The Kenrokuen Garden was originally part of the castle’s private outer garden, so the next few photos were take around the edge of the castle as we walked to the gardens. The chap shown above is Maeda Toshiie wearing his famous gold-lacquered armour and catfish-tail helmet. He rose to fame during the relief of Suemori castle (in nearby Nagoya) in 1584.
Kenrokuen (or Kenroku-en) Garden is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan and was developed from the 1620s up to the 1840s by the Maeda clan. Kenrokuen Garden has something to look at wherever you look! So, even on this grey drizzly day, there were sights to enjoy here. Look closely at some of the next few photos and you will see bundles of rope attached to the trees. On 1st November each year, the trees become embellished with tent-like structures, made of rope, to protect them from the snow. Many of the trees have been sculptured by man, so losing a single branch would dramatically affect the intended design.
This garden was full of people with cameras, taking photos of the scenery and/or people. The young woman in the kimono had an entourage with her taking professional shots, and the slightly older lady was posing on a small bridge which seemed a compulsory spot for photo-taking. There is a sense of style about both these women which says ‘Japanese’. We noticed, at least in the towns and cities, that people seemed to take great care of there appearance, and this included the men.
We continued walking around the garden for quite some time; it is a very large space and well worth the time.
I have had to brighten-up some of these photos so you can see them better, but the following photo probably best sums up the weather on this day! This statue is of Prince Yamoto Takeru.
