The Imperial Villa Garden Site of the Ancient Nara CapitalGardens managed｜Restoring cultural properties

The Imperial Villa Garden Site of the Ancient Nara Capital is the name of the ancient garden remains located to the southeast of the Heijo Palace remains.

In 1975, an excavation led to the discovery of a large garden pond paved with cobblestones, the remains of twelve buildings, seven walls, and two wells. Excavated items included tiles and wooden tablet markers, suggesting that this was an imperial garden with deep connections to the emperor and the imperial family.
The remains were designated a Special Historic Site in 1978 due to their high likelihood of being an imperial garden closely connected with the Heijo Palace, their large scale unseen anywhere else, and their excellent state of preservation.

Restoration work started in 1979 and concluded in 1986. Thereafter, an open-air exhibition began in which the site was displayed in almost the same condition it had been found in. In 1992, the site was additionally designated a Special Place of Scenic Beauty in recognition of the remains' excellent state of preservation, the fact that their layout, design, and garden creation methods could be known in sufficient detail, and their extraordinarily high academic and cultural value for ancient garden history.　

These remains were created over four time periods, with the pond at the garden's center being created in the second period (ca. 750). The garden has a length of 55m, a width of 15m, and a meandering pond whose whole bottom surface is covered in clay and overlaid with flat cobblestones, with large scenic stones placed in the areas where the pond curves. The location of the building remains is thought to indicate that the pond was intended to be set against the mountains to the east as background scenery, suggesting that the garden's ponds and buildings were built according to a comprehensive construction plan.

With the passage of thirty years since its first restoration, the Imperial Villa Garden Site of the Ancient Nara Capital's pond and restored buildings were showing signs of deterioration and damage. During 2008-2019, preservation and restoration work was performed for the entire remains, including its buildings. Starting in 2014, Ueyakato Landscape performed restoration work for the garden's scenic stones and restorative pruning for its plants. Since being repaired, the garden has been displayed in an open-air exhibition.