Ogawa Jihei VII

Ogawa Jihei VII (小川治兵衛, Ogawa Jihei, May 25, 1860 – December 2, 1933), also known under his titular name as the seventh Ueji (植治), was a Japanese garden architect of the Meiji era and Taishō era of modern Japan.

The Ueji title is a name that was given to the heads of the Ogawa family, who specialised since generations in gardening and landscape architecture for clients around Kyoto, the old capital city.

Ueji grew up in a time when the country was rapidly changing and leaving the Edo period behind to westernise.

In this uncertain time he was given the commission by statesman Yamagata Aritomo, an important figure in the political and military fields, to create the garden for his Murin-an villa in Kyoto.

The garden is considered one of the masterpieces of Japanese landscape architecture and has been registered by the government as an Important Cultural Property.