Japanese castle garden

The Japanese castles were built as military strongholds, but the aesthetic aspect was always taken into consideration. And as symbols of the ruler's power and wealth, many of them were also augmented with beautiful, traditional Japanese gardens. In many cases the gardens were made to be admired from the castle and also to be enjoyed during a promenade, so they were often made by the period's famous designers, featuring tea houses, rare plants, spectacular rocks or islands connected by elegant bridges...

Here is a photo taken inside the Hikone Castle's Genkyu-en garden, one of the most beautiful Japanese castle gardens, built in 1677.