Next
week, let’s hike Oiso Hill 大磯丘陵 with a view spot where we can see
the entire Oiso Town and the Pacific Ocean. From there, we will understand Oiso
is a typical beach town of Shonan 湘南 with seaside protection forest
shielding the town from the effect of strong sea breeze (; my post on October
12, 2018). Since for more than millennia Oiso Town was a post town of Tokaido 東海道, the main road of Japan, people has afforested the
oceanfront for centuries to guard the human settlement. By the 19th century, it
became a charming place with the established seaside protection forest. In the
age of smokestack industrialization, the first person who noticed the health
benefit of such environment was Dr. Jun Matsumoto 松本順, the first Surgeon General for Japanese Imperial Army.
In 1885, he opened Oiso Beach as sea resort for commoners. Dr. Matsumoto had
strong connections with the “Society” and lectured his friends how nice to be
in Oiso all year round. Several of them, including ministers for the
government, bought their summer house in Oiso during the 1880s. (The map
showing these houses in Oiso can be seen here.) One of the earliest new comers was
(step-)father of Shigeru Yoshida (my post on July 31, 2020), who owned the
property in 1885. Minister of Interior, Aritomo Yamagata 山県有朋, also bought his Oiso place in 1887. Two years
later in 1889, Yamagata became the 3rd Prime Minister of Japan. It was the
beginning for Oiso Town to entertain a series of landlord-PMs. In total, 8
Japanese PMs had their summer houses. 6 of theirs (including Yoshida Residence)
were on beach side.
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| The
resting place of Dr. Matsumoto in Myodaiji Temple 妙大寺. We visit there next week. 😀 |
Yamagata’s
summer house stood on the ground now for Oiso Junior-high on Route #1. To the
west next to the campus was the place of Shigenobu Okuma 大隈重信, the 8th and 17th PM (and the founder of Waseda University), the next one was of Hirobumi Itoh 伊藤博文, the
1st, 5th, 7th, and 10th PM, and the neighbor beyond was Kinmochi Saionji 西園寺公望, 12th and 14th PM. In between the property of
these PMs, there was a summer house of Munemitsu Mutsu 陸奥宗光, Minister of Foreign Affairs during the 1890s who
engaged in the after-war negotiation with Qing Dynasty (i.e. a person who was
at the forefront of the real beginning of Japanese aggression towards China)
and succeeded in abolishing all the extraterritoriality agreements with European
countries and the USA. Another neighbor of these ministers was Marquis Nabeshima 鍋島直大, the last feudal lord for Saga 佐賀藩. In the former property of Marquis, there stood a
condo now. The rest, from Okuma place to Ikeda property has become National Meiji Memorial Garden of Oiso 明治記念大磯邸園. The Okuma and Mutsu Residences were planned to be
open on July 2020. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has postponed the opening at least
till late 2020.
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| The condo standing over Marquis’ memory |
Under
the current circumstances, no one knows when we can start visiting this park.
In any case, the old buildings where the biggies actually used are needed heavy
repairs so that any of them won’t be accessible for us at least this year. We
can now just poke in the gardens each house has, from outside of the
construction fence. It seems to me all the places preserve the forest of black
pine (Pinus thunbergii) relatively well, at least in the outer rim of the
Garden. Okuma and Mutsu potion has wide open space between the house and the
black pine forest, that must have been loved by these guys … wide open space if
impeccable lawn and beautiful pines covering twinkling lights from wave crests
over there … Unfortunately, now the final approach to the sea is blocked by Seisho By-pass Highway 西湘バイパス, but we must be able to listen sound of the sea
(with roaring car engine noises …) in the forest. Saionji property was later owned
by Shigeaki Ikeda 池田成彬, the CEO of Mitsui Group and the 14th Governor of
Bank of Japan who built a mansion in art deco style there. The garden and
mansion are planned to be unveiled to the public next year. We keep crossing
fingers for this to happen …
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| Last
February, workers were busy for the preparation of opening at Okuma Residence … |
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| A
mansion Governor Ikeda built. It is said that its entrance hall is one of the best Art Deco structures remaining in Japan. I hope we can have an access to it next year … |
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| The
forest of Saionji Residence. It surely needs some mowing. |
The
summer house of Hirobumi Itoh occupies the largest acreage for Meiji Memorial
Garden of Oiso. It may have had the largest modification since the time of the
1st PM. Until recently, it was the property of Seibu Group that built banquet
hall and Chinese restaurant there in the style of the 1960s and the 70s (, and
gave up the business with large losses). It seems to me, Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism is engaging in a heavy restoration work for
this area. It may take some time for us to see how the original summer house of
the PM looked like. In terms of historical importance, this is the most
significant area for Meiji Memorial Garden. Itoh was inevitably close to
Emperor Meiji so that his crown prince, Emperor Taisho, was natural regulars in
Oiso Society when he was a schoolboy, staying Itoh’s place. It helped another
guest for Itoh’s Oiso House to be a part of the Society. He was the last crown
prince, Prince Yu Un 李垠 for Joseon Dynasty of Korea.
Before Japan made Korea her colony, Itoh invited (or, some may say “abducted”) in
1907 10 years’ old crown prince to be a schoolmate for Japanese crown prince at
Gakushuin 学習院. Since then, Korean prince’s private life in Japan
was mainly spent in Oiso. He even met his wife here. She was Princess Masako 方子, the first daughter of Prince Nashimotonomiya 梨本宮 who shared the same grandfather 5
generations back with Emperor Heisei. Wife of Prince Nashimotonomiya was the daughter
of Marquis Nabeshima so that Princess Masako often came to spend her time in her
granddaddy’s place, a neighbor of Itoh Residence. Although the marriage of
Korean Crown Prince was for political reasons of course, the couple was to some
extent childhood friends. Remembering after 1945 how they struggled together to
return to Korea, what the forest of black pines in Oiso did for kids’ memory
may be for a screen play of Korean love stories …
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| Former
banquet hall Seibu Group built on the 1st PM’s memory. It is too large to demolish at once, maybe … |
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| Out of
business Chinese Restaurant. Though, the architecture preserves some parts of the building Prince Yu Un and PM Itoh used. Locals say it would be an “engineering show how they return that restaurant into a historical building.” Er, well, OK. |
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| I
think this is the place for former PM’s residence. But they had a different name plate … |
When
we leave from JR Oiso Station, in front of us is a small hill covered by
forest. It was (yes, in past tense) a summer house of Yanosuke Iwasaki 岩崎弥之助, a younger brother of Yataro Iwasaki 岩崎弥太郎, the founder of Mitsubishi Conglomerate. Yataro
himself had a close connection with Kenzo Yoshida 吉田健