Rikugien is the ultimate daimyo garden that depicts the beauty of ``Kokin Wakashu.''

Rikugien, located in Komagome, is where Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa, who was extremely powerful as a servant to Tsunayoshi, the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, had a former residence. The garden that still remains today is a daimyo garden whose landscaping was supervised by Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa, inspired by the beautiful scenery centered around Wakaura in Kishu described in Ki Tsuneyuki's ``Kokin Wakashu'', and is a must-see for its attention to beauty.

Go to Rikugien, where you can enjoy the beauty of each season!

After paying the entrance fee at the Rikugien entrance, you will find the gate to the garden after a short walk. Beyond this gate is the feudal lord's garden, created by Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa.

In front of you as you pass through the gate is a beautiful weeping cherry tree. This weeping cherry tree is a specialty of Rikugien Garden and is one of the most beautiful in Tokyo. It is approximately 17m wide and 13m high. During the cherry blossom season from mid-March to early April, the ``Weeping Cherry Blossoms and Daimyo Garden Light-up'' is held, so be sure to check it out.

The pond in front is Oizumisui. Nakanoshima Island is on the right, Horai Island is on the left, and Fukiage Beach is on the opposite shore. On the shore are Idashio Minato, Tamamo Beach, and Fukiage Beach.

Although it has now regained its beautiful appearance as a feudal lord's garden, after Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa's death, the garden fell into disrepair.
The person who developed it was Yataro Iwasaki, the founder of the Mitsubishi Group. In the early Meiji era, it was restored to its former beauty as a villa for the Iwasaki family, and in 1938, Iwasaki donated all of the land to present-day Tokyo, where it became the current Rikugien Garden. The total area is approximately 87,800 square meters. After placing a middle island in the large pond in front of the pond and creating the Horai Ishigumi and rocky islands using huge stones, we leave it to nature to create its beauty.

Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa, who loved waka poetry, was particular about recreating the natural landscapes described in his poems using the power of nature, rather than creating them with human hands.

Additionally, there are events that highlight the beauty of this garden. "Autumn leaves and illumination of Daimyo garden" is held from mid-November to early December.

The Oizumi water is not the only highlight. There are various beauties surrounding Oizumi.

This is Takimi Chaya. There is a gazebo in the back of the center of the screen, and when you are there, you can enjoy the sound of the mountain stream and the waterfall. It is a place where you can feel the water in your ears and feel cool during the hot summer months.

This is a view of the water surface of Oizensui from the top of the Chidori Bridge between Oizensui and Takimijaya. There are many carp on the water surface. From here, head to Fukiage Chaya on the opposite bank of Oizumizu.

Enjoy the beauty of the daimyo garden at Fukiage Chaya.

Rikugien is a feudal lord garden centered around Oizumi water. Fukiage Chaya is where you can fully enjoy the scenery. While enjoying the view from the pond, why not try a set of fresh sweets inspired by matcha and seasonal flowers? We highly recommend it.

From Fukiage Chaya, you can enjoy the changing seasons of Rikugien. By the way, when Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa created Rikugien, Fukiage was based on a place called Fukiage in Kishu.

Fukiage Chaya also sells souvenirs. The popular one is "Anzu Yokan" in the image.

In addition, there are limited edition tenugui towels designed with the family crest of Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa, who created Rikugien. The colors are peach and navy blue. A shop and a rest area are also located near Deshio Minato, which is just a short walk around Oizumi Water from here.

This is the view from Fukiage Chaya towards Takimi Chaya. The view from Takimi-jaya to Fukiage-jaya is quite rustic.

The ultimate famous Edo garden that even takes in the buildings of the city center!

If you leave Fukiage Chaya and continue walking along the Oizumi River, you will come to a Tsukiyama. Fujimi is 35 meters above sea level, and the slope leading up to it is named Fujishiro Pass. Fujishiro Pass was created in the image of a mountain pass in present-day Kishu, Wakayama Prefecture.

This is the view overlooking Rikugien from the top of Mt. Fujimi. While strolling through the garden, it feels like you are back in the Edo period, but when you stand here, you can clearly see that you are in the present time. The famous gardens of Edo now use the surrounding skyscrapers as scenery to create a unique beauty by contrasting modern times with Edo.

When you see the actual stone lantern, you will be overwhelmed by its size. Although it is currently prohibited to enter, beyond this stone lantern is Tazuru Bridge, which Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa crossed to reach the island in Oizumisui.

This is the view from Ishio Minato after going around Oizumi Water. There is a rest area and shop behind the screen. The beauty of Rikugien is that you can experience a variety of scenery just by taking a walk around Oizumi Waterfall.

summary

What did you think? Rikugien, a feudal lord garden located in the heart of the city near Komagome Station on the Yamanote Line, is a garden where you can enjoy the four seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter. There is no doubt that you can enjoy the beauty of each season. We recommend that you take a walk around it at least once.

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