Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, a chief retainer of the 5th Tokugawa Shogun Tsunayoshi as well as a feudal lord at that time, built his villa with this garden in a rural area near Edo, present Tokyo. In those years, Komagome was a thickly wooded area where springs welled out. This garden is one of the authentic daimyo gardens in Japan, with the artificial hills, man-made central ponds and pretty little streams meandering across the uneven ground. The major scenic spots in Japan like Wakanoura, a costal scenic spot known since the 8th century, are reproduced throughout the garden design. This garden was completed in 1702 and named Rikugien. Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu had lived here after his retirement in 1709 till 1714 when he died. His surviving family had owned this thereafter till the end of the feudal years. When Japan entered the new age late in the 19th century, Iwasaki Yataro who was the founder of Mitsubishi bought this garden for his villa from Yanagisawa family. Now, this garden is opened to the public under the ownership of Tokyo Metropolitan Government. Compared to the old map of the garden in the early 18th century, the basic layout of the present Rikugien is almost the same as that.
Licensed tour guide, travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.
全国通訳案内士 高木聖久。
