is a public park located at the base of Mount Kinka in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Inside the park, there are many attractions, including

Gifu Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Along with Mount Kinka and the Nagara River, it is one of the main symbols of the city. The castle is also known as . It was designated a National Historic Site in 201 ...

, Mount Kinka, the Mt. Kinka Ropeway, the

Gifu City Museum of History The is a city-supported history museum located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Located in Gifu Park at the base of Mount Kinka, it is in the heart of Gifu City's sightseeing area. The museum primarily focuses on the history and tra ...

, the

Eizō & Tōichi Katō Memorial Art Museum The is a museum located in Gifu Park in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is dedicated to the works of the brothers Eizō and Tōichi Katō, who were born in the city. It is part of the Gifu City Museum of History. Facility layout ...

, and the

Nawa Insect Museum The is a museum in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is operated by the Nawa Insect Research Center. History Yasushi Nawa, the man who discovered the Gifu Butterfly and is known as "The Insect Man," opened the Nawa Insect Research ...

. In 2006, it was selected as one of Japan's Top 100 Public Historical Parks.

History

The area that makes up Gifu Park has a long and important role in the history of Gifu City. Though Mount Kinka was strategically important for military purposes, living in the castle atop the mountain would have made daily life very difficult. As such, many important rulers built their main residences at the base of the mountain in modern-day Gifu Park. One of those residences used to belong to Oda Nobunaga. It was called ''Senjō-jiki'' (千畳敷), which literally means "one-thousand

tatami A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatamis are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 m by 1.8 m depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are the floor used for traini ...

mats." The residence was so large that it covered approximately two-thirds of the present day park. Much was known about the residence because the Portuguese Jesuit Missionary Luis Frois wrote about it extensively in his journals during his time visiting with Nobunaga, even going so far as to say that Gifu was "as bustling as Babylon."''Gifu City Walking Map''. Gifu Lively City Public Corporation, 2007. However, until excavation began in 1984, it was unknown whether or not this was actually Nobunaga's ''Senjō-jiki''. Additionally, the park has also been home to a zoo, an aquarium, the Gifu Prefectural Library, and the

Gifu City Science Museum is a city-supported museum in Gifu, Gifu, Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was built in 1955 and was moved to its present location and renamed the Gifu City Children's Science Center in 1980. When the planetarium was added in 1988, the name was ag ...

. However, all those facilities have been closed or moved.

Park timeline

*1882 Permission to open the park was granted. *1882

Taisuke Itagaki Count was a Japanese politician. He was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party. Biography Early life Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking ''samurai'' ...

was attacked at the

Shintō Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintoist ...

Chūkyō-in Shrine. *1888 Gifu Park was opened. *1904

moved to its present location in the park. *1917 The Taisuke Itagaki Statue was erected. *1935 The Shintō Chūkyō-in Shrine was moved. *1955 Mount Kinka Ropeway was opened. *1957 The Gifu Prefectural Library was opened. *1985 The Gifu City Museum of History was opened. *1995 The library was closed and moved. *2001 Oda Nobunaga's Former Residence was excavated.

Events

Gifu Park plays host to numerous events throughout the year. Two popular events are the Gifu Park Illumination, which runs from the end of July to the end of August, and the Chrysanthemum Doll and Flower Festival, which runs from the end of October to the end of November.Festival and Event Calendar
. Gifu City Hall. Accessed July 6, 2007. The park is also known for its smaller events throughout the year, too, including firefly viewing in the summer.

Current facilities

*Oda Nobunaga's Former Residence *Nobunaga ''Rakuichi'' *Japan-China Friendship Garden *Gifu Park Visitors' Rest Area *Three-storied Pagoda *Taisuke Itagaki Statue *Wellspring Area

Former facilities

*Zoo *Aquarium *

*Gifu City Prefectural Library

Access

From JR Gifu Station (Bus Platform 11) or

Meitetsu Gifu Station is a railway station located in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Meitetsu. It is one of the two major railway stations of the city along with JR Gifu Station. Lines Meitetsu Gifu Station is t ...

(Bus Platform 4), board a bus operated by

Gifu Bus is a public transportation company based in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is a subsidiary of Nagoya Railroad and primarily operates within Gifu Prefecture. Some of its public transportation routes within the city of Gifu were handed over by ...

that is heading towards Nagara. Get off the bus at "Gifu Koen, Rekishi Hakubutsukan-mae," approximately 15 minutes from the train stations.

References

Images

File:岐阜公園-正門と若き日の織田信長像gifukoen022.jpg File:岐阜公園-信長の庭gifukoen005.jpg File:岐阜公園-日中友好庭園gifukoen014.jpg File:岐阜公園-三重塔gifukoen001.jpg File:岐阜公園-御手洗の滝gifukoen011.jpg File:岐阜公園-華松軒と休憩所gifukoen027.jpg File:岐阜公園-菊人形・菊花展gifukoen025.jpg File:岐阜公園-菊人形・菊花展gifukoen017.jpg {{coord, 35, 26, 0.1, N, 136, 46, 30.8, E, region:JP_type:landmark, display=title Gifu Parks and gardens in Gifu Prefecture