The Japanese lords of yesteryear certainly lived in grand style. Famous gardens in Japan are like very expensive works of art. Luckily the Ritsurin Garden in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, cannot be sold at Christie's.

To fully understand all the elements of this and other well-known Japanese gardens takes time and patience. These gardens were made to be viewed throughout the year, in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Aside from the seasonal viewing aspect, Ritsurin was designed to be viewed from particular vantage points within the garden. Chinese mythology also plays an important part in the design of this early Edo Period garden.

The pine tree is a symbol of longevity. The collection of pines in Ritsurin is magnificent -- some 1,400 specimens, according to the guidebook. There are red pines (akamatsu, Pinus densiflora) and black pines (kuromatsu, Pinus thunbergii) in a variety of shapes and sizes. Approximately 930 of these are carefully trimmed every year by just nine gardeners, giving each gardener over 100 trees to trim -- not a very easy task.

The Japanese term for pines that require hand care is te-ire-matsu. The various types of pine in Ritsurin have names, which are not scientific but nevertheless fitting. Hako-matsu (box pine) is a Japanese red pine that has been very carefully trained into a tall boxlike hedge, forming a central dividing line in the park -- a feature unique to this garden.

Byobu-matsu is a gnarled and twisted Japanese black pine with many trunks. Close to Bairin-bashi (or Aka-bashi, "vermilion bridge," as it is frequently called) there is a tunnel formed by byobu-matsu on one side and hako-matsu on the other.

The Tsuru-kame-matsu (crane-turtle pine) or Chakkoku-matsu is a fairly low-growing black pine representing a crane on the back of a turtle; the hundred stones beneath the pine are the turtle's back.

The original palace, known as Hinoki Goten, was dismantled during the Meiji Era. The present building is a souvenir shop and event hall operated by the prefecture. The area where the old palace once stood was relandscaped in 1913 and with its large expanse of lawn now looks quite European.

Ritsurin occupies a total area of 750,000 sq. meters, including the tree-covered hill of Mount Shiunzan, which was added to Ritsurin in 1897. This mountain is a good example of shakkei (borrowed scenery). The gardens proper have an area of 35,000 sq. meters.

Ritsurin predates Korakuen in Okayama. Ikoma Takatoshi, who was lord of Sanuki (modern Kaga Prefecture), started the construction early in the Kan'ei Era (1624-1644). Lord Ikoma built Ritsurin-so as a family retreat, using Japanese chestnut wood (kuri), kuri and ritsu being two readings for the same kanji. Long ago this area had many natural chestnuts. Matsudaira Yorishige, who succeeded the Ikomas in 1643, and his successors up to Matsudaira Yoritaka, the fifth daimyo, continued the construction. The gardens took nearly 100 years to complete.

The original garden was divided into north and south sections. The northern section was used for duck netting, and you can see a reconstructed duck hide on the shore of Gunouchi pond. The south garden is by far the more interesting because it retains the original design.

Ritsurin contains 13 tsukiyama (artificial hills) and six ponds. When I visited the park in early July the long Fuyo pond close to the northern gate (originally the main gate) was filled with flowering sacred lotus (hasu, Nelumbo nucifera). A pond full of lotus on a hot summer's day is very impressive; the large round leaves seem to dance in the heat.

Though Ritsurin was built by the Ikoma and Matsudaira families, there are remnants of a much older dry waterfall (kare-taki) in the southeast section of the garden. This area is referred to as Shofuda. The well-preserved rock formation is believed to be 1,400 years old. Not too many people come to this section of the garden, and if you sit down and relax here for a couple of minutes, maybe you can hear the sound of water from the dry waterfall!

A model of the Western Lake (Saiko) in Hangzhou, China, is a feature of many Edo Period gardens, and Ritsurin has one at the base of Mount Shiunzan. The steep cliff rising out of the water into the wooded hill makes an attractive setting. A natural rock outcrop on the shore known as Kaisengan is an imaginary meeting place of gods and immortals.

Beside the Saiko lake is a teahouse, the Shin-Higurashi Tei, where a waterfall, Akedoi-no-taki, flows in. Another tea pavilion in a woodland setting close by is Higurashi Tei, which was skillfully renovated in 1999. The original pavilion was built in 1898. Visitors can drink Japanese green tea in the tranquil surroundings.

The Kikugetsu Tei teahouse is the most impressive tea pavilion in Ritsurin, and is still used for lessons in tea ceremony. Built by the Matsudaira daimyo, it is in the Sukiya style of architecture so heavily influenced by tea ceremony aesthetics. A single-storied wooden building with many tatami rooms, it faces Kansuichi Pond, where a small island covered with nice red pines and a stone arrangement dates from mid-Edo. To the right of the pond is Hobiu, a collection of cycad trees (sotetsu, Cycas revoluta). These were presented by the Shimazu lords of Satsuma (modern Kagoshima Prefecture) to the lord of Takamatsu, and are estimated to be 300 years old.

Immediately outside Kikugetsu Tei is a five-needle pine (goyo-matsu, Pinus parviflora), also known as neagari-matsu (raised-root pine). The ninth daimyo of Sanuki was presented with this tree by the 11th Tokugawa shogun, Ienari, when the former paid his required visit to Edo. The tree has now outgrown its bonsai dimensions and developed into a shapely tree. Around its base gravel is carefully raked, giving this 200-year-old pine tree a special atmosphere.

The other side of Kikugetsu Tei faces the south pond, Nanko. This is a very scenic pond, with four rocks in the center. This rock formation represents Horai-jima, the mythical Chinese island where immortals dwell, another common motif in Edo Period gardens. The pine-covered mountain at the end of Nanko is known as Hiraiho and is the highest in Ritsurin; again, it represents a famous scene in China. The picturesque Engetsu-kyo (Bridge of the Round Moon) is immediately below Hiraiho.

My personal feeling is that one visit to Ritsurin is not enough, so allow yourself plenty of time to wander around. Mount Shiunzan behind the garden has some nice woodland walks.