Kodokan Park

Kodokan Park refers to the entire grounds of Kodokan, Japan’s largest domain school founded by Tokugawa Nariaki, the 9th lord of the Mito Domain. Kodokan opened in 1857 and served as compulsory education for domain samurai and their sons aged 15 to 40. With an education aiming at both literary and martial arts excellence, the vast site of about 10.5 hectares included facilities such as a literary hall, martial hall, medical hall, and observatory, as well as training areas like a horse ground, drill field, archery range, and gunnery range. Although Kodokan was closed in 1872 following the promulgation of the modern school system, about 3.4 hectares that escaped wartime damage are designated a Special Historic Site of Japan and are open to the public as Kodokan Park. The park is also famous for plum blossoms and, together with Kairakuen, serves as a venue for the Mito Plum Festival. The plum grove contains about 800 trees of roughly 60 varieties and occupies the former site of the Bun-kan (literary hall) that burned in the “”Battle of Kodokan”” in 1868. Bullet marks from that battle remain on the pillars of the Important Cultural Property main gate, making it a spot where you can enjoy both history and flowers. Access is about an 8-minute walk from JR Mito Station North Exit.