Rikugien garden was created in 1702 (the 15th year of the Genroku Period) by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, a confidant of the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. It was created based on the theme of Waka poetry. The name Rikugien literally means “six styles of poems” and refers to a system for dividing Chinese poetry into six categories which influenced the categorization of Waka poetry. Six is usually read “roku” but in this case it is pronounced “riku” in keeping with Chinese pronunciation of the word.
It is a kaiyu-style garden and is typical of the gardens of the Edo Period. It is also known as a daimyo garden because it was created by a daimyo. The daimyo were the most powerful feudal rulers, second only to the shogun, from the 10th to 19th centuries. They owned vast hereditary estates. “Dai" means large and “myo" is short for “myoden" meaning private lands.
The founder of Mitsubishi purchased the gardens to use for a second residence and then in 1938 the family donated the garden to the City of Tkyo. In 1953 it was designated as a special site of exceptionaly beauty and as an important cultural asset.
The Rikugien gardens recreate, in miniature, 88 scenes from famous poems with a large central pond surrounded by manmade hills and forested areas. There is a network of trails connecting everything. Originally there were 88 markers denoting the scenes but now less than half remain.
六義園 = Rikugien
Total area 21.7 acres
6,020 large trees
28,700 smaller trees
The plan of the garden is taken from the brochure (inside & outside).
