Let's take a stroll around Shirokane-Takanawa!
Minato city Course (Shirokane-Takanawa)

Anteroom

Entrance hall

The Asaka-no-miya Family was established in 1906 by Prince Yasuhiko, who was the 8th son of Asahiko, Prince Kuni. He got married with the 8th daughter of Emperor Meiji, Nobuko, Princess Fumi. Prince Yasuhiko went to Europe to study and got involved in an accident in 1923, which made Princes Nobuko go to France to nurse him. They stayed at Paris until 1925, and visited the International Exposition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts to experience the latest design at that time.

Meanwhile, the land for a new residence was given to the Prince Asaka Family. Gondo Yokichi, who belonged to the department of interior of the Imperial House agency, made a plan for their new residence and ordered Henri Rapin, a French interior designer and a painter, to design the interior of main rooms. The residence was completed in 1933.

The residence is constructed with reinforced concrete structure and the external appearance is simple and modern, while the interior is decorative.

For instance, the glass-relief door in the front entrance hall features a standing female figure and chandeliers in the salon and the great dining hall are the work of French glass artist, Rene Lalique.

The walls in the small drawing room are finished with oilon-Canvas paintings by Henri Rapin and the interior for the Study room are also designed by him.

The marble relief on the wall in the Great Hall, "Children Playing", is the work of Ivan-Léon Blanchot, and the painting in the Great Dinning Hall is also.

The private dining room has Japanese style, the main gate, warehouse and a tea ceremony room designed by HIRATA Masaya are also still existed with the Japanese garden. The residence has a variety of the style and sophisticated design.

All of them create the atmosphere of the Imperial life. This is one of the best Imperial court architectures in Japan.

Now the residence is open to the public as Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum.

Main building

Botanical garden

At former Imperial Land in Shirogane, there had been Sanuki-no-kuni Takamatsu Domain (current Kagawa prefecture)'s suburban residence (the first MATSUDAIRA Yorishige was elder brother of TOKUGAWA Mitsukuni who was lord of the Mito Domain, one of the three privileged branches of TOKUGAWA Family) in the Edo period, and was a gunpowder magazine of army and navy in the Meiji period, and became Imperial estates in the Taisho period. At present, National Institute for Nature Study attached to The National Museum of Nature and Science and Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum are located here.

In this park, since nature has been preserved so largely untouched, and there remain the legend of Shirogane Millionaire's residence site and the earthwork, so this area has been designated for Natural Monument and Historic Site.

Except for the zone of Special Natural Conservation, you can walk along the path in the gardens, which is a sanctuary for the birds and plants contained marshes, Hyotan Pond and deciduous trees such as konara oak, Japanese zelkova and dogwood, as well as conifers such as sweet-acorn tree, bamboo-leaf oak and pine.

And also you can find the historic sites such as earthworks with their explanation signboards.

Main Hall of Zuisho-ji Temple

Shiun-zan Zuisho-ji Temple was the first Obaku school (Zen Buddhism) Temple in Edo and founded by Mokuan, a pupil of Ingen who founded Manpuku-ji temple in Uji. Aoki Kainokami devoted to Mokuan and arranged the land, and the temple was founded in 1670. The temple buildings were completed in the following year. These original building were destroyed by two fires in 1726 and 1745, after that Daio-hoden was reconstructed in 1757 and other buildings were restored during the Bunka era (1804-1818).

The Daio-hoden is the main hall and located in the center of the precincts.

Since Obaku school was introduced into Japan from China in the Edo period, there are some characteristics had never seen at that time of Japan, for instance, "Getsudai" (a kind of terrace), Kaiban (mokugyo, a wooden fish-shaped drum, hanged outside) and a low door with engraved peach at the entrance. In addition, a double roof, "Fukihanachi" (an open space) in the back and the front of the hall, which looks like outside corridors, the floor which is tiled in "Shihanjiki" way (a kind of way to place square pieces, such as tiles to make all the joints at a 45 degree angle with tatami mats on the both sides. There are also other unique features; a simplified bracket system, many round windows and square pillars.

Zuisho-ji Daio-hoden is very important to be an example of authentic Buddhism architecture in the Edo period.

