The garden consists of Genkyu-en and Raku-raku-en, and is located northeast of Hikone Castle, between the inner moat and what was once an inner lake. It is thought that the garden was made in the Enpo Era (Edo Period). It is an outstanding Daimyo garden that seamlessly links to its borrowed scenery, which includes the Hikone Castle’s Tenshu (castle tower) and a beautiful background of mature trees.
cultural property : historic sites and places of scenic beauty as natural monuments
type : places of scenic beauty,（special historical sites）
3 Konkichō, Hikone-shi, Shiga-ken 522-0061
Tel：0749-22-2742
The garden has two components, Genkyu-en, which is a stroll garden, and the Tsuki Palace’s Raku-raku-en. It is located northeast of Hikone Castle and between the inner moat and what was once an inner lake. It is thought that the garden was made in the Enpo Era of the early Edo Period.
Genkyu-en has a large pond with four Nakajima (central islands) including Moto-jima and Nii-jima. A Tsukiyama (artificial hill) stretches from the east side to the north side of the garden, and a walking path goes through the garden. The main scenery of the garden includes Moto-jima, which is an arrangement of large stones, and Hakkei-tei built on the opposite side, facing the pond. From the north side of the garden, visitors can see a beautiful landscape with the Hikone Castle’s Tenshu (castle tower) and forests in the background.
Tsuki Palace was added during the Bunka Era, and the garden became part of an Okumuki-shoin (study for family members) after the Genkyu-en was partially rennovated. Raku-raku-en has stone arrangements that represent a waterfall and its flow, and is currently a Karesansui (dry landscape) garden. However, there was a water supply facility in the past, which provided water to the garden.