Lotus flowers were in full bloom in the spacious water-filled South Pond

Water from the Kiyomasa Well, which is said to have been dug by Kiyomasa Kato, floods the long, narrow iris field and pours into the Nanchi Pond beyond it. While the spring water seen up close at the Kiyomasa well is only a trickle, the Nanchi Pond is filled to the brim with water. Large carp swim around in it. Standing by the Nanchi Pond and looking at the surface of the water, I felt as if I were being shown the actuality of the proverb "many a little makes a mickle".

There is a deck space called "Otsuri-dai" (fishing platform) overhanging the pond. The reason why it is called with reverential terms even though it is just a place for fishing is because Empress Shoken used to fish here. The Jingu Gyoen, where the Nanchi Pond is located, was originally developed by Emperor Meiji as a promenade garden for Empress Shoken to exercise. In other words, one might think that the garden was built as an annex to the Meiji Jingu Shrine, but in fact, the Minami-Toshima Imperial Estate, where the Gyoen was located, became the site of the shrine. The Gyoen is older than the Meiji Jingu.

Therefore, the forest of Meiji Jingu Shrine is an "artificial forest" created when the shrine was built, while the wooded area of the Gyoen is a virgin forest that retains the appearance of Musashino. The dense forest beyond the Otsuri-dai is also an old-growth forest. The layman cannot tell the difference between a virgin forest and a man-made forest, and is simply fascinated by the lotus flowers floating on the surface of the water.

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