Koishikawa Korakuen gardens is located near Iidabashi station not far away from the Imperial Palace and Yasukuni shrine
in downtown Tokyo.

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Background and History of Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens

Consruction of the garden was started by the feudal lord Tokugawa Yoriusa back in 1629, and completed in the hands o his son, the second domain lord, Tokugawa Mitsukuni, with a lot of help from a Confucian scholar from China, Zhu Zhiyu. This strong Chinese influence can be seen throughout the garden, and it gives Korakuen its own unique ambience. Typical sights in China were reflected as seen by Engetsu-kyo and Seiko-no-tsutsumi. Also, Korakuen is a garden of many hills and levels with winding paths that lead to extraordinary views. The garden is centered on a large pond, but has many stone pathways which lead to groves, fields or scenic spots which visitors can enjoy in almost perfect calm in the center Tokyo.

Features and Sights to See

Varied Scenery

Koishikawa Korakuen gardens was beautifully designed to have the large garden pond at its center, surrounded by hills, rivers, and a rice paddy. Scenic areas named after famous places in China are scattered throughout the park. You can enjoy both the varied scenery and the seasonal flowers as you walk though each area of the gardens. The garden has retained the early to mid Edo style to this day and is therefore an important historical asset as well.

In particular, from late November through to early December, Koishikawa Korakuen gardens is known as a popular scenic spot for fall foliage from the more than 500 maple trees which turn red.

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Engetsu-kyo

The name was given in light of the reflected shape of the bridge on the stream’s surface which appears like a full moon. It is attributed to the design made by the Chinese Confucian, Zhu Zhiyu, and is a valuable structure that preserves ambience of those days long ago.

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Rice field and plum tree grove

This rice field was made by Mitsukuni to teach about the hardship of the farmers to the wife of his heir, Tsuneda. At present, local elementary school students in Bunkyo ward practice traditional activities by planting and harvesting the rice from this field. Mitsukuni also loved plum-blossoms so much that he used it as his symbolic name, “bairi” (village of plums). In early February, 20 different types of plum blossoms are in bloom.

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