Kōkoen 好古園 – Our Sister Garden

Around the world, various cities, states, and castles partner up to help build international relations. These partnerships can be legal or social, and create “sister” or “twin” relationships between two culturally and geographically distinct places. Phoenix itself has eleven sister cities, though the most important one to the Garden is the relationship with Himeji, Japan, as the Garden would not exist without this partnership.

In 1976, Himeji and Phoenix became sister cities, and have engaged in cultural and economic trade since. While a lot of these types of partnerships do not extend much beyond the signed paper, Himeji and Phoenix have a strong relationship, with delegations from both cities regularly visiting each other. In fact, there are several programs between the two cities that Phoenicians can participate in, including a teacher exchange and a Youth Ambassador program. The youth program gives Himeji and Phoenix high school students a three-week opportunity to experience the other country’s language and culture.

Himeji has a lot for visitors to see and do, but the most globally recognized building within the city would have to be Himeji Castle (姫路城, himeji-jō). After standing for over 700 years, this building was one of the first in Japan to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1993). After closing for five years for renovations, it is now Japan’s most visited castle, with almost three million people a year attending the site. A relatively recent (~30 years ago) addition of a traditional stroll garden completed the castle complex.

Himeji Castle in Himeji, Japan

In 1992, Kōkoen (好古園) was constructed to commemorate the one hundredth anniversary of the municipality of Himeji. The planning and design of the garden was overseen by Professor Nakamura Makoto of Kyoto University. The garden is located on the western side of Himeji Castle, and was built upon the former site of the lord and his samurai’s residences, an area of roughly 3.5 hectares. Kōkoen is comprised of nine separate gardens, each based on the original layout of the aforementioned residences, including the Garden of the Lord’s Residence, Garden of Summer, and Garden of Pines. Kōkoen is named after Koko-do, a military school founded in 1692, which was moved to Himeji Castle in 1749 by Lord Tadazumi Sakai of the Sakai clan, after he was given command of the castle and its feudal domain.

Kōkoen would come to mirror the partnership between Himeji and Phoenix, as in 2017, they would enter into a sister-garden relationship with us, Rohōen. Today, we share cultural programs, technical assistance, and utilize teamwork to ensure a shared future of growth and prosperity, but this collaborative relationship began before 2017.  The Himeji Gardening and Construction Contractors Association was formed for the specific purpose of designing and constructing Rohōen.

Construction of Rohōen

In 1988, plans were drawn up by the Association and presented to the City of Phoenix. Nozomu Ōkita designed and oversaw the original construction of the Garden, the same man who designed the iconic waterfalls at Kōkoen. Our own Garden Curator and Executive Director, Ben Schrepf, has worked with Ōkita-san over the years, and has even trained at Kōkoen. Even now, Kōkoen and Rohōen have quarterly meetings, and actively engage in collaborative projects together.

We at Rohōen are very proud of our connections to our Sister Garden, Kōkoen, and we hope that if you have a chance to visit Japan, you are able to spare some time to visit Himeji and its castle garden Kōkoen.