Shūraku-en

In Shūraku-en

Outline of the Shūraku-en

The Shūraku-en ( Japanese 衆楽園 ) is a Japanese garden from the Edo period in the city of Tsuyama , Okayama Prefecture . The garden was added to the list of "Landscapes of Japan" ( 国の名勝 , Kuni no meishō ) in 1992.

history

The second prince of Tsuyama-han, Mori Nagatsugu (1610–1698), had a garden built in the style of Kobori Enshu . However, the Mori family moved and the Matsudaira from Echizen took over the Han . The garden, away from Tsuyama Castle , was often used as a meeting place for talks and negotiations. At 74,000 m², this garden was three times the size of today's. The garden, which originally had no name, was given the current one, meaning “People's Amusement Park”, only after it was opened to the general public in 1870.

The attachment

Today's garden stretches north-south and only encloses the formative pond. This is divided into four sections by three islands connected by bridges. The pond is fed in the north by a stream that accompanies the garden on the east side. The garden integrates the hill of the castle and the surrounding mountains as a "borrowed landscape" ( 借景 , shakkei ), whereby the nearby trees and bushes (cherry, maple, azalea) are reflected in the water according to the seasons. When the garden of the Sento Palace in Kyoto was renovated in 1815, this garden is said to have served as inspiration.