2. Historical background
The development of Kenroku-en started with the terrace across from the castle.
• The 5th lord Tsunanori relocated the construction office back to the castle
grounds to build a villa for himself on the site as well as developing the garden
around it.
• This is said to have been the beginning of the garden development. The garden
was called "Renchi-tei garden" at that time.
• The place was often used for different banquet occasions such as viewing the
moon or enjoying colourful maples. The Renchi-tei garden was deeply loved by
the line of lords and old retainers, but it was nearly burnt down except for only a
small part by the great fires in 1759.
• It is the 11th lord Harunaga, who restored the garden. With Midori-taki waterfall
and Yugao-tei tea house built in 1774 and Uchihashi-tei tea house in 1776, the
development of the garden was nearly completed.
3. • In the year of completion of Takezawa Villa, Lord Narinaga asked Shirakawa Rakuo
to name the garden. He named it "Kenrokuen" after a garden combining the six
attributes of a perfect landscape garden: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice,
antiquity, watercourses and panoramas.
• Lord Narinaga died two years after the completion of Takezawa Villa. On the site
where the villa was subsequently destroyed, the 13th lord Nariyasu expanded
Kasumigaike Pond and added some winding streams to harmonized the garden.
• Kenroku-en was fully opened to the public in 1874.
Historical background
4. Kenrokuen covers over
25 hectares and contains
roughly 8750 trees and
183 species of plants in
total.
5. The pond is located almost
in the center of Kenroku-en,
and is the biggest pond in
the garden.
It is 5,800 square meters in
area and 1.5m deep at the
deepest point.
People can enjoy different
landscapes in each season
while strolling around the
pond.
The pond is surrounded by
many famous features in
the garden.
KASUMIGA-IKE
6. The fountain water comes
from Kasumi-ike pond, and is
spurted by the natural
pressure.
The fountain shoots 3.5
high, but it depends on the
surface level of Kasumiga-
ike pond.
The fountain is said to have
been developed to send
water to the secondary
closure of the castle.
It is said to be the oldest
fountain in Japan.
FOUNTAIN
7. Flying Geese Bridge (Gankō-bashi), made of eleven red stones, laid out to resemble geese in a flying formation
8. The monument has the 5-m tall statue of Yamatotakeru-
no-Mikoto (the legendary hero) in the center and the
monument for the war dead on the left.
It is dedicated to the soldiers who died in the Seinan
battle. It was erected in 1880 and is believed as the first
bronze statue in Japan.
MEIJI MONUMENT
12. During winter, the park is notable for its yukitsuri , which is ropes attached in a conical array to carefully
support tree branches in the desired arrangements, thereby protecting the trees from damage caused by
heavy snows.
13.
14. KENROKUEN GARDEN (LANDSCAPE
GARDEN)
• It is a strolling-style landscape garden with the characteristics of a
typical landscape garden of Edo Period.
• Kenroku-en was designated a National Site of Scenic Beauty in 1922.
• It was rated higher to a National Site of Special Scenic Beauty in 1985,
thus gaining the most honorable rank equivalent to a National
Treasure.
21. Path
s
Paths became an integral part of
Japanese gardens with the introduction
of strolling and tea gardens.
Strolling gardens feature circular paths
constructed of stepping stones, crushed
gravel, sand or packed earth, which are
carefully prescribed to lead visitors to the
best views of the garden.
Winding paths also serve to segregate
different areas, such as an isolated grove
or hidden pond, from each other so that
they may be contemplated individually.
23. Borrowed
scenery
Borrowed scenery (shakkei) is the concept of
integrating the background landscape outside the
garden into the design of the garden.
Both, natural objects such as mountains and hills
and man made structures such as castles, can be
used as borrowed scenery.
In modern times, skyscrapers have become a
(usually) unintentional borrowed scenery for some
gardens in the cities.
25. Lantern
s
Lanterns come in a variety of shapes and
sizes and have been a common element of
Japanese garden design throughout history.
They are usually made of stone and placed
in carefully selected locations, such as on
islands, at the ends of peninsulas or next to
significant buildings, where they provide
both light and a pleasing aesthetic.
Lanterns are often paired with water basins
which together make up a basic component
of tea gardens.
26. This stone lantern is
emblematic of
Kenrokuen. This lantern
has two legs, which is
said to resemble Kotoji,
the bridge on a koto.
It is a modified version of
the Yukimi Lantern,
which lights up the
surface of the water.
Kotoji stone lantern
27. Water
basins
Many gardens contain stone water basins
(tsukubai), which are used for ritual cleansing,
especially ahead of tea ceremonies.
The basins vary from simple depressions in uncut
stone to elaborate carved stone creations, and are
usually provided with a bamboo dipper for
scooping up water.
These days they often appear as a decorative
addition more than for a practical purpose.Water
basins are an essential element of tea gardens and
are often paired with lanterns.
28. This hand basin is carved in
relief of Hakuga, the
renowned koto player.
The basin placed by the
veranda of Yugao-tei tea
house with 45cm in height and
85cm in diameter. It was made
by Goto Teijo, the renowned
metal worker invited by the
5th lord from Kyoto.
Hakuga dankin
hand basin
