Dec 10, 2014 - 1 min read

Gyokusen Garden

A quiet garden in the shadow of Kenroku-en

By Mandy Bartok

Community writer

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The entrance to Gyokusen Garden

A uniquely-shaped chozubachi(water basin) in the garden

A small ikebana arrangement near the veranda of the garden's resthouse

The carving at the bottom of one of the garden's lanterns, indicating the garden owner was a hidden Christian

The garden is lovely in autumn, and surprisingly deserted

A view of the lower level of the garden from on high

The pond is in the shape of the kanji for "heart"

If the crowds in nearby Kenroku-en get to be too much, head down the hill to the Gyokusen Garden, a private garden that sees few visitors. Designed in the early 1600s by Naokata Wakita, a naturalized Korean who was a chamberlain for the local Maeda lord, the garden is split into two levels. As visitors stroll around the garden, they can look out for the pond whose shape is that of the Japanese character for "heart" and the lantern with the symbol on its base that marked Wakita as a hidden Christian. In autumn, this is an enjoyable place to view the fall foliage.