Gyokusen’inmaru Garden - A jewel of Japanese landscaping
The Gyokusen'inmaru Garden is part of the larger park grounds around the former Kanazawa Castle, of which a side building, gates and castle walls still exist. The garden has existed since 1634, when the daimyo of the time, feudal lord Toshitsune Maeda, ordered for its construction. Until the abolition of the feudal system and the upheavals that took place during the Meiji period, it was then repeatedly rebuilt and redesigned. It is assumed that the garden served primarily as a courtyard for the daimyo himself and was not used for entertaining guests like the nearby Kenrokuen Garden. Even then, the garden had a large pond in the middle and paths around it that invited visitors to take a stroll and enjoy the scenery. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), the garden was abandoned and lost its former appearance, but fortunately the city decided to rebuild this garden again. For that they used old drawings, records and other documents. The stone walls at the edges were restored and the whole area was then filled with earth and the new garden was laid out on top. The reconstruction was completed in spring 2015 and I am sure even the former feudal lords would have been proud of the result.
Gyokusen’inmaru Garden - A jewel of Japanese landscaping
The Gyokusen'inmaru Garden is part of the larger park grounds around the former Kanazawa Castle, of which a side building, gates and castle walls still exist. The garden has existed since 1634, when the daimyo of the time, feudal lord Toshitsune Maeda, ordered for its construction. Until the abolition of the feudal system and the upheavals that took place during the Meiji period, it was then repeatedly rebuilt and redesigned. It is assumed that the garden served primarily as a courtyard for the daimyo himself and was not used for entertaining guests like the nearby Kenrokuen Garden. Even then, the garden had a large pond in the middle and paths around it that invited visitors to take a stroll and enjoy the scenery. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), the garden was abandoned and lost its former appearance, but fortunately the city decided to rebuild this garden again. For that they used old drawings, records and other documents. The stone walls at the edges were restored and the whole area was then filled with earth and the new garden was laid out on top. The reconstruction was completed in spring 2015 and I am sure even the former feudal lords would have been proud of the result.
Gyokusen’inmaru Garden - A jewel of Japanese landscaping
The Gyokusen'inmaru Garden is part of the larger park grounds around the former Kanazawa Castle, of which a side building, gates and castle walls still exist. The garden has existed since 1634, when the daimyo of the time, feudal lord Toshitsune Maeda, ordered for its construction. Until the abolition of the feudal system and the upheavals that took place during the Meiji period, it was then repeatedly rebuilt and redesigned. It is assumed that the garden served primarily as a courtyard for the daimyo himself and was not used for entertaining guests like the nearby Kenrokuen Garden. Even then, the garden had a large pond in the middle and paths around it that invited visitors to take a stroll and enjoy the scenery. In the Meiji era (1868-1912), the garden was abandoned and lost its former appearance, but fortunately the city decided to rebuild this garden again. For that they used old drawings, records and other documents. The stone walls at the edges were restored and the whole area was then filled with earth and the new garden was laid out on top. The reconstruction was completed in spring 2015 and I am sure even the former feudal lords would have been proud of the result.