History of Koishikawa Korakuen Garden

The land on which Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens sits today first belonged to Tokugawa Yorifusa, the founder of the Mito branch (present day Ibaraki prefecture) of the ruling Tokugawa Clan. His son, Mitsukuni, completed the construction of the residence and garden in 1629. Mitsukuni conceptualized Confucian teachings when planning this garden, taking inspiration from important Chinese Confucian scholars and their sayings. In fact, the name of the garden, “Korakuen”, derives from a quote from a book by Fan Zhongyan, a scholar from the Song Dynasty of ancient China.