This time, we received special permission to take drone footage of Koishikawa Korakuen.
*Drone photography is normally prohibited in this area.
*These videos and images have been taken after obtaining all necessary applications and permissions.
Koishikawa Korakuen is...
Koishikawa Korakuen was built in 1629, during the early Edo period, by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the first lord of the Mito Tokugawa clan, in his Edo residence (which became his main residence after the Meireki fire). It was then renovated by the second lord, Mitsukuni, and completed, making it the oldest surviving Edo daimyo garden.
Taking advantage of the undulating terrain and natural forests at the southern end of the Koishikawa Plateau, Korakuen inherited the founder Yorifusa's garden design, which imitated scenic spots all over Japan, and during the reign of Mitsukuni, Chinese aesthetics that reflected Confucian thought were incorporated as additional scenery. Korakuen, which features sights modeled after famous places and classics from Japan and China, has stood in stark contrast to the bright and open Rikugien Garden since its creation.
The garden is a stroll-style hill and pond garden, with a rich variety of landscapes unfolding around it, with the large pond providing a central view of the sea, and other views of mountains, rivers, and countryside (villages) arranged in a continuous chain.
The garden's format as a stroll garden centered around a pond was the forerunner of Edo daimyo gardens and had a major influence on the daimyo gardens that were built later.
During the Edo period, many of the springs in the garden, including the Great Izumi Spring in the center, were supplied with water by the Kanda Aqueduct. It was rare for water to flow through the grounds of a samurai residence, and traces of this can still be seen today at the remains of the Kanda Aqueduct.
Mitsukuni took the idea of Zhu Shunshui, a Confucian scholar from the neighboring Ming Dynasty who fled to Japan, and named Korakuen after a passage from the Yueyanglou-ki by Han Zhongyan of the Song Dynasty: "Before the world is filled with sorrow, after the world is filled with joy, (men are indeed) filled with sorrow before the world is filled with sorrow, and filled with joy after the world is filled with joy." This explains the mindset of a ruler, and Mitsukuni made it his own political creed.
In March 1952, the garden was designated a national cultural property as a special historic site and a special place of scenic beauty under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties. Hama-rikyu Garden and the garden are the only two metropolitan gardens to be designated as both a special historic site and a special place of scenic beauty. In the whole country, there are only nine other gardens that have been designated as both special historic sites and special places of scenic beauty: Rokuon-ji Temple (Kinkaku-ji Temple), Jisho-ji Temple (Ginkaku-ji Temple), Sanbo-in Temple at Daigo-ji Temple in Kyoto City, the ruins of Heijo-kyo Sakyo-sanjo Nibo-gu Shrine in Nara Prefecture, Itsukushima in Hiroshima Prefecture, Motsu-ji Garden in Iwate Prefecture, and Ichijodani Asakura Clan Garden in Fukui Prefecture.
Spring: Yoshino cherry blossoms, weeping cherry blossoms, turmeric cherry blossoms, Japanese iris, wisteria, hydrangea, water lilies, Japanese irises
Summer: lotus, lily of the valley, mountain lily, tiger lily
Autumn: red spider lilies, Japanese silverleaf, maples
Winter: Wintersweet, Cornus japonica, Plum, Camellia, Camellia japonica, Sasanqua
You can enjoy seeing a variety of flowers throughout the year.
access
5 minutes walk from Suidobashi Station on the JR Chuo-Sobu Line and Toei Mita Line
10 minutes walk from Iidabashi Station on the JR Chuo-Sobu Line and subway lines (the nearest exit is C3 on the Oedo Line)
10 minutes walk from Korakuen Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line and Namboku Line
1-6-6 Koraku, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112-0004
Opening hours
9:00am - 5:00pm (entry until 4:30pm)
Closed Days
Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29th to January 1st of the following year)
*The park may be open on closed days or with extended hours during events and Golden Week.
*Cultural properties are valuable assets that must be passed on to future generations, and regular preservation and repair work is required to protect them.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
* Koishikawa Korakuen is a Japanese garden of great artistic and aesthetic value that has been designated a Special Historic Site and a Special Place of Scenic Beauty under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties (Article 2). As it forms the basis for future cultural advancement and development, in order to ensure that it is properly preserved, it is a facility that many people can enjoy quietly, with the utmost care. Therefore, pets are not allowed in the garden.
*For safety reasons, we do not allow children of elementary school age or younger to visit the park alone. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The website isHere
★Unauthorized downloading and use of photos and videos is prohibited.
★If you are considering using any photos or videos, please contact the management office.
(The same applies to content embedding on YouTube) *The video is currently being prepared.
★To TV station representatives: We are receiving an increasing number of offers and permission to use videos from many stations.
We also have 4K video available, so please feel free to contact us.
★Koishikawa Korakuen and nine other gardens are shared with the Tokyo Park Association.
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