Hitsuzan Park, Urban park in Kōchi, Japan.
Hitsuzan Park is an urban park built on a natural hill in Kōchi, with paved paths, rest areas, and rows of cherry trees covering much of the grounds. Several platforms and open viewpoints are placed at different heights across the hill, facing the city below.
The hill was the site of Shiroyama Castle, whose construction date is unknown and of which no structures remain; records show southern-court commanders fortified it during the Nanboku-chō period. The hilltop later became a 39-hectare urban park, and in April 2008 a roughly 7-metre observation deck was added. The Tosa domain lords of the Yamauchi family have their cemetery on the hill's northern ridge, designated a national historic site on 1 March 2016.
The park's name, Hitsuzan, means "brush mountain", after the hill's shape. Over 1,000 cherry trees grow in the park and on the hillside, and in blossom season the grounds fill with visitors. The summit view over the Kōchi city centre is the other reason people come, especially at night.
The park is open at all times, but during the cherry blossom season the roads leading up to it get very busy, so coming early in the morning helps. On regular days outside the season, the hill is easy to walk without planning ahead.
Despite being inside the city, the hill still has patches of older native trees that are rarely found in parks of this size in an urban setting. Walking away from the main viewpoints, it is possible to find quieter corners that most visitors pass without stopping.
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