Shūraku-en


Shūraku-en is a Japanese garden located in Tsuyama, Okayama Prefecture. Shūraku-en was built in 1658 by Mori Nagatsugu, lord of Tsuyama.

History

It was made between 1655-1658 by gardeners from Kyoto invited by the second lord of Tsuyama Domain Mori Nagatsugu. It was modelled on Sento Imperial Palace of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. The garden at the time was three times the size of the current one.
During the Edo period, the Matsudaira clan used the garden as Gotaimenjo for audiences or diplomacy. None of the buildings from the Edo period remain. The present buildings are reconstructions. It was given the name Shūraku-en in 1870. Shūraku-en was designated a Place of Scenic Beauty by the national government in 2002. It is now open to the public free as a citizen's park. However, it is closed at night.