The 'Island' built by SOGA no Umako at the banks of the Asuka-gawa River, around AD 628 when Empress Suiko had ruled for 28 years, was the oldest Japanese garden on record, and it seems that the style was followed in building Prince Kusakabe's dwelling 'Island Palace,' which enjoys a natural scenery arranged with an island in a pond, bridge, a pond beach and a rough shoreline.
推古天皇28年（620年）頃、蘇我馬子が飛鳥川畔に作った「島」が日本庭園の最も古い記録で、その流れを受けたと思われる草壁王子の住居「島の宮」は中島、橋、池汀、荒磯を配置した自然風景を描写したものとされる。