「近水園」 岡山県 / "Omizu-en" Okayama Pref

「近水園」 岡山県岡山市北区

岡山藩主と言えば池田家が思い浮かびますが、実は岡山市北区足守に木下家が藩主を務めた足守藩がありました。大分県日出藩とともに豊臣の血筋。足守藩は陣屋のみで城を持たない小藩で小さな大名庭園「近水園」を残しています。現在は公園のようになっており明治以降に建てられた歌碑などの石碑が目立ち純粋な日本庭園としての景観は保全されていませんが、木下家の屋敷にあった18世紀初頭の建物 「吟風閣」 が残され往時を偲ぶことができます。小さな庭園ですが本来は本格的な池泉廻遊式で池には鶴島亀島を配しています。島の護岸石組みの一部には江戸前期のダイナミックな面影を感じることができますが、江戸時代全般の時代の流れの中で総じて穏やかな印象となっています。庭の片隅に古田織部がデザインしたと伝わる織部灯篭の竿の部分が残されており、お地蔵様として祀られています。また近水園の周辺は武家屋敷などが残されており岡山市の町並み保存地区に指定されていますので合わせて観光してください。

◼︎名称：「近水園 おみずえん」

◼︎住所：岡山県岡山市北区足守803

◼︎TEL: 086-295-0981 (管理事務所)

◼︎営業時間：24時間

◼︎駐車場：近水園から徒歩圏内の足守町並み保存地区に複数箇所有り

◼︎アクセス： JR足守駅よりタクシーで５分

"Omizu-en" Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture

When we think of the feudal lords of Okayama, we first think of the Ikeda family. However, it is not widely known that the Ashimori domain, where the Kinoshita family served as feudal lords, was located in Ashimori, Kita-ku, Okayama City.

The Ashimori domain, along with the Hiji domain in Oita Prefecture, was of Toyotomi descent. This domain was a small domain with no castle, only a jin'ya (a fortress without a castle tower), and it left behind a small feudal lord garden called "Omizuen". Unfortunately, this garden is now a park, and stone monuments such as poems that were erected after the Meiji period stand out, so the landscape as a pure Japanese garden has not been preserved.

However, the building "Ginpu-kaku" from the early 18th century in the Edo period that was on the Kinoshita family's mansion remains, allowing us to reminisce about the past. Although it is a small garden, it was originally a full-scale pond-style garden with a crane and turtle island on the pond. Dynamic stonework from the early Edo period can be seen on part of the island's bank, but overall it has become calmer with the passage of time.

In one corner of the garden, there remains the pole of an Oribe lantern, said to have been designed by Furuta Oribe, and it is now enshrined as a Jizo statue.

The area around Omizu-en is also home to samurai residences and other buildings, and is designated as a preservation district of Okayama City, so please visit it as well.

◼︎Name: "Omizu-en"

◼︎Address: 803 Ashimori, Kita-ku, Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture

◼︎TEL: 086-295-0981 (Management Office)

◼︎Opening hours: 24 hours

◼︎Parking: There are several parking lots in the "Ashimori Townscape Preservation District" within walking distance of Omizu-en

◼︎Access: 5 minutes by taxi from JR Ashimori Station