Kenroku-en, Japanese strolling garden in Kanazawa, Japan.
Kenroku-en is a strolling garden in Kanazawa, Japan, covering about 11.7 hectares. It was built by the Maeda clan as a daimyō garden outside Kanazawa Castle, with ponds, streams, hills, and winding paths. The Kotojitoro lantern stands on two legs of unequal length at the edge of Kasumiga-ike pond.
Maeda Tsunanori established the garden in 1676 as part of the Kanazawa Castle grounds owned by the Maeda family. After the collapse of the feudal system, the garden opened its gates to the public in 1874.
The name combines six attributes rarely found together in traditional gardens: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, water, and views. Visitors follow winding paths between ponds, over bridges, and through groves, with each bend revealing a new scene.
Regular buses from Kanazawa Station stop directly at the entrance, making access easy for the more than 2.5 million annual visitors. Paths are generally maintained, but some sections can become slippery after rain.
The Kotojitoro lantern's two legs differ in length, and the 1863 "Kenroku-en Emaki" shows it standing elsewhere with legs of equal length. It was likely moved to its present spot and shortened around the Meiji Restoration. The current lantern is a 1978 replacement; the original is kept at the park office after being toppled into the pond six times between 1962 and 1979.
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