Ritsurin Garden: It is the only place which is designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty of the nation in Shikoku Island. It has been highly evaluated internationally as a circuit style garden founded by a feudal lord, with almost 400 years of history. In 1631, part of the garden around Nanko (a South Pond) was made by IKOMA Takatoshi, a feudal lord of Sanuki area (an old name of Kagawa prefecture). Then it was handed over to MATSUDAIRA Yorishige, who became the first lord of Takamatsu domain (a feudal domain covering the east part of Sanuki area) in 1642. The whole garden was completed as Ritsurin Retreat in 1745 in the reign of the fifth lord, Yoritaka, and since then had been maintained and used as a suburban residence of MATSUDAIRA family for 11 generations until the Meiji Restoration in the late 19th century. Since 1875, it has been opened to the public as a garden of the prefecture, and was designated as a Special Place of Scenic Beauty of the nation under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties in 1953. Common reverse design of 1000 yen silver coin: Snow Crystals, Moon and Cherry Blossoms.
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