Keiunkan (慶雲館) is a dignified Western-influenced building completed in 1887 at the personal initiative of local entrepreneurs who wanted to ensure the Emperor Meiji had a suitable residence when passing through Nagahama on imperial tours of the region. The emperor stayed here three times; the building later served various civic functions before being restored and opened to the public as an exhibition hall and garden.
The garden behind the building is considered one of the finest Meiji-era stroll gardens in Shiga prefecture, carefully composed around a central pond with stone lanterns, pruned pines, and a teahouse. In February the plum trees along the garden's perimeter bloom white and pink — the Nagahama Plum Blossom Festival draws visitors specifically to see them, and the combination of blossom and old architecture is quietly beautiful.