is a Tokyo metropolitan park in Bunkyō-ku. The name ''Rikugi-en'' means "Garden of the Six Principles", referring to the six elements in ''

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

'' poetry, based on the traditional division of Chinese poetry into six categories. The gardens consist of a small pond, trees, and a hill.

History

The construction of the gardens took place between 1695 and 1702, and was headed by

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. He was an official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a favourite of the fifth shōgun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. His second concubine was Ogimachi Machiko, a writer and scholar from the noble court who wrote ...

by permission of the fifth Tokugawa

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...

. It is a typical example of a daimyo garden from the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

. After the death of Yanagisawa, it was neglected. The founder of Mitsubishi,

Iwasaki Yatarō was a Japanese industrialist and financier known as the founder of Mitsubishi, one of Japan's largest conglomerates. Early life Iwasaki Yatarō was born on 9 January 1835 in Aki, Tosa Province (now Kōchi Prefecture) into a provincial farmin ...

, bought the gardens in 1878 and began to restore it. This was continued by his younger brother and successor,

Iwasaki Yanosuke was a Japanese banker, businessman, investor, and politician. He served as the 4th Governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ). He was created a Baron in 1900; and he was a member of Japan's House of Peers. Notes References * Weston, Mark. (1999). ...

. The gardens today are about one-third of their original size. In 1938, they were donated to the

Tokyo City was a Cities of Japan, municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo Prefecture (1868–1943), Tokyo-fu which existed from 1 May 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on 1 July 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by ...

government. They were specified as a by the Japanese government in 1953.

Access

The gardens are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are a short walk from

Komagome Station is a railway station in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the Tokyo subway operator Tokyo Metro. Lines Komagome Station is served by the circular Yamanote Line and by the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line su ...

on the JR

Yamanote line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban ...

and the

Tokyo Metro Namboku Line The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. The line runs between Meguro in Shinagawa and Akabane-Iwabuchi in Kita. The Namboku Line was referred to as Line 7 during the planning stages, thus the seldom-used officia ...

. There are no

parking lot A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

s. General admission (

junior high school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school ...

and above) is 300 yen. People over 65 pay 150 yen, and students under junior high school age (and junior high school students living or studying in the

Tokyo metropolitan area The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world, consisting of the Kantō region of Japan (including Tokyo Metropolis and the prefectures of Chiba, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tochigi) as well as the pre ...

) may enter for free.

Illuminations

For short periods during spring and autumn the cherry blossoms and autumn foliage respectively are temporarily lit up and the gardens remain open until 9 p.m.Hanaway, To
Fall Evening Illumination at Rikugien Gardens September 24. 2014
''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' Retrieved on March 23, 2016

References

Bibliography

External links