The nameless pond (namonaki-ike) lies inside the enclosure of the Nemichi Shinto shrine at the city of Seki, Gifu prefecture. It was renamed “Monet’s Pond” in 2015, when photos of the crystalline water dotted with flowering lilies began to circulate online and attract more and more curiosity. The resemblance to the master’s Water Lilies series of oil paintings caused a sensation and earned the pond its new name.
Nameless pond that became “Monet’s Pond”
This small pond (barely 20 metres) was formed by the springs running from nearby Mount Koga. The clarity and purity of the water is thought to be due to the composition of the volcanic rock, rhyolite (ryumongan 流 紋 岩 in Japanese).
The pond was abandoned in the 90s, completely overgrown. But it has been restored thanks to the local community, especially the owner of Itadori Flower Park, who organised the clean up. Some locals later donated Japanese koi that add to the picturesque setting.
A mirror of crystal-clear water, flourishing water lilies, colourful koi carp: yes, the resemblance to Water Lilies is striking! The surface of the water changes colour throughout the day as the light varies from turquoise-green to blue.
The ideal time to visit is during the water-lily flowering season (between June and September), but the green leaves of summer and the red maples (momiji) of autumn offer equally poetically photogenic scenes.
In other words, an Impressionist canvas literally comes to life before your eyes whatever the season.
In the depths of Gifu prefecture, Nemichi shrine
Before 2015 this small shrine had nothing to attract crowds. A modest wooden altar nestling in nature was probably not enough to draw them in. But since “Monet’s Pond” has been trending online, this discreet place has welcomed throngs of visitors!
Every first day of the month, the shrine organises a special ceremony dedicated to nature. From 9 am visitors can participate in a specific ritual and receive a commemorative red seal or stamp (goshuin).
And for the most romantic among you, take a close look in the water … If you see the heart-shaped lucky koi: bingo, you’ll be lucky in love this year! Because the Japanese word for carp (鯉 koï) is a homophone of love (恋, koi).
What links Claude Monet with Japan ?
Monet never went to Japan. Never ever. How could he create his Giverny garden without having ever trod Japanese soil or seen with his own eyes a real Japanese garden? Simple
– he copied what he saw on prints imported to France at the time.
Like many of his contemporaries, Monet was greatly influenced by Japanese art. This artistic current was called Japonisme in France. Admirers of Japanese culture collected prints, furniture and ceramics from the archipelago.
Without even setting foot in Japan, Monet just copied the Japanese landscapes he saw in his prints to recreate a Japanese atmosphere in his garden at Giverny, where he painted hisWater Lilies series.
Those famous water lilies pictured in his “fake” Japanese garden became the reference that dubs a lily pond in Japan “Monet’s Pond”. The circle is complete.