Meiji Gakuin Imbrie House

James Curtis Hepburn MD,LL.D, who is famous for putting together the first full-fledged Japanese-English dictionary, contributing to the translation of the Bible into Japanese and establishing a new system for romanization of the Japanese language, called Hepburn style, came to Japan in 1859 as a Presbyterian missionary from America. He opened the Hepburn School in 1863 and dedicated himself to English education in addition to medical activities.

Hepburn founded Meiji Gakuin School at the present place in 1887. School buildings and dormitories were constructed and one of western houses for missionaries built around 1889 still exists. It became to be called Imbrie House because Dr. W. Imbrie, a professor of School of Divinity, lived there for a long time.

The architectural style came from the wooden houses of the United States in 1870s and was the first authentic western wooden house in Japan. There are many features such as the gable wall with saw toothed pattern, its open plane plan with the entrance hall at the center of the house, the use of different parquet flooring for each room and coating wooden parts with vanish which had never seen in houses before in Japan. Nevertheless, Japanese carpenters constructed the house with Japanese materials.

After having finished its role as a house for missionaries, it was used for various purposes, and it was moved to the current location in 1964 because of the expansion of National Route 1. The major renovation from 1995 to 1997 helped it regain its original appearance.

Takanawa Fire Station Nihon-enoki Branch Office

Built on 8th December, 1933.

This building with reinforced concrete, 3-stories, had been situated alone at the intersection on the top of the hill 25m altitude, without any tall buildings surrounded, so it had a good view to the Tokyo Bay.

It was built in L-shaped floor plan with both wings of 2-stories and cylinder shape of the corner of 3 stories which has the cylindrical watch tower on it. This lively attractive design was done by OCHI Misao, who worked in the building and repairs section of the National Police Agency. It was constructed by Hazama corporation.

The exterior wall was covered with tiles. Continuous rows of window-sills and parapets on the roof emphasis horizontal lines on the exterior design and opening parts of the building such as windows made of exposed-aggregate imitation stones also characterize the building.

Through the entrance that faces the intersection, and climbing up the stairs with smooth texture, you can see the decorative moldings applied around the ceiling and tops of pillars. On the third floor, there is a large circular hall and eight beams spread radically from the center to eight columns. In this hall gas lamps on the pillars have been kept since the building was founded.

Grave of HANABUSA Itcho

HANABUSA Itcho (the original surname was FUJIWARA, posthumous name was Yasuo) was born in 1652 at Kyoto, and he went to Edo to study painting under Kano Yasunobu, the official painter of the TOKUGAWA Shogunate. In those days he painted using pseudonym Taga Choko, at the same time he was active as haikai poets having a good relationship with MATSUO Basho and his leading disciple ENOMOTO Sokaku.

However, in 1698 he was exiled to Miyake-jima Island on certain charge. In this island, he made a living with painting for the islanders or clients of Edo. When he returned to Edo, having been pardoned by amnesty due to the death of the 5th Shogun TOKUGAWA Tsunayoshi, he named HANABUSA Itcho as pseudonym, and changed his sobriquet to Hokusoo. Since then he painted daily lives of Edo City and rose to fame as genre painter. He died on January 3rd in 1724.

At first, HANABUSA Itcho was buried at Kenjoin Temple, which was Tatchu (sub-temple) of Jokyo-ji Temple, but when this temple fell into disrepair, his tomb was moved to Jokyoji Temple. And in 1912, he was reburied to Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple.

The tomb of HANABUSA Itcho in Jokyo-ji Temple which was broken by the Ansei Great Earthquake (1855) was reproduced by son descendant HANABUSA Issei. On his gravestone, there are inscriptions of his name Hokusoo in front, his death poem in left side, and his date of death in right side and reason of reproduction in back.

The site of OISHI Yoshio and 16 Roshi of Loyal Retainers

There are lots of historic places regarding Ako Affair in Tokyo, famous for Chushingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers), and this site is one of them. This is the place where 17 of 47 Ako Roshi (masterless samurai), including their chief OISHI Kuranosuke Yoshio committed seppuku.

Ako Affair, starting with the sword fighting incident at Matsu no Roka (corridor) of Edo Castle in 1701, expanded to incident of braking into the residence of KIRA Kozukenosuke in December 1702. After killing down KIRA, 46 Roshi including OISHI Kuranosuke offered up the head of KIRA Kozukenosuke in front of the tomb of their master Lord ASANO Takuminokami at Sengaku-ji Temple. After that, 4 residences of Lords including HOSOKAWA Family were assigned to take care of them. A document says HOSOKAWA Family treated OISHI Kuranosuke and 16 Ronin courteously. On February 4th in 1703, each of the Ako Roshi committed seppuku in each residence of the Lords where they confined, and were buried in Sengaku-ji Temple.

The place that was HOSOKAWA Family's Takanawa suburban residence becomes Takamatsu junior high school at present, but there remains it as a historic place of HOSOKAWA residence surrounded by walls, and it reminds us of former times.

Castanopsis at Former HOSOKAWA residence

On the hill behind Takanawa Minato City Office where the Kumamoto Domain HOSOKAWA Family's suburban residence was located, there is old Castanopsis sieboldii. The trunk was cut about 10m in height; however it has over 8.1m in trunk circumference as large tree.

Castanopsis sieboldii, which belongs to the Fagaceae family, is one of the major evergreen tall trees growing south of Fukushima prefecture and Niigata prefecture. The leaves have the length of 5-10cm, width of 2-3cm, and fine point. Early summer, trees blossom and next autumn its oval fruits with sharp edges ripen.

It seems that this Castanopsis, has continued to watch various historical events from Edo down to the present.

Kamezuka

This name of the mount comes from a legend that there was a sake pot on the top of the mound, and a tortoise to go in and out of here was worshiped with God, but the tortoise of the sake pot became the stone by wind and rain of the single night. Besides, it is said to be the place of legend Takeshiba-dera Temple in "Sarashina Nikki (Sarashina Diary)" written in the Heian period (around 1060).

Kamezuka is an artificial hill which was remarked as a tomb mound by anthropologist Dr. TSUBOI Shogoro in the Meiji period. As a result of several excavations, the dwelling ruins of the late Yayoi period (1st century A.D.) was found under Kamezuka, so it derive to be built after this ruin, but no circumferential groove nor burial facility were found. However, judging from the location and this form, it is likely to be a tomb mound.

Moreover, the ancient settlements were also found along the road of east side to Takanawa Nihon-enoki. Also considering with the legends, there is an explanation of government road running Mita plateau.

In the Edo period, this site belonged to the residence for TOKI Family, Lord of Kozuke-no-kuni Numata Domain (current Gunma prefecture). The second Lord Yorioki built the Kameyama Hi (monument) which was inscribed the legend of "Sarashina Nikki" and "Sake jugs and tortoise". The monument was designated for the cultural property of Minato City.

The site of the first French Legation

In 1858 the TOKUGAWA Shogunate concluded a Commercial Treaty with Western European Countries including United States. In next year under this treaty, residences and legations for delegations of foreign countries began to be located in temples in current Minato City. The first French legation established in Saikai-ji Temple, De Bellecourt and Roches, a French Minister were stationed here. In those days, as Shoin (reception room) and Kuri (priest's living quarters or kitchen of the temple) were used for French legation, the condition of temple's life of being became difficult. So temple's building was added the extension by the money received from Shogunate. Saikai-ji Temple has the record of "Gaikoku-sho Negaidome" which is designated for the cultural property of Minato City.

As Sonno-Joi Movement (the Movement advocating reverence for Emperor and the expulsion of foreigners) was increasingly more intensified, there were several incidents of foreigners being killed or stabbed. In Saikai-ji Temple, an Italian official of French legation, Natale was killed on September 17 in 1860.

The site of Christians in Genna

In the early years of the Edo period, missionaries enhanced the propagation of Christianity in Japan. But since TOKUGAWA Shogunate considered it to be a menace, it banned Christianity in 1613. Many Christians were captured, and in Nagasaki or Kyoto, Christians who never renounce faith by a Christian were executed. However, escaped Christians continued to believe.

In Edo City also on December in 1623, 50 Christians, including HARA Mondo, Father de Angelis and Father Falves were executed. HARA Mondo, who had worked as a pageboy of Shogun Iemitsu, had been exiled from Sunpu Castle, more unfortunate he was captured during hiding in Edo City.

It is estimated that there was an execution ground in this vicinity with the biography of Ikku Shonin who founded Chifukuji Temple, the description by Léon Pages of which the execution ground was located on the hill at the entrance to Tokaido highway, Kiriezu (a sort of map) in Edo period and geographical features.