Tuesday, Apr 10th, Takamatsu, Japan

Greetings!

In 1625, the feudal lord of Takamatsu (Ikoma Takatoshi) began construction of Ritsurin,  specifically constructing a garden around a pond at the base of Mount Shuin (Purple Cloud Mountain).  It took 250 years to complete and open to the public, but it's today one of Japan's finest gardens.

The walk around the main grounds takes about two hours, and passes by scenes right out of the those Japanese hanging drawings you see in great art exhibits.

Around each corner, there appears a group of trees which display the many years of care which you can see currently being applied to their health and beauty.   We saw eight workers in ne set of trees at the same time.

The colors were deep and vivid.  There were so many shades of green: tea leaves, moss, pine needles, and new maple leaves.  In fall, the red colors of the maples stand out in the hills.

But the beauty of the garden was the shape and trimming of the trees, the design of the paths and bridges, the pond and its huge carp, and the gentle gliding of the Japanese boat (wasen) on the lake.

Mid-afternoon, we traveled by train to Kotohira, and to the Kompira Shinto Shrine on the wooded slopes of Mount Zozu.  The Shrine, one of 88 shrines which have attracted pilgrims since the 1300s, is reached by climbing up 784 stone steps that wind their way through the town and up the slope past a Kubuki theater.  We made it to the theater, bought a cool wooden mask, and a banner displaying the other characters, and waited for our other travelers to re-join us.

To see all of the photos taken today, click on Tuesday, Apr 10th, Takamatsu, Japan.