in water conveyance methods for its pond. These water features are integral components that cannot be overlooked when examining the garden's overall historical context. This study focuses on the water level fluctuations in Rikugien Garden and their relationship with the Senkawa-josui (waterworks). Specifically, we target the An-ei (1773~1781) and Ten-mei (1781~1789) eras, including the period of the Senkawa-josui, to investigate whether the waterworks was used to supply water to the garden's pond where information about the water source remains scarce, and the purpose of this study is to clarify the changes in the water level of the ponds in Rikugien Garden and the changes in the landscape caused by these changes. By analyzing "Enyu-Nikki" (1773~1785), a diary written by Nobutoki YANAGISAWA, the third lord of the YANAGISAWA family, and utilizing historical records such as "Rakushido Nenroku" (1658~1709) by the first lord, Yoshiyasu YANAGISAWA, significant water level fluctuations in the garden throughout different seasons were revealed. The findings also suggest that during the Ten-mei and An-ei eras, people may have paid attention to the changes in the landscape caused by fluctuations in the water level of pond.

Stone lanterns were introduced to Japan along with Buddhism and began to be installed in temples first; then, it was incorporated into tea gardens and gardens of ordinary households since the early modern period. This study, with the comparison among Rengeji lanterns made in Nishigoshu (Minamikomatsu district, Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture) centering Kahei Nishimura’s work and other regions to clarify the characteristics of the Nishigoshu Rengeji Lanterns. The purpose is to capture the morphological changes of the Rengeji lanterns, focusing on the work of Kahei Nishimura, who was called a master craftsman. As a result, the characteristics of the Kahei Nishimura and also Nishigoshu Rengeji Lantern have seven parts, and each part has a highly unique shape and pattern. Also, its elaborate carving and several details showed a high degree of decorativeness and originality of the Nishigoshu Rengeji Lanterns. In addition, as a result of examining the stages in which the form of the Nishigoshu Rengeji Lantern was fixed to its current form, it can be said that the form of the lantern changed from linear to curved and from simple to complex.