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Okayama Korakuen, along with Mito Kairakuen and Kanazawa Kenrokuen, is known as one of the "Three Great Gardens of Japan." It was built under the orders of Okayama Domain lord Ikeda Tsunamasa as a leisure space and was completed in 1700. During Tsunamasa's reign, this garden served as a place where the lord could enjoy the scenery from the tatami rooms within the garden. However, as the social conditions and the tastes of the lords changed over different eras, the landscape of the garden also evolved. With the construction of waterways and ponds, it gradually took on characteristics of a strolling garden.
The "En'yotei" is the most important building in the garden, which was once used as the lord's living quarters, designed to provide a panoramic view of the garden's scenery. The "Nagare-ya" is a place for the lord to stroll through the garden and entertain guests, featuring a central waterway that is a rare landscape in gardens. The Tsuru-ya houses red-crowned cranes, which are open to visitors twice a month from September to February, allowing guests to observe the cranes up close while walking through the garden. The garden also features beautiful flowers such as iris, lotus, plum blossoms, azaleas, and satsuki azaleas, which are definitely worth seeing.
Tsunamasa, who loved Noh theater, would showcase his dance on the Noh stage. During the period when the Sankin-kotai (alternate attendance) was not in effect, the garden was opened to retainers or local residents on specific dates. In 1871, it was renamed from "Mikōen" to "Korakuen," and in 1884, ownership of the garden was transferred from the Ikeda family to Okayama Prefecture for the purpose of preserving the famous garden. Korakuen suffered significant damage during the Muroto typhoon and wars, and although it was later restored based on Edo period drawings, some changes were made compared to its pre-disaster state.
