[Tokyo] Stroll through the daimyo garden associated with Mito Komon - Koishikawa Korakuen

Koishikawa Korakuen Garden was formerly the garden of the Edo residence of the Mito Domain, one of the three main branches of the Tokugawa clan, during the Edo period. It is known as a famous spot for cherry blossoms in spring, irises in early summer, and autumn leaves in autumn. One of the few daimyo gardens still remaining in the city center, this 70,000 square meter stroll-style garden with a rock-cut pond and pond feels like a lord or princess

In spring, the seven weeping cherry trees are a sight to behold

The famous weeping cherry tree

Koishikawa Korakuen is a feudal lord's garden spanning an area of ​​70,000 square meters. Built in 1629 (Kan'ei 6) by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the first lord of the Mito domain, it was renovated by Mitsukuni and remains as it is today. The meaning of the name "Korakuen" is "sorrow before the troubles of the world, enjoyment after the pleasures of the world," a life lesson that teaches those of high social standing to shoulder the hardships before anyone else and enjoy the pleasures after everyone else. Koishikawa Korakuen is a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, and in late March, the Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms and seven weeping cherry trees are a sight to behold. Behind the weeping cherry blossoms, the white roof of the Tokyo Dome resembles a snow-capped mountain, enhancing the beauty of the cherry blossoms. Now, let's walk along the path to the left of the weeping cherry tree in front of us

Feel like you're strolling around Arashiyama in Kyoto while in the heart of the city

Togetsukyo Bridge over the Oi River

The river in front is the Oi River and the bridge is Togetsukyo Bridge, which resembles the scenery of Arashiyama in Kyoto. In the background on the right are mountains, which resemble Tofuku-ji Temple and Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Higashiyama, Kyoto. We will now walk towards them. In fact, Koishikawa Korakuen was created by Mito Mitsukuni, who selected beautiful locations from Japan and China to skillfully depict the scenic beauty of those places, including lakes, mountains, rivers and countryside. It was modeled after the famous West Lake in China, and the landscape was incorporated into the garden

Byobuiwa Rock and Oi River

After crossing Togetsukyo Bridge, I turned around and saw the Oi River directly ahead. Once I crossed the river, I came across a pebbled area, and a space reminiscent of a Zen Buddhist garden, with Byobu Rock at its center, spread out in the middle of the natural landscape. The Byobu Rock can be seen on the left

Tsutenkyo Bridge seen from the hill

The vermilion bridge in the greenery is Tsutenkyo Bridge. It is modeled after the Tsutenkyo Bridge at Tofukuji Temple in Higashiyama, Kyoto, a famous spot for viewing autumn leaves. The river that flows through it is the Oi River. There is a waterfall to the right of Tsutenkyo Bridge, which is modeled after Otowa Falls at Kiyomizu-dera Temple

Togetsukyo Bridge seen from Tsutenkyo Bridge

From the middle of Tsutenkyo Bridge, we can see Togetsukyo Bridge, which we just passed. Stones have been placed on the Oi River, so that you can cross by walking along them. This is a view that can also be seen on the Kamo River in Kyoto. On the left side of the image, just across the bridge, there was a Kannon Hall modeled after the Kiyomizu-dera Temple in Kyoto, but it was burned down in the Great Kanto Earthquake and no longer remains. The area around Tsutenkyo Bridge has the most beautiful autumn foliage in Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

Tokujin-do Hall, which houses the wooden statues of Hakui and Shuqi

The oldest building in the garden, built by Mito Mitsukuni, is Tokujin-do Hall. Inside the building are wooden statues of Boyi and Shuqi, who appear in the Chinese Records of the Grand Historian. Mitsukuni was impressed when he read the biography of Boyi in the Records of the Grand Historian when he was 18 years old

Tokujindo Hall seen from the front

This is the front of Tokujindo. The front door is closed. This is exactly where the summit is. From here, we descend the mountain and head towards the large pond, which is modeled after Lake Biwa

The center of Koishikawa Korakuen is a large pond that resembles Lake Biwa

The Great Spring and Horai Island

Koishikawa Korakuen is a strolling garden with a large hill and pond, centered around a large pond modeled after Lake Biwa. The main attraction is the pond shown in the picture. The island floating in the pond is Horai Island. In ancient China, Horai Island was an island inhabited by immortal immortals, and it is also the place where Emperor Qin Shi Huang sent Xu Fu in search of the elixir of immortality. It is also said that this island was present-day Japan. The red part is a shrine

Rice fields and iris gardens

This is after the rice harvest. There are actually rice fields in Koishikawa Korakuen. They were built by Tokugawa Mitsukuni to teach his sons and wives how hard it is for farmers to grow rice. Nowadays, elementary school students from Bunkyo Ward come here to practice rice cultivation

Kuhachiya is a teahouse from the Edo period

There is a teahouse from the Edo period in the pine grove on the bank of the great spring. Its name is Kuhachiya. The name comes from the moral that "you should drink 90% alcohol during the day and 80% alcohol at night." It means that you should be moderate in all things. This is a rest area where you can sit and rest

Remnants of the time when the area was an army artillery factory are still scattered around

In the shrubbery to the right of Kuhachiya, there is something like a black metal lid. This is a remnant of the time when this site was the Tokyo Artillery Arsenal of the Ministry of the Army after it was transferred from the Mito Domain to the new government in 1869 (Meiji 2) following the return of the domain and people to the Emperor. Some of the factory equipment still remains in the garden

The inner garden of the Mito Domain Shoin

In front of the lotus-filled pond was a study for the Mito domain. This place is located at the very tip of the Koishikawa Plateau, and the water for this garden was actually drawn from the nearby Kanda Aqueduct

Tokudaiji Stone and Horai Island

This is the Great Spring and Horai Island. Viewed from a different angle. There is a large stone in front of Horai Island floating in the middle. It is called Tokudaiji Stone. By the way, there are carp in the Great Spring, and carp food is also sold at the shop

What did you think? Even though it's located in the heart of the city, Koishikawa Korakuen allows you to enjoy the beauty of each season: cherry blossoms and irises in spring, lotus flowers in summer, autumn leaves in autumn, and camellias in winter. If you come here, you'll feel like you've strolled through many different famous places. Please give it a visit

INFORMATION

Jun Nambara

Author, scriptwriter, and animation producer. He wrote and directed the drama CD "The Rose of Versailles" supervised by Riyoko Ikeda, and has published many books, including "Onmyoji Abe no Seimei" (Futami Shobo). He is also attracting attention as a travel writer who works as a tour conductor on weekends. His hobby is pilgrimages to sacred sites of anime, dramas, and movies