Okayama Korakuen

Korakuen was completed in 1700 for the lord of Okayama and is counted with Kenrokuen and Kairakuen as one of the three great gardens of Japan. What separates it is the open ground: most strolling gardens are dense, and this one has broad lawns between the ponds, tea plantation, rice paddy and plum grove, which makes it feel airy in a way the others do not. The layout uses shakkei, borrowed scenery - Okayama Castle, whose keep is black-boarded and known as the crow castle, stands across the river and is deliberately framed from within the garden as though part of it. Streams run through the whole site from a diverted river, feeding the ponds and the paddy. The garden was heavily damaged in 1934 by flood and again in the war, and was restored using the Edo-period plans and paintings that had survived.

History

In 1687 the daimyō Ikeda Tsunamasa had Tsuda Nagatada begin the garden, which was finished in 1700. It was first called Kōen, the "later garden", because it was built after Okayama Castle, and in 1871 it was renamed Kōrakuen after senyu koraku, "grieve earlier than others, enjoy later than others", a line from Fan Zhongyan (Wikipedia, Kōraku-en).

What you'll find

• Open lawn - broad grass between ponds, unusual among Japanese strolling gardens.
• Borrowed scenery - the black castle framed across the river as part of the view.
• A working landscape - tea plantation, rice paddy and plum grove inside the garden.
• Restoration from plans - rebuilt after 1934 flood damage using surviving Edo drawings.

When to go

May for azaleas, November for colour. Two hours. Early morning is quietest.

Practical notes

Entry is charged and the castle across the river is a separate ticket. The lawns can look bare in winter. It is smaller than its reputation suggests - two hours is plenty. Summer heat in Okayama is heavy.

Nearby

Okayama Castle is across the footbridge; Kurashiki is west.

Key facts