History of Kenrokuen Garden

[ Area of temples and retainers' houses ]

In 1583, the first Maeda lord, Maeda Toshiie, made his triumphant entry into Kanazawa Castle. Immediately after, he built the Hoenji Maeda family temple and Hachakuji, a temple for special prayers on land that extended from Chitosedai Plateau to the plum grove.

The third lord Maeda Toshitsune made major improvements to the town. In 1620 the two temples were moved, and the sites they had occupied were used for the construction of houses for seven senior retainers.

The present Hoenji Temple

The present Chitosedai Plateau in the vicinity of Hoenji Temple

[ O Hakushi's place of residence and Edo-machi ]

During the rule of the second lord Toshinaga, the Ming Confucian scholar O Hakushi, who was invited to Kaga by the Maeda clan, lived in the place which became Renchi-tei Garden later.

In 1601, when Tama-hime (Princess Tama), the granddaughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu, married Toshitsune, a row house for the princess's 300 attendants was built on the present-day teahouse street. The 400-meter long building was referred to as "Edo-machi", because the princess and the attendants came from Edo (present-day Tokyo). When Tama-hime passed away at the age of 23, her attendants returned to Edo and Edo-machi was torn down.

View of the former Edo-machi (present-day teahouse district), as seen from Kanazawa Castle Park