Postcard JP-1333546

The Katsura Imperial Villa (桂離宮 Katsura Rikyū), or Katsura Detached Palace, is a villa with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan (in Nishikyō-ku, separate from the Kyoto Imperial Palace). It is one of Japan's most important large-scale cultural treasures.

Its gardens are considered a masterpiece of Japanese gardening, and the buildings are regarded among the greatest achievements of Japanese architecture.[citation needed] The palace includes a shoin ("drawing room"), tea houses, and a strolling garden.

The palace belonged to the princes of the Hachijō-no-miya (八条宮) family. The Imperial Household Agency administers it, and accepts visitors by appointment.