![Kenrokuen10-r](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Kenrokuen10-r.jpg)
Kenroku-en (兼六園, Six Attributes Garden), located in
Kanazawa
is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 466,029 in 203,271 households, and a population density of 990 persons per km2. The total area of the city was .
Overview Cityscape
File:もてな ...
,
Ishikawa,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, is an old private
garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...
. Along with
Kairaku-en
is a Japanese garden located in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Along with Kenroku-en and Koraku-en, it is considered one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan.
Overview
Kairaku-en was built in the year 1842 by Tokugawa Nariaki, ''daimyō'' o ...
and
Kōraku-en
is a Japanese garden located in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture. It is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, along with Kenroku-en and Kairaku-en. Korakuen was built in 1700 by Ikeda Tsunamasa, lord of Okayama. The garden reached its modern ...
, Kenroku-en is one of the
Three Great Gardens of Japan
The , also known as "the three most famous gardens in Japan" are considered to include Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, Kōraku-en in Okayama and Kairaku-en in Mito.
The conception of gardens in a group of three is found elsewhere, for example, in the th ...
. The grounds are open year-round except for December 29 through January 3 during daylight hours and famous for its beauty in all seasons; an admission fee is charged.
History
Kenroku-en was developed from the 1620s to the 1840s by the
Maeda clan
was a Japanese samurai clan who occupied most of the Hokuriku region of central Honshū from the end of the Sengoku period through the Meiji restoration of 1868. The Maeda claimed descent from the Sugawara clan of Sugawara no Kiyotomo and Suga ...
, the ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...
s'' who ruled the former
Kaga Domain
The , also known as the , was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1583 to 1871. .
While the date of initial development of the garden that would become known as Kenrokuen is rather unclear, one version of the garden's origins can perhaps be marked by the completion of the Tatsumi water channel in 1632 by
Maeda Toshitsune
was an early-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. Toshitsune was a brother of Maeda Toshinaga and a son of Maeda Toshiie. He was ...
,
the third ''daimyō'' of the powerful Maeda clan and ruler of the Kaga Domain from 1605 to 1639, as this feature would be later incorporated into creating the garden's twisting waterways in 1822.
Conversely, in other versions of the garden's inception, it "is said to have originated when the 5th ''daimyō'' Tsunanori
. 1645–1723built
n 1676
N, or n, is the fourteenth Letter (alphabet), letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphabet# ...
the Renchiochin house on the slope facing the
anazawacastle, and gave its garden the name Renchitei", also spelled Renchi-tei, which means "lotus pond".
Not much is known about Renchitei in the years after it was named, principally as about eighty years after its creation, nearly the entire garden was destroyed by a massive fire in 1759. However, it is known from documents of the period that before the fire, the garden was often used and enjoyed by successive lords and retainers for "different banquet occasions such as viewing the moon ... enjoying colorful maples",
and for admiring horses.
[ Furthermore, local legend suggests that the Sacred Well of Kenrokuen – arguably the oldest object in the garden if the legend is true – suggests that:
]1,200 years ago a peasant named Togoro stopped to wash his potatoes at the well. Suddenly, flakes of gold began to bubble up from the well, giving Kanazawa – meaning 'Marsh of Gold' – its name. Water from the well runs to the purification basin at the nearby Shinto shrine, and many people come to the Sacred Well for water for the tea ceremony.
The Shigure-tei teahouse – constructed in 1725 – miraculously survived the fire of 1759, and it offers evidence that not only was the tea ceremony present before the fire, but more importantly so was the culture associated with this elaborate ritual as it had a significant effect on garden design. Following the fire, the teahouse continued to be used and was completely restored during the Meiji period
The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912.
The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...
. It can still be seen today in the Renchitei section of the garden.
Another object that existed in or around the garden before the fire of 1759 was the Kaisekito Pagoda, which is currently situated in Kenrokuen Garden on an island near the center of Hisago-ike Pond. Not only is this object of considerable interest due to the theories which suggest its origin, but it also requires extra consideration due to the fact it "was erected by the third lord Toshitsune"[ who lived from 1594 to 1658, as it provides evidence that perhaps it predates the initial creation of Renchitei Garden. Of course, this depends upon ones interpretation regarding both when the garden was initially created, along with the two theories regarding its origin. The first theory suggests it was formerly part of a "13-tiered pagoda that was once in the Gyokusen-in garden in Kanazawa Castle". The second theory is a bit more interesting than the first, as it suggests the pagoda was "brought back from Korea by Kato Kiyomasa when he came back from a military incursion there, and that it was presented to Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and then passed on by him to the first lord ]aeda
.ae Domain Administration (aeDA) is the Regulatory Body and Registry Operator for the .ae domain, which is the country-code top-level domain for the United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْ ...
Toshiie". Since these military incursions by Kato Kiyomasa probably took place between 1592 and 1598, and as Hideyoshi died in 1598, one can assert that if the second theory is true, then the pagoda probably entered Japan and into the hands of Maeda Toshiie between 1592 and 1598. Moreover, both theories regarding its origin could be true, which one could argue would lead to a third theory behind the pagoda's origin. Perhaps, Maeda Toshiie received from Hideyoshi a 13-tiered pagoda, placed it in Gyokusen-in garden in Kanazawa Castle, and a subsequent daimyo placed the pagoda where it stands today in its current form. However, as there isn't any evidence suggesting this third theory, this claim cannot be substantiated.
The garden is located outside the gates of Kanazawa Castle
is a large, partially-restored Japanese castle in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is located adjacent to the celebrated Kenroku-en Garden, which once formed the castle's private outer garden. It was the headquarters of Kaga Domain, rul ...
where it originally formed the outer garden, and covers 114,436.65 m2 (over 25 acres). It began in 1676 when the 5th ''daimyō'' Maeda Tsunanori
was an Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 4th ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan. He was the 5th hereditary chieftain of the Kanazawa Maeda clan. His childhood name was "Inuchiyo" (犬千代).
Biography
Tsunanori wa ...
moved his administration to the castle and began to landscape a garden in this vicinity. This garden was, however, destroyed by fire in 1759.
The garden restoration was begun in 1774 by the 11th ''daimyō'' Harunaga, who created the Emerald Waterfall (Midori-taki) and Yugao-tei, a teahouse. Improvements continued in 1822 when the 12th ''daimyō'' Narinaga created the garden's winding streams with water drawn from the Tatsumi Waterway. The 13th ''daimyō'' Nariyasu subsequently added more streams and expanded the Kasumi Pond. With this, the garden's current form was complete. The garden was opened to the public on May 7, 1874.
The garden was named by Matsudaira Sadanobu
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and the similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief of the Tokugawa shogunate, from 1787 to 1793.
Early life
Mat ...
at the request of Narinaga. Its name was derived from the "Chronicles of the Famous Luoyang
Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...
Gardens" (洛陽名園記), a book by the Chinese poet Li Gefei (李格非), and stands for the six attributes of a perfect landscape: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas.
Features
Kenroku-en contains roughly 8,750 trees, and 183 species of plants in total. Among the garden's points of special interest are
* the oldest fountain in Japan, operating by natural water pressure.[Lewis, Caroline]
"Kenrokuen Garden Kanazawa," JapanVisitor
n.b.,
Caroline Lewis Kenroku-en is 50 meters above sea level, and the water pressure comes from the Saigawa River Saigawa (written: 犀川) may refer to:
*, former town in Miyako District, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan
*, dam in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan
{{disambiguation ...
at an elevation higher than the garden.
* Yūgao-tei, a teahouse, the oldest building in the garden, built 1774
* Shigure-tei, a rest House that was originally built by the 5th lord Tsunanori, reconstructed at its present location in 2000
* Karasaki Pine, planted from seed by the 13th lord Nariyasu from Karasaki, near Lake Biwa
is the largest freshwater lake in Japan, located entirely within Shiga Prefecture (west-central Honshu), northeast of the former capital city of Kyoto. Lake Biwa is an ancient lake, over 4 million years old. It is estimated to be the 13th ol ...
.
* ''Kotoji-tōrō
are a type of traditional East Asian lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Originating in China, stone lanterns spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam, though they are most commonly found in both China – extant in Buddhist temples and traditional ...
'', a stone lantern with two legs, said to resemble the bridge on a koto
Koto may refer to:
* Koto (band), an Italian synth pop group
* Koto (instrument), a Japanese musical instrument
* Koto (kana), a ligature of two Japanese katakana
* Koto (traditional clothing), a traditional dress made by Afro-Surinamese women
* K ...
. This lantern is emblematic of Kenroku-en and Kanazawa.
* Flying Geese Bridge (Gankō-bashi), made of eleven red stones, laid out to resemble geese in a flying formation
* Kaiseki Pagoda, said to have been donated to the Maeda by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...
In winter, the park is notable for its ''yukitsuri
''Yukitsuri'' (Japanese: 雪つり) is a Japanese technique for preserving trees and shrubs from heavy snow. Trees are given extra support by bamboo poles with ropes attached to limbs; whereas, shrubs are often tied tightly around the circumferen ...
'' — 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.
Gallery
File:131109 Kenrokuen Kanazawa Ishikawa pref Japan01s3.jpg, Autumn image of Kasumi Pond and Kotoji-tōrō Lantern.
File:Kenroku-en-winter-lantern.jpg, Winter image of Kasumi Pond and Kotoji-tōrō Lantern.
File:Kenroku-en-01.jpg, Lantern
File:Pasaje Kenrokuen Kanazawa Japon.JPG, Path and waterway, mid November.
File:Kenrokuen nieve.jpg, Kenroku-en covered by snow.
File:Kenrokuen Uchihashi-tei.jpg, Uchihashi-tei Tea House, Kasumi Pond, early May.
File:Fountain Kenrokuen Garden Kanazawa Japan.JPG, Fountain, mid November.
File:Kenrokuen Hanamibashi in May.jpg, A view from the Flower-viewing Bridge, early May.
File:Kenrokuen1.jpg, Flying Geese Bridge
File:Kenrokuen2.jpg, Statue of Yamato Takeru
, originally , was a Japanese semi-legendary prince of the Yamato dynasty, son of Emperor Keikō, who is traditionally counted as the 12th Emperor of Japan. His name written in kanji can vary, in the '' Nihon Shoki'' it is spelled 日本武尊 a ...
File:Kenrokuen3.jpg, Pines and lanterns
File:Kenrokuen4.jpg, Koi jostle together, hoping for food.
File:Kenroku-en-2012-07.webm, thumbtime=1, A few selected scenes from inside the park, 2012
See also
*
Notes
:)
References
Kenroku-en official website
* Brochure, Kanazawa Castle & Kenroku-en Management Office
from the "Digital Archives of Ishikawa Japan" (Ishikawa Prefectural Government)
{{Authority control
Gardens in Japan
Gardens in Ishikawa Prefecture
Kanazawa
Special Places of Scenic Beauty