The Yuko-En on the Elkhorn garden features the traditional elements of a
Japanese garden with plants and
landforms native to Japan and Kentucky. The site's flat land was converted with 1400 truckloads of earth into gentle rising hills with gravel paths and arched bridges leading through a
water garden, a
Zen rock garden, and past the banks of Elkhorn Creek. The Tokugawa Gates at the entrance to the garden depict the
Tokugawa Shogunate era in the form of Medieval European castle gates. A zigzag path leads into the garden through a patch of native cane. The Tahara Snow Lantern and
Maple grove are gifts from the citizens of Tahara. The Maple grove includes species from America and Japan. A
koi pond is the central feature of the garden. Above the koi pond is the Upper Waterfall and Mountain. This feature depicts
limestone waterfalls along Elkhorn creek with the cone shaped mountains representing the island of
Yakushima, where streams flow down the mountain. The Kazan Sculpture/Tahara Waterfall Garden area has a sculpture of a young
Watanabe Kazan, a Japanese
painter, scholar and statesman. The Elkhorn viewing hut is a log structure that is similar to local log buildings in form, but differs with its triangle cut logs representing the treasury building in
Nara. The Zen rock garden, best seen from the Elkhorn Viewing Pavilion, has patterns created by local volunteers. The Arched Bridge, painted Japanese red, goes over a dry rock stream that represents streams flow down volcanic peaks in Japan. ==Gallery==