乃木坂駅を出てすぐの外苑東通りと乃木坂に面した公園です。日清・日露戦争を戦った陸軍大将乃木希典（1849～1912）の邸宅地でしたが、乃木将軍の遺言により、公園として東京市に寄贈され、大正2年に開設されました。現在は港区により管理されています。
旧乃木邸・馬小屋が保存されているエリアの南側には、ベンチの置かれた休憩スペースが２カ所あります。２カ所の休憩スペースは階段でつながり、階段下ではサクラの大木が枝を広げ、夏には空間を覆うように葉を茂らせて、涼しい木陰をつくっています。サクラの花が見ごろの時期は、階段上からの鑑賞もおすすめです。
園内の随所にステンレスパイプのモニュメントが配置され、植栽や旧乃木邸の趣と調和して、美術館の屋外展示のようなアート空間となっています。

＊旧乃木邸・馬小屋について
旧乃木邸は、日清・日露戦争の両戦役に従事し、明治天皇崩御の後に殉死された陸軍大将乃木希典の邸宅です。現存する家屋は、乃木大将がドイツ留学中に見たフランス連隊本部を参考にして、自らの設計により明治35 年(1902)に新築されたものです。明治期の将官の邸宅は接客を目的とする豪華な建物が多かったのに比べ、旧乃木邸の外観は黒塗りの板張りで飾り気がなく、内部も極めて簡素かつ合理的に造られており、明治期の和洋折衷建築としても貴重なものとなっています。

馬小屋は母屋が改築される以前の、明治22 年(1889)に建てられました。煉瓦造り、日本瓦葺きの平屋建てで、母屋より立派であったことから、「新坂の馬屋敷」と称されて評判になったといいます。煉瓦は英国から取り寄せるほどのこだわりぶりで、馬を大切にした乃木大将の人柄が偲ばれます。

This park faces Gaien Higashi Avenue and Nogizaka, just outside Nogizaka Station. The site was the estate of Count Nogi Maresuke (1849–1912), an army general who served in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars. It was bequeathed to the City of Tokyo as a park at the Count’s bequest and opened in 1913. Minato-ku currently manages it.
The park’s south side has two rest areas with benches where the former Nogi residence and stable are preserved. A staircase links the two rest areas, and under the staircase, large Japanese cherry trees spread their branches and cover the space with their leaves in summer, creating a cool, shady spot. We recommend viewing the cherry blossoms when they are at their best from the top of the stairs.
Stainless steel pipes are installed throughout the park, harmonizing with the plants and the ambience of the former Nogi residence, creating an artistic space that resembles an outdoor museum exhibit.
*The former Nogi residence and stable
The former Nogi residence belonged to Nogi Maresuke, an army general who served in both the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars and who committed ritual suicide after the Meiji Emperor’s death. The present house was designed by General Nogi and constructed in 1902. The design is based on the French regimental headquarters he saw while studying in Germany. Compared to the luxurious residences of military generals during the Meiji period, which were often built for entertaining guests, the exterior of the former Nogi residence is a plain, black-stained wood-paneled building with an extremely simple, streamlined interior, making it a valuable example of blending Japanese and Western architecture during the Meiji period.

The stable was built in 1889 before the main building was renovated. The one-story brick building with a Japanese tile roof was statelier than the main house and was thus called Niizaka no Umayashiki, or the “horse residence of Niizaka,” thereby acquiring a reputation. The bricks were carefully sourced from the UK, attesting to the character of General Nogi, who cherished his horses.