Hisago-ike Pond

Hisago-ike Pond features a distinctive gourd shape that serves as the centerpiece for this section of Kenrokuen Garden. Lord Matsudaira Sadayori excavated this basin in sixteen seventy-six to supply water for the nearby tea houses. The water flows from the upper reaches of the garden into this lower pond, tumbling over a stone waterfall. Locals once called it the Hisago because the curves of the shoreline mimic the silhouette of a traditional Japanese sake bottle.