My course "Introduction to Japanese History" is heading towards #imperialism. So let's see a #JapaneseGarden of the times.
In 1894/96, Yamagata Aritomo built #MurinAn in #Kyoto using a reward for his role in the Sino-Japanese war. The garden's Western building also served for a conference in which 4 elder statesmen prepared for the Russo-Japanese war.
Newspapers presented Murin-an as a political site. In a caricature of 1899, you can see #Yamagata pondering a railway project in China.