Former Ikeda Family Gardens, Traditional garden in Daisen, Japan

The Former Ikeda Family Gardens is a large traditional garden in Daisen featuring a central pond and classic landscape design elements. The grounds are surrounded by rice fields with views toward the Ou Mountains and Mount Chokai.

The Ikeda family settled in Dewa Province during the early Edo period and became one of the three largest landowners in the Tohoku region. The garden was later developed as an expression of their wealth and influence.

The garden's name comes from the Ikeda family, who were among the three largest landowners in Tohoku. The garden is laid out as a walking route around a large pond, and many exotic plants were deliberately included, giving it the character of a botanical garden. The family crest, a turtle-shell hexagon with a bellflower, appears on the main gate.

The garden is accessible only during warmer months and requires some travel time from the nearest train station. Visitors should plan for local transport or be prepared for extended walking within the grounds.

The garden's yukimi-dōrō is a three-legged Edo-style lantern four metres tall with a cap of the same diameter, cut from Oga stone (kanpū-ishi) hauled from the Oga Peninsula. A large sled kept at the Ikeda residence is thought to have moved the lantern stone and the garden's setting stones. Its silhouette shifts with the viewing angle, sometimes reading as two legs.