Ritsurin Garden

Ritsurin Garden lies at the eastern foot of Mount Shiun in central Takamatsu, the capital of Kagawa Prefecture on Shikoku. The forested mountain forms the backdrop of the garden, whose flat, landscaped part covers some 16 ha and whose total area, including the slopes, is about 75 ha. It is the largest garden in Japan with the national designation Special Place of Scenic Beauty.

The garden is divided into a southern part, which preserves the refined Edo-period layout, and a northern part remodelled in a more open style in the Meiji era. Its six ponds and thirteen hills are arranged so that a new view opens at every turn, a principle expressed in the saying "one step, one view" (ippo ikkei). Around a thousand pines, many shaped over centuries into forms such as the Byōbu-matsu (folding-screen pine) and Hako-matsu (box pine), are the garden's signature.

At the centre stands the Kikugetsu-tei, a sukiya-style teahouse on the shore of the South Lake, from which the lords watched the moon reflected in the water. The Engetsu-kyō bridge, arched like a half-moon, and the Hiraihō hill, which offers the classic view over the lake, complete the main scene.

A garden on the site is associated with the Satō family, local notables, in the late 16th century, and was expanded around 1625 by Ikoma Takatoshi, then lord of Sanuki. In 1642 Matsudaira Yorishige, a grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, became lord of Takamatsu, and he and his successors developed the garden over five generations until its completion in 1745. It served as the lords' villa for 228 years. In 1875 it was opened to the public as a prefectural park.

Ritsurin reflects the cultured life of the Takamatsu Matsudaira, a branch of the Tokugawa family: tea gatherings, moon viewing, boating and the cultivation of rare plants. The lords also used the garden to grow medicinal herbs and to experiment with sugar and ginseng, and a small herb garden recalls this.

The garden has been awarded three stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japan. Traditional wasen boat rides on the South Lake, evening illuminations in spring and autumn, and the plum and iris seasons draw visitors throughout the year.