The Four Seasons in Kakuzan Park
The people of Tsuyama affectionately call these castle ruins by the nickname “the castle mountain.” It is beautiful through all four seasons: spring brings cherry blossoms all around the castle grounds. In summer, the trees turn a lush green. Autumn is known for dazzling red leaves, and the snows of winter blanket the castle grounds in a tranquil hush. Each season offers its own unique beauty at Tsuyama Castle, and the transitions from one to the next can bring truly unforgettable moments.
It is said that when the castle grounds became Kakuzan Park in 1900, the entire grounds had been turned into mulberry fields, and were densely overgrown. Because of this, the Tsuyama Town Assembly deliberated on how to maintain it as a park, and in 1902, they planted cherry blossom trees as a trial run.
In 1905, Town Assembly member Jun’ichi Fukui became the center of these cherry-tree-planting efforts, and in 1907, the park was properly established, with the help of seedlings donated by soldiers returning home from the Russo–Japanese War.
Later, cherry trees were planted in the second and main enclosures in 1915, and in the eastern part of the castle grounds in 1928, to celebrate the enthronements of Emperors Taisho and Showa. A total of some 2,000 trees were planted for these occasions, and even today, the castle grounds fill with cherry blossoms each spring.
During this period, Jun’ichi Fukui was absolutely devoted to planting cherry trees here, continuing to invest his own money and working to raise donations.
By 2020 or so, these 2,000 cherry trees had grown quite large. Unfortunately, even though they were originally planted with plenty of space between them, they had eventually come to obstruct one another’s growth. Maintenance efforts have been made to keep enough space between the trees, and as a result, the roughly 1,000 cherry blossom trees remaining on the Tsuyama Castle grounds can now flourish once again.
Summer
Autumn
Winter
