Kenrokuen Garden

Kenrokuen is named for the six qualities of an ideal garden described in an ancient Chinese text: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, age, water, and vistas. The Maeda family developed this outer garden of Kanazawa Castle across several generations from the 17th century, and it opened to the public in 1874. In winter, gardeners tie the branches of trees with bamboo and rope supports called yukizuri to protect them from the region's heavy snowfall. The teahouse Yugao-tei, the garden's oldest surviving structure, dates to 1774. Spring brings cherry blossoms, while autumn turns the southeastern maples gold and crimson.