Tenshaen

Tensha-en in Uwajima was created in the mid-19th century as a private retreat for the Date clan lords who governed this castle town, and the design uses borrowed scenery techniques to pull the mountain backdrop into the framed views. A central pond with ornamental bridges, carefully pruned pines, and wisteria trellises make up the core of the garden, and in May those wisterias produce flower clusters up to a meter long, drawing visitors from across Shikoku. Some of the vines are over 100 years old. The garden's intimate scale rewards slow walking, and its position next to Uwajima Castle makes a combined visit easy to arrange.