Shrine
Somei Inari
Toshima•768m(10 min walk)
Rikugi-en
六義園Tokyo
Garden
What makes this place special?
At a Glance
Rikugi-en is a metropolitan garden in Bunkyō, Tokyo, built around a small pond, wooded paths and an artificial hill. It is a typical Edo-period daimyō garden, laid out for strolling rather than for a single viewpoint. The name means "garden of six principles" and refers to the six elements of waka poetry.
Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu, a retainer of the fifth Tokugawa shōgun Tsunayoshi, built it between 1695 and 1702. He drew on the scenery of Waka-no-ura in Kishū and on famous places named in the Man'yōshū and Kokinshū to create eighty-eight poetic views. After his death the garden was neglected, until Iwasaki Yatarō, the founder of Mitsubishi, bought it in 1878 and began restoring it. Today it is about one third of its original size, was given to the Tokyo City government in 1938 and became a Special Place of Scenic Beauty in 1953.
Goshuin within a short walk
Temples, shrines and castles near Rikugi-en that give goshuin, closest first.
How do I visit?
Visit Duration
60 minutes
Community
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