14.2 Okayama Korakuen (December 16)#

Okayama is not only our outpost for heading to Izumo, but this “transit hub” itself possesses one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan—Okayama Korakuen.

Unlike the secluded and enclosed atmosphere of Kanazawa’s Kenrokuen, Korakuen displays a “sense of openness” rare in Edo gardens with its expansive lawns. It also masters “borrowed scenery,” integrating Okayama Castle into the landscape. However, beyond its visual openness, this place harbors a cross-border “Red-crowned Crane connection,” adding a unique layer of historical depth to the garden.

In the 1950s, our country had no diplomatic relations with much of the international community. Apart from maintaining necessary contact through Hong Kong, we often had to rely on “civil diplomacy” to break the deadlock. The Red-crowned Cranes of Korakuen are a testament to that era.

Guo Moruo had deep ties with Okayama. In 1914, he went to Japan to study and was admitted to the “Sixth Higher School” (the predecessor of today’s Okayama University), where he spent about three and a half years. For him, Okayama was not just a place of study, but what he called his “second hometown.”

Korakuen has had a tradition of raising Red-crowned Cranes since ancient times, but amidst the flames and chaos of World War II, the garden’s crane population was unfortunately wiped out. In 1955, Guo Moruo, then President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, led a delegation to Japan. When he revisited the old grounds and saw the empty crane cages, he couldn’t help but feel saddened. On the spot, he made a promise to the hosting Mayor of Okayama, Yukiharu Miki: “After I return home, I will send a pair of Red-crowned Cranes over.”

In 1956, a pair of wild Red-crowned Cranes from Heilongjiang finally settled in Okayama after a long and winding journey. This pair had strong adaptability; the very next year (1957), they successfully laid eggs and hatched chicks, causing quite a sensation.

Subsequently, to avoid population decline caused by inbreeding, Korakuen actively engaged in exchanges and crane swapping with Japan’s famous Red-crowned Crane habitat—Kushiro City in Hokkaido. Today, Korakuen has become one of the most successful examples of captive Red-crowned Crane breeding in Japan. Most of the cranes in the flock today still carry the bloodline of those original “envoys to Japan.”