Ritsurin-koen Garden

Information

Although not listed as one of Japan's big three gardens (Kenroku-en in Kanazawa, Koraku-en in Okayama, and Kairaku-en in Mito), Ritsurin-koen Garden is admired as one of the masterpieces of Japanese landscape gardening. The 75-hectare garden winds around a series of hills, ponds with lookouts, tearooms, bridges and islands. The garden also offers a variety of trees as well as many stone arrangements skillfully laid out to harmonize with the surrounding pine-covered Mt. Shiun-zan.
In the garden, the Sanuki Folkcraft Museum displays local crafts. The feudal-era Kikugetsu-tei Teahouse, also known as tehe Chrysanthemum Moon Pavilion, offers Japanese tea and sweets, and there are several other small teahouses inside the park including the very lovely thatch-roofed Higurashi-tei Teahouse.
The garden actually took more than a century to complete. In 1625, the Takamatsu feudal lord Ikoma Takatoshi began the construction of the garden. Even after the new lord Matsudaira Yorishige took over the Takamatsu Domain in 1642, the construction of the garden was not stopped and still continued. Then the garden was finally completed by the 5th Takamatsu-Matsudaira lord Yoritaka in 1745, after over 100 years of improvements and extensions made by the successive lords.
Today, the south side of the garden is a traditional Chisen-Kaiyushiki-Teien style Japanese garden (a stroke-style garden around a big pond) and the north side is a renovated semi-Western style garden. Visitors can enjoy both of the garden's beautiful scenery throughout the four seasons.

Opening Hours

• Sunrise - Sunset *varies according to the season

Closed

• No closing days

Price / Entrance Fee

• 410 yen (General, Adult)
• 170 yen (Child)

Access / Public Transport

• 3 minutes walk from JR Ritrurinkoen-Kitaguchi Station
• 10 minutes walk from Ritsurin-Koen Station on the Kotoden Kotohira Line

Related Links

• 特別名勝 栗林公園 一歩一景を誇る大名庭園

Address / Location

• 1-20-16, Ritsurincho, Takamatsu-shi, Kagawa, 760-0073

Recommended

Takamatsu Castle Ruins (Tamamo Park)

There is very little left of Takamatsu Castle, which is located close to JR Takam ... more »

Daitoku-ji Temple

Daitoku-ji Temple was established in 1325 and is one of the biggest Zen temples i ... more »

Imperial Palace

The Imperial Palace is the home of Japan's emperor and the imperial family. The s ... more »

Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden

Built in 1896 as the principal residence of the Iwasaki family, founder of the Mi ... more »

Nanzen-ji Temple

Nanzen-ji Temple, with its expansive grounds and numerous sub-temples, is one of  ... more »

Tenryu-ji Temple

Tenryu-ji Temple is one of the major temples of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism ... more »

Kasuga-Taisha Shrine

Kasuga-Taisha was founded in 768 to protect Heijo-kyo Capital in Nara, and is one ... more »

Tweets

Notes