The garden was created by the ruling Maeda family over three centuries beginning in 1676 with a landscape garden called Renchitei. This garden was destroyed by fire in 1759, but was restored in 1774, and in 1822 the garden acquired its current name Kenrokuen. This name is sometimes translated as “garden of six elements�. Actually it refers to a classical Chinese poem that spoke of the six contrasting features for a truly outstanding garden. These essential elements are: extensive space and quiet seclusion, human artistry and old fashioned elegance, lowing water and very distant
views. According to the poem it is almost impossible to create a garden that holds all six elements in common. However, if you take a stroll through Kenrokuen, you can actually find them all. The garden boasts Japan’s oldest fountain which is powered by natural water pressure and happily combines two of the six traditional elements in one: human artistry and flowing water.
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