Kōraku-en

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View from Yuishinzan to Sawa-no-ike.
Waterfall to the Kayō pond.
The 7 m high stone from the inland sea.
Moshō-an tea house.
In the Ryūten

The Kōraku-en ( Japanese. 後 楽 園 ) in the city of Okayama is with the Kairaku-en and the Kenroku-en one of the three famous gardens of Japan ( Nihon sanmeien ).

Overview

Prince Ikeda Tsunamasa (1638-1714) decided in 1686 to create a garden across from his castle on the other side of the Asahigawa River, which was then completed in 1700 after 14 years. At first the garden was simply called Kōen , as the great tea house was built first, and only after that the garden. The garden has been called Kōraku-en since 1871 , after the second half of an old Chinese four-character saying zen'yū kōraku ( 先 憂 後 楽 ), "First trouble, then pleasure". The garden is designed as a convertible garden in the style of the Enshū school.

The water of the river is used for the ponds and creeks in the garden, and as usual there are artificial hills. There is a small tea plantation and a field for growing rice. The extensive lawns are unusual for a Japanese garden. The garden benefits from the mild climate, influenced by the nearby Seto Inland Sea . After the Meiji restoration, the garden remained in the possession of the Ikeda family, who then left it to the prefecture in 1884.

The garden was damaged in a typhoon-related flood in 1934, and since construction work began in 1939, water has completely surrounded it on both sides. In World War II the buildings were largely destroyed. After the war, the garden was gradually restored. In 1952 he was given the title "Particularly significant natural design" (tokubetsu meishō).

The garden in detail

  • Enyō-tei : The prince entertained his guests in this first building in the garden. It offers the most beautiful view of the central pond, the Sawa-no-ike . The current building was restored in 1960 based on the old templates.
  • In front of the Enyō-tei is the Kakumei-kan , initially simply called hiroma (hall), the reception room for guests. The current building was moved here from Iwakuni City ( Yamaguchi Prefecture ) in 1949.
  • Behind the Enyō-tei is a classic Noh stage, to which you can look over from the Eishō-suminagashi-no-ma.
  • The central pond, Sawa-no-ike , is intended to remind of the landscape on Lake Biwa .
  • Next to the group of houses described above is the small, deeply cut pond Kayō-no-ike, in which lotus blooms in summer. Behind it is a large stone ( Ō-date-ishi ) 7 m high and 20 m in circumference, which was transported here from the inland sea - broken down into 93 parts. The Moshō-an tea house also belongs to this ensemble .
  • From Mount Yuishin you have a beautiful view over the garden.
  • Ryūten is a sideways open pavilion over the stream flowing through the garden. There you can sit on benches parallel to the stream and let your feet dangle. In the past, people enjoyed themselves as part of the Kyokusui-no-en : you had to have written a short poem before the bowl of sake placed above reached you while swimming.
  • In the vicinity of Ryūten there is a zigzag bridge ( yatsuhashi ), on both sides of which irises bloom in summer.
  • At the southeast end of the garden, before going to the modern greenhouse, is the Chaso-dō , a tea house in which the statues of the great tea masters Eisai and Sen no Rikyū are located.
  • From the thatched-roof Kanki-tei pavilion , the prince could watch his people's riding skills on the track.
  • Furthermore, groups of plums, cherries, maples and pines, a cage with cranes and other small buildings belong to the garden.

Annual events

  • January 1st: New Year event with Koto music.
  • Mid-February: burning of the old grass.
  • Third Sunday in May: tea-picking.
  • First Sunday in July: rice planting.
  • July 20th: Lotus contemplation.
  • In September: look at the autumn moon (according to the lunar calendar on August 15).
  • End of October: Chrysanthemum show.

Characteristics

  • Carrier: Okayama Prefecture
  • Opening: around 1884
  • Area: 133,000 m²
  • Tree population: 10,300 trees classified into 250 species
  • Facilities: Large and small teahouses, Noh stage, greenhouse, smaller buildings

Remarks

  1. ↑ Named after the important tea master and garden designer Kobori Enshū (1579–1647)

literature

  • Leaflet of the garden (English).
  • Leaflet of the garden (Japanese).

Web links

Commons : Kōraku-en  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 34 ° 40 ′ 3.6 ″  N , 133 ° 56 ′ 6.2 ″  E