公園の生みの親は水原衛作（みずはらえいさく）、柿崎巳十郎（かくざきみじゅうろう）兄弟（姓が異なるのは、兄の水原が造園の師匠水原清（みずはらきよし）の跡を継いで水原姓を名乗ったため）。水原によって合浦公園は明治13年（1860）に計画され、翌14年に着工された。
しかし、水原は完成を見ないまま18年に亡くなったため、実弟の巳十郎が兄の意志を継ぐことに。この２人が手がけた造園工事は、私財を投じた筆舌に尽くしがたい苦難の連続であったという。
それでも着工から13年後の明治27年に完成し、巳十郎は公園の一切を当時の青森町に寄贈した。巳十郎はその後、園丁としてかかわり、大正14年（1925）に亡くなるまでの約40年間、その職をまっとうした。
敗戦後は、進駐軍によって接収され、公園内にはカマボコ兵舎や将校の住宅が建設された。昭和25年（1950）には競輪場と市営野球場が完成するものの、その時点でも公園総面積の３分の１はまだ接収されていて、29年12月になって完全に青森市側に返された。競輪場はその後、競輪を罪悪視する世論の高まりや周辺住民への騒音などの問題が生じて、58年に青森市新城平岡（しんじょうひらおか）へ移転となった。
このあたりで波乱の歴史は、ようやく落ち着くのだが、一方で燦然と輝く歴史的快挙も忘れてはなるまい。
それは合浦公園が、日本プロ野球史上初の完全試合達成の地であるということ。昭和25年６月28日、市営球場のこけら落としとして行われた巨人（きょじん）対西日本（にしにっぽん）戦で、巨人の藤本英雄（ふじもとひでお）投手が西日本を４─０で抑えてパーフェクトを達成。試合時間１時間19分、記録は内野フライ３、外野フライ６、内野ゴロ11、三振７だった。
写真説明（上から順に）
①合浦公園の創設者である水原衛作（みずはらえいさく）、柿崎巳十郎（かきざきみじゅうろう）兄弟を顕彰する胸像
②日本プロ野球史上初の完全試合達成を伝える記念碑桜の木も多く花見の名所でもある（４月中旬）
③桜の木も多く花見の名所でもある（４月中旬）
Photo Essay: One Hundred Images of Aomori, Part 7
Photographs and text by Masayuki Yamauchi (editor, based in Aomori City)
Gapo Park: I. A Turbulent History
If you look back at the history of Gapo Park, you will find that it is quite a turbulent place. To begin with, it was a difficult birth.
The two brothers, Eisaku Mizuhara and Mijuro Kakizaki, were the founders of the park (the reason for the different surnames is that the elder Mizuhara took the surname Mizuhara after following in the footsteps of his landscaping master Kiyoshi Mizuhara). It was Mizuhara who planned Gapo Park in 1860, and construction began the following year.
However, Mizuhara died in 1860 without completing the project, and his younger brother, Mijuro, took over his brother's will. It is said that the landscaping work undertaken by these two men was a series of hardships beyond description, involving the investment of their own private funds.
Nevertheless, the work was completed in 1894, 13 years after the start of construction, and Mijuro donated the entire park to the town of Aomori. After that, he became involved in the park as a gardener and fulfilled his duties for about 40 years until his death in 1925.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, the park was confiscated by the Occupation Forces, and kamaboko barracks and housing for officers were built in the park. In 1950, a bicycle race track and a municipal baseball field were completed, but even at that time, a third of the park's total area was still confiscated, and in December of 1954, the park was completely returned to Aomori City. The bicycle race track was later relocated to Shinjo-Hiraoka, Aomori City in 1958, due to the growing public opinion that considered bicycle racing to be a sin and noise problems for the surrounding residents.
At this point, the tumultuous history of the park finally settled down, but at the same time, we should not forget the brilliant historical achievement.
That is, Gapo Park was the site of the first perfect game in the history of Japanese professional baseball. On June 28, 1950, in a game between the Giants and West Japan held as the opening ceremony of the municipal baseball stadium, Hideo Fujimoto, pitcher of the Giants, achieved a perfect game by holding West Japan to a 4-0 record. The game lasted 1 hour and 19 minutes, and the record was 3 infield flies, 6 outfield flies, 11 infield groundouts, and 7 strikeouts.
Photo Description (from top to bottom)
(1) A bust commemorating the brothers Eisaku Mizuhara and Mijuro Kakizaki, the founders of Gapo Park.
(2) Monument to the first perfect game in the history of Japanese professional baseball.
(3) The park is also a famous cherry blossom viewing spot (mid-April).
