History
Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku-en, a symbolic space of Kanazawa, the capital city of Ishikawa, has been an oasis for the local population. Let us introduce to you the history of our cultural heritage which can be traced for generations.
| Chronology | Kanazawa Castle |
|---|---|
| 1546 | Kanazawa Mido fortress-temple founded. |
| 1580 | Katsuie Shibata captures the temple. Morimasa Sakuma makes a triumphal entry into the castle (the temple site). |
| 1583 | Toshiie Maeda, the founder of the Kaga Domain, makes a triumphal entry into Kanazawa Castle after the Battle of Shizugatake. |
| 1592 | Toshiie orders his son, Toshinaga to build the stone foundation for the Castle. |
| 1596 | |
| 1599 | Inner moats built. |
| 1601 | |
| 1602 | The main keep tower destroyed by lightning. |
| 1610 | Outer moats built. |
| 1620 | The Castle destroyed by fire. |
| 1622 | |
| 1631 | The Castle destroyed by fire started in town. |
| 1632 | Construction of Tatsumi-yosui canal completed. Water sent to the Castle. |
| 1659 | |
| 1676 | |
| 1686 | |
| 1759 | The Castle completely burns down by fires started outside the castle. |
| 1774 | |
| 1787 | Construction of Hishi-yagura, a turret built on a diamond base in the secondary enclosure and Ishikawa-mon gate completed. |
| 1792 | |
| 1808 | The palace in the secondary enclosure completely burns down by fire. |
| 1809 | Construction of Hashizume-mon and Hishi-yagura in the second enclosure completed. |
| 1819 | |
| 1822 | |
| 1824 | |
| 1837 | |
| 1839 | |
| 1851 | |
| 1858 | Construction of Sanjukken-nagaya completed. |
| 1863 | |
| 1871 | The Castle falls under the control of Ministry of War. |
| 1872 | |
| 1874 | |
| 1880 | |
| 1881 | Buildings in the secondary enclosure completely burns down by fire started in Kanazawa. |
| 1922 | |
| 1924 | |
| 1928 | |
| 1938 | |
| 1949 | Kanazawa University opens on the castle site. |
| 1950 | Ishikawa-mon gate designated as an Important National Cultural Asset. |
| 1957 | Sanjukken-nagaya designated as an Important National Cultural Asset. |
| 1969 | |
| 1976 | |
| 1978 | Moving Kanazawa University campus out of the castle site decided (Relocation completed in 1995). |
| 1985 | |
| 1996 | Ishikawa prefectural government acquires the castle site and starts to develop it as Kanazawa Castle Park. |
| 1999 | Reconstruction of Hishi-yagura and other destroyed castle buildings starts (completed in July, 2001). |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | Japan Green City Fair in Ishikawa held. “Toshiie and Matsu” Kaga Hyakumangoku Exhibition held. |
| 2008 | Tsurumaru-soko storage designated as an Important National Cultural Asset. |
| 2008 | Kanazawa Castle designated as a National Historical Site. |
| 2010 | Kahoku-mon Completed. |
| Chronology | Kenroku-en Garden |
|---|---|
| 1546 | |
| 1580 | |
| 1583 | |
| 1592 | |
| 1596 | A Ming Confucian invited by Toshinaga, the second lord of the Kaga Domain, and lives in Renchi garden. |
| 1599 | |
| 1601 | Tamahime, the granddaughter of Ieyasu Tokugawa (the founder of Tokugawa Shogunate) moves to Kanazawa from Edo(Tokyo) to marry the third lord Toshitune. Edo residence built in Renchi garden for Tamahime’s servants. |
| 1602 | |
| 1610 | |
| 1620 | |
| 1622 | Tamahime dies. Her servants return to Edo. Edo residence abandoned. |
| 1631 | |
| 1632 | Construction of Tatsumi-yosui canal completed. |
| 1659 | Construction office in the castle moved to the former Edo residence in Renchi garden. |
| 1676 | The fifth lord Tsunanori relocats the construction office in Renchi garden back to the castle grounds to construct a villa on the vacant lot. A garden built around the villa. It is the beginning of Kenroku-en garden development. |
| 1686 | Tsunanori holds an autumn full moon viewing banquet at the villa inviting Honda Awa-no-kami and his three old retainers. |
| 1759 | Renchi villa destroyed by great fires started outside the castle. |
| 1774 | The 11th lord Harunaga reconstructs Renchi garden. Construction of Yugao-tei tea house and Midori-taki waterfall completed. |
| 1787 | |
| 1792 | Domain school established in Kenroku-en. |
| 1808 | |
| 1809 | |
| 1819 | The 12th lord Narihiro relocates the school and starts to build Tekezawa villa on the site. |
| 1822 | Takezawa villa completed. The signboard “Kenroku-en” written in Sadanobu Matsudaira’s own hand delivered. The name “Kenroku-en” assumed to have been given in this year. |
| 1824 | Narinaga dies at Takezawa villa. |
| 1837 | The 13th lord Nariyasu extends Kasumiga-ike pond. Kenroku-en developed to almost what it is today by Nariyasu. |
| 1839 | Three-storied roof-like stone pagoda completed on the Sazae-yama hill. |
| 1851 | All Takezawa villa knocked down. |
| 1858 | |
| 1863 | Nariyasu built Tatsumi villa for his retired mother, Shinryuin. |
| 1871 | Residence for a Prussian mining scholar built at the foot of Yamazaki-yama hill. Kenroku-en tentatively opened to the public for the first time. |
| 1872 | Kenroku-en fully opened to the public. |
| 1874 | Kenroku-en approved as a park by the Ministry of State. Kenroku-en officially opened to the public in May as the Ishikawa prefectural park. |
| 1880 | Meiji Monument erected. |
| 1881 | |
| 1922 | Kenroku-en designated a Site of Scenic Beauty in March under the name “Kanazawa Park”. |
| 1924 | The name “Kanazawa Park” taken back to “Kenroku-en” in March. |
| 1928 | Kiku-zakura, the first Kenroku-en chrysanthemum cherry tree, designated as a National Natural Treasure. |
| 1938 | Seison-kaku villa designated as a National Treasure. |
| 1949 | |
| 1950 | Seison-kaku villa opened to the public with entrance fee system introduced. The villa designated as an Important National Cultural Asset under the “Cultural Asset Protection Law.” |
| 1957 | |
| 1969 | Plum garden developed on the site of the former Hasegawa’s residence in Kenroku-en on the 100th anniversary since Meiji Restoration. |
| 1976 | Entrance fee system introduced for Kenroku-en. |
| 1978 | |
| 1985 | Kenroku-en designated as a National Site of Special Scenic Beauty. |
| 1996 | |
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | Hase Pond and Shigure-tei tea house completed. |
| 2001 | |
| 2008 | |
| 2008 | |
| 2010 |