ABSTRACT
After World War II, the new gardens from the Meiji and Taishō periods faced challenges similar to those of the feudal lords’ gardens a century earlier. The patrons who had commissioned these gardens had lost their political influence and often lacked the resources to maintain them.
Two case studies from Tokyo show how some gardens nevertheless managed to survive. In the 1950s, the Furukawa Gardens, initially built for a zaibatsu family, were preserved by the local Women’s Association, which advocated for a public park for families in the area. Similarly, Tonogayato Garden, another zaibatsu estate, was supported by local citizens who highlighted its importance as a natural space within the city. Despite the efforts of these citizen groups, the gardens gained little recognition from garden historians.
