Kenroku-en (Japanese: 兼六園) is an old private garden located in Kanazawa (金澤) City, Ishikawa (石川) County, Japan. Kenroku-en is famous for its beauty in all seasons, containing roughly 8,750 trees and 183 species of plants in total, most of them are pines.
Kasumi Pond (霞池) is the largest pond in Kenroku-en. There is a small island called Horai Island (蓬萊島) in the pond. Most of the scenic spots in Kenroku-en are around Kasumi Pond.
There are many beautiful old pines by Kasumi Pond. Some are like old men fishing, some are like beautiful women grooming, and some are like monks chanting.
The origin of Kenroku-en is unclear, it can perhaps be marked by the completion of the water channel in 1632 by the powerful the Maeda Shi (前田氏), the daimyōs who ruled the former Kaga Domain (加賀藩).
Some pine trees are so old that they have to support their trunks with pillars to prevent them from collapsing.
The statue of Yamato Takeru in Kenroku-en has over 100 years of history. Yamato Takeru (ヤマトタケルノミコト) was a Japanese semi-legendary prince, who is traditionally counted as the 12th Emperor of Japan.
The name of Kenroku-en was derived from a book written by Chinese poet Li Gefei (李格非) in the early 10th century, and stands for the six attributes of a perfect garden: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas.
Kenroku Garden is very big in area, Choumeizai recommends you guys check the map and study the route before going around.
