This Edo-period garden draws its name (kenroku means 'combined six') from a renowned Sung-dynasty garden in China that dictated six attributes for perfection: seclusion, spaciousness, artificiality, antiquity, abundant water and broad views. Kenroku-en has them all. Arrive before the crowds.
It's believed that the garden, originally belonging to an outer villa of Kanazawa-j艒, was developed from the 1620s to the 1840s and was so named in 1822. It was first opened to the public in 1871.