By the proclamation of 1873 the establishment of parks was encouraged throughout the country, Tokyo first setting an example by promptly creating Asakusa Park, Shiba Park, and Uyeno (Ueno) Park in succession. The example was immediately followed by Mito with Tokiwa Park (or Kairalku-en), Kanazawa following the next year with Kenroku Park and Takamatsu with Ritsurin Park the year following. Some years later, Koraku-yen of Okayama was opened to the public. Hibiya Park in Tokyo was the first of the parks specially created as such from a plain piece of ground in 1903, and Suwa Park of Nagasaki was the forerunner of the one that took advantage of natural scenic beauty in the creation of the park, though already in the feudal regime parks had been so made at Shirakawa and Mito, as already referred to. Others throughout the country slowly followed these examples.
