The Kasumigaike Pond and the Kotoji-toro garden-lantern in the Kenrokuen Garden (Kanazawa-city)

As you enter the Kenrokuen garden through the Katsura-zaka gate, the first thing you see is this calm rippled water of the Kasumiga-ike pond. 

The graceful Kotoji-torou stone lantern, which is one of the most notable features of this garden, stands beside the Niji-bashi (Rainbow bridge) as if to give calm glory to this scenery. "Kotoji" means a forked Koto-pole which supports a koto string of a Japanese harp.

 

The beauties of this garden seem to be presented by the abundant water supplied from the Kasumiga-ike pond through the man-made Tatsumi-yousui waterlines. Various Kyokusui (running water) streams flow through many places and these streams continues to flow into different ponds, falls, and fountains to present the elegant and tasteful scenes of water.

This garden is said to imitate Lake Biwa and the Eight Views of Omi (Shiga Prefecture), which has been historically praised as the most excellent landscape in Japan. The Eight Views of Omi is originated under the direct influence of the Chinese landscape painting of "the Eight Views of Xiaoxiang". 

"Matsushima" (pine island) stands in the center of the Kasumiga-ike pond. This small artificial island symbolizes Penglai Island which is the enchanted land of perpetual youth from Chinese mythology.

On the opposite shore stands a teahouse called Uchihashi-tei Pavilion, which beautifully decorates the quiet scape of this pond. Supported by stone legs, this pavilion appears to float still on the surface of the pond water.

For more information, please visit the official website of Kenrokuen.