Korakuen Garden

▶ Overview of Korakuen
▸ Korakuen as it changed through the ages
Okayama Korakuen is a garden created about 300 years ago by Ikeda Tsunamasa, the second lord of Okayama Domain, as a place of relaxation for the domain lord.
During Tsunamasa’s time, the garden was strongly oriented toward viewing from the lord’s living quarters, Enyotei, and from the reception rooms of buildings scattered throughout the grounds.
Tsunamasa’s son, Tsugumasa, extensively remodeled the buildings around the Noh stage, built Yuishinzan in the center of the garden, laid waterways around its base, and had a gourd-shaped pond dug to connect Sawa-no-Ike and the pond at Renchiken. Through these changes, the garden gained a stroll-and-enjoy quality, making it pleasant to walk through. Tsugumasa’s grandson, Harumasa, dismissed the people who had been working the fields for reasons of economy, temporarily turning the garden into a lawn, but soon afterward most of the eastern part of the grounds was returned to farmland. The present Seiden is a remnant of that time. In this way, Korakuen’s scenery changed according to each era’s lordly tastes and social circumstances, and that accumulation has become its history.

▸ One of Japan’s Three Great Gardens, preserving the atmosphere of the Edo period
In the Edo period, Korakuen was also open to the domain’s people if permission was granted. Tsunamasa, who loved Noh, even performed himself, and the lords after Tsugumasa would open the garden on set days while they were away from Okayama on alternate attendance in Edo. It was also used as a place to host the lord’s guests.
In 1871, the Ikeda family renamed “Gokōen” as “Korakuen,” and in 1884 they transferred it to Okayama Prefecture for the purpose of preserving this famous garden. Since it was initially opened not as a park but as land attached to the prefectural office, preservation was maintained through rules such as closing the gates at sunset.
Although it suffered flood damage in 1934 and war damage in 1945, restoration was carried out based on Edo-period illustrations and other materials, and it has been passed down to the present day without greatly altering its Edo-period appearance.
Designated a Place of Scenic Beauty in 1922 and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty under the Cultural Properties Protection Law in 1952, the garden has been loved by many as a garden that conveys the atmosphere of the Edo period. Together with Kenrokuen in Kanazawa and Kairakuen in Mito, it is known as one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens and is now widely enjoyed as one of Japan’s most famous gardens.

▶ The history of Korakuen
▸ Creating a place of relaxation for the domain lord
Shortly before the garden was built, Okayama Domain was reclaiming tidal flats spread between the Asahi River, which flows just east of the castle town, and the Yoshii River, located about 13 kilometers farther east. Reclamation and the development of Hyakken River, which began under the rule of Ikeda Mitsumasa—Tsunamasa’s father and a lord praised as a wise ruler—were being advanced to protect the castle town and farming villages along the Asahi River from flooding. However, in order to successfully reclaim the large tidal flats of Kojima Bay, it became urgent to improve the large drainage channel, the Hyakken River, which would serve both drainage and irrigation, and embankment work was fully launched from 1685 to the following year, 1686.
As a result, the large riverbed area that had spread behind the castle became land that could be used relatively stably instead of a place prone to flood damage. Tsunamasa therefore temporarily suspended the reclamation work and ordered the construction of Korakuen in 1687. For about four years thereafter, construction of Korakuen was the priority, and in 1692 reclamation of Kojima Bay resumed.
Thus, Okinoshinden, the largest reclaimed land in Japan during the Edo period, covering 1,800 chōbu, was completed.
According to the history of Okayama Korakuen, the construction of Korakuen was not an isolated project, but was positioned as one part of the development of the surrounding region. Tsuda Nagatoshi, a senior retainer of Okayama Domain, was in overall command of this series of large-scale projects.
In this way, a place of rest for the domain lord was created in a conveniently accessible location behind the castle. In addition, according to records preserved in the Ikeda Family Documents at the Okayama University Library, such as “Gokōen Shojitomechō,” a management record of Korakuen from the Edo period, Korakuen was one of the places where the domain lord spent daily life, showing that it was used not as a mere ornament but as a living space. It is also becoming clear that at times the domain’s people were allowed to enter, making it a place to enjoy together.

▸ Various aspects of Korakuen’s history
1. The process of construction and its provisional completion
Looking at the illustrated maps preserved in the Ikeda Family Documents, it seems there was not a single plan during the construction of Korakuen that directly led to the current garden landscape; rather, the garden area and scenery were gradually developed through various ideas and adjustments while it was being used.
2. The scenery at the time of construction
In “Setsuginshu,” a work that is both a diary and a collection of waka by Tsunamasa, recently confirmed at the Hayashibara Museum of Art, his reflections on looking at the garden in 1690, not long after construction began, express the feeling of losing track of time amid an unadorned rural landscape.
3. A garden to enjoy together
In Edo-period Korakuen, the domain’s people could also enter if permission was granted. Tsunamasa, who loved Noh, even performed himself, and the lords after Tsugumasa opened the garden on designated days while they were away from Okayama on alternate attendance in Edo.
4. Changes to Korakuen
Tsugumasa, Tsunamasa’s son, built Yuishinzan, about 6 meters high, and laid waterways around its base, also having a gourd-shaped pond dug to connect Sawa-no-Ike and the pond at Renchiken. He also extensively remodeled the buildings around the Noh stage. These changes created elevations within the garden and gave it a stroll-and-enjoy character.
5. Transfer to Okayama Prefecture
In 1884, the garden was transferred from the Ikeda family to Okayama Prefecture for the purpose of preserving this famous garden. Since it was initially opened not as a park but as land attached to the prefectural office, it had rules different from those of ordinary parks, such as closing at sunset. Only three teahouses were permitted to operate within the grounds.
6. Disasters and restoration
It suffered major damage in the 1934 Muroto Typhoon and the 1945 war damage. Restoration was carried out based on Edo-period maps and illustrations, though some parts changed from before the disasters, such as the simplification of paths. The current land division directly inherits the improvements made at that time.