Tetsugaku-dō Park, Urban park in Matsugaoka, Tokyo, Japan
Tetsugaku-dō is a park in Matsugaoka within Shinjuku ward in Tokyo that combines halls, bridges, and monuments among gardens and groomed pathways. The site spans several levels and links sports facilities with rest areas under old trees.
Scholar Inoue Enryo founded the site in 1904 and built the Hall of the Four Sages for Socrates, Kant, Confucius, and Buddha. The city of Tokyo later took over the grounds and opened them to the public with new sports facilities.
The name Tetsugaku-dō means path of philosophy and appears throughout the grounds in inscriptions and symbolic buildings. Visitors today still see the wooden and stone architecture designed to invite contemplation.
The park sits on a slope and requires sturdy shoes for the paths between different levels. Sports fields and rest areas are scattered throughout the grounds and offer different views of the surroundings.
Every path, bridge, and structure carries a name with a philosophical reference and reflects the intellectual intention of the founder. These labels appear on small plaques along the routes and invite a thoughtful walk.
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