VISIT KANAZAWA, JAPAN - Official Travel Guide

Kurando was a middle-class samurai of the Maeda family. It is said that this house was constructed in the latter half of the 18th century.

The existing mansion, storehouse, and mud wall tell the actual condition of the middle-class samurai residence. Dodan tsutsuji (a kind of azalea), which blooms from the end of April until early in May and the autumn leaves are the highlights of the garden. Kurando was a painter as well, and his works are exhibited in the house.

Wakita Naokata, vassal in the Kaga Clan, started designing and constructing the garden in the middle of the 17th century, and four generations carried on the landscaping of the garden. Naokata was born in Korea and raised by the Maeda family in Japan by a twist of fate. There are a large number of plants in the garden, including a huge Korean pentaphylla pine that Naokata and his father raised after they obtained the seed from Korea.

A visitor can enjoy a powdered green tea and experience a Japanese traditional tea ceremony subject to reservation.

Considered one of Japan’s three most beautiful gardens, Kenrokuen Garden is a must-visit location in Kanazawa. The name Kenrokuen means “having six factors”, representing the attributes which bring out the garden’s stunning beauty: spaciousness, tranquility, artifice, antiquity, water sources and magnificent views.The garden has an area of 11.4 hectares and is located on the heights of the central part of Kanazawa next to Kanazawa Castle. The Maeda family, who ruled the Kaga Domain (the present Ishikawa and Toyama areas) in feudal times, maintained the garden from generation to generation. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful feudal lords' gardens in Japan.

One of Kenrokuen Garden’s most stunning attractions is its large artificial pond called Kasumigaike. Located near the center of the pond is Horai Island. The pond is often seen to symbolize the sea and Horai Island a sacred island out at sea, on which an ageless hermit with miraculous power was believed to live. As a result, the pond and the island were constructed to symbolize long life and eternal prosperity for the lord.

There are many other gorgeous features to enjoy in the garden, including the flowers and trees that grow there, such as plum and cherry blossoms in spring, azaleas and irises early in summer, and colorful red and yellow leaves in autumn. 

In Winter, visitors can enjoy the snow-covered landscapes with yukitsuri (which means “snow hanging”). yukitsuri is a traditional technique for protecting the branches of the pine trees in the garden from heavy snow; trees are given support by bamboo poles and rope arranged a captivating conical layout.

Seisonkaku is a villa that the 13th lord of the Maeda family built for his mother in Kenrokuen Garden in 1863. Fine techniques in a wide variety are used for the inner pillars and walls of Seisonkaku. These techniques include a wooden panel with openwork carvings of flowers and birds and a coffered ceiling for the guest chamber called "Ekken-no-ma." From these, visitors will know the status of the then Maeda family.

Furthermore, Seisonkaku exhibits articles with a long and distinguished history, such as dolls for the Japanese Girls' Festival and furniture.

The stone stairway "Bijutsu no Komichi(Path of Art)" connecting the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art and the Nakamura Memorial Museum is parallel to the Tatsumi Waterway flowing from Kenrokuen Garden, creating an atmosphere that will make you forget about the hustle and bustle of daily life.

Walking along the "Midori no Komichi(Path of Green)" leading from Nakamura Memorial Museum to D.T. Suzuki Museum, you will find Honda Park, where you can see the "Former Honda Family Nagaya-mon Gate," a registered tangible cultural property of Japan. The Shofukaku Garden is also located next to the park, where you can feel the atmosphere of a samurai family's garden in those days.

It is said that the garden was created in the early Edo period（1603-1690) under the guidance of Hou, a son of Kanamori Souwa, utilizing an old swamp and natural forest.

The garden is in harmony with the ＊Honda Forest that forms the backdrop, creating a quiet and profound garden space.

　＊ The Honda clan was the primary family of the Kaga Hakka, or the eight chief retainer families of the Kaga Domain 

The remains of the Nomura family are also open to public. The family successively held executive posts from generation to generation under rule of the Maeda family.

The house has a coffered ceiling totally made of Japanese cypress and fusuma-e (paintings on sliding-door panels) created by the Maeda family's personal painter. The garden inside the residence has a Japanese bayberry over 400 years old and a meandering stream surrounded by ancient and strangely shaped rocks.