Kōrakuen 岡山後楽園
Built over 13 years on an island: the black castle is borrowed scenery.
Built between 1687 and 1700 on the orders of Ikeda Tsunamasa, fourth daimyō of the Okayama domain, to a design by the official Tsuda Nagatada. The name comes from the Confucian principle ‘public concerns first, one's own pleasure after’ (先憂後楽), taken from a Chinese classic. Since 1952 it has been a Special Place of Scenic Beauty (特別名勝), and the Michelin guide gives it three stars. Together with Kenroku-en in Kanazawa and Kairaku-en in Mito, it is counted among the three most celebrated gardens in Japan.
Okayama
Okayama, Nishigawara
