Large stones were placed on the riverbed as if it were a natural river in Koishikawa Korakuen's Ooi river

Tokugawa Mitsukuni, who completed the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden in Koraku, is said to have laid the foundation for Mito-gaku, the study of Mito that greatly influenced the thinking of the end of the Edo period. Mito-gaku, a blend of Confucian thought, national studies, history, and Shintoism, became the theoretical backbone of Sonno Joi (Revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians) at the end of the Edo period. History is a fascinating story, as the academic foundation laid by the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu was instrumental in bringing down the Tokugawa shogunate.

However, Tokugawa Mitsukuni no doubt never dreamed that his actions would lead to such an outcome during his lifetime. In creating the Koishokawa Korakuen Garden, he took into account the opinions of a Confucian scholar named Zhu Zhiyu, who had come to Japan from the Ming Dynasty in exile, and incorporated Chinese taste and Confucian ideas into the landscape throughout the garden. The name "Korakuen" is derived from "Bear the hardship and bitterness before others, enjoy comfort and happiness after others." which appears in "Memorial to Yueyang Tower" written by a man named Fan Zhongyan during the Song Dynasty.

The Koishikawa Korakuen Garden, built on a rugged terrain, offers a variety of landscapes including mountains, rivers, and fields as you walk through the garden. Although it is said that the garden was designed with Chinese taste, Tokugawa Mitsukuni has never been to China. Therefore, some of the scenery was modeled after Kyoto.

The photo shows the Ooigawa River running through the gardens, which seems to be modeled after the Ooigawa River that runs through central Kyoto. The bridge in the background is the Togetsukyo Bridge. This is also a bridge that actually spans the Ooigawa River in Kyoto. In other words, this area imitates the scenery of Kyoto. Even with his Chinese taste, the scenery of Kyoto may have been ideal for him.