Kenrokuen Garden, a strolling-style landscape garden as a special place of scenic beauty
Historical and cultural heritage reflecting the Kaga Hyakuman-goku culture
Along with Kairakuen garden in Mito and Korakuen garden in Okayama, Kenrokuen Garden stands as one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. During the Edo period (1603-1868), Kenrokuen Garden was founded as the external garden of Kanazawa Castle and extended over generations by the feudal lords of Kaga (current southern part of Ishikawa) as a typical Daimyo (feudal lord) garden. Located in the heart of Kanazawa, it possesses the six features*1 that symbolize an excellent landscape garden, and provides seasonal attractions that have been appreciated by both citizens and tourists from all over the world.
A strolling-style landscape garden arranged with ponds, hills and tea houses over a broad area
Due to the integration of the “strolling-style” garden element, Kenrokuen Garden is laid out with a variety of gardening techniques from different periods. Unlike “sit-and-view style” gardens where you enjoy the landscape only from a certain point of a temple or a palace, strolling-style gardens have large ponds, hills, rest houses and tea houses arranged over spacious grounds, allowing you to take a walk through them. Due to the presence of geographic features such as ponds and winding streams with water from the Tatsumi canal and artificially-built hills with a variety of trees, this garden is also referred to as a “strolling-style landscape garden incorporating ponds and hills”.
A reflection of feudal lords’ wishes for prosperity
Kenrokuen Garden was developed to perfection over generations by the Kaga clan lords. The basic concept of the garden’s design (“eternal life”) remained consistent over this period. By creating a large pond to resemble the ocean and positioning an island for a legendary wizard with the secret to perpetual youth and longevity to live on, the lords cast their wishes for longevity and eternal prosperity into the garden’s design. The 5th lord and founder of the garden, Tsunanori Maeda, established the three divine islands Horai, Hojo and Eisyu in the Hisago pond, and the 13th lord Nariyasu Maeda created Horai island in Kasumiga-ike pond.
*1: The origin of the garden name: “Six features”
The name “Kenrokuen” means “a garden with six features”. It is derived from an old Chinese gardening book that introduces “Koen”, a garden that possesses six features making it a perfect landscape garden. The features consist of three pairs: “Spaciousness & Seclusion”, “Artifice & Antiquity” and “Water courses & Panoramas”. “Spaciousness” refers to wide spaces and “Seclusion” refers to tranquility and depth. “Artifice” means that human skills are used and “Antiquity” refers to ancient nature. “Water courses” refers to streams, ponds and waterfalls, and “Panoramas” refers to good panoramic views. Actually, it is difficult to find a place where you can enjoy streams and a panoramic view simultaneously.
These paired features are contradictory; however, they are well-harmonized in Kenrokuen Garden. In particular, the coexistence of “Water courses” and “Panoramas” is the most distinctive feature of Kenrokuen Garden, which other gardens cannot imitate.
See here for further information
（Kenrokuen Garden website）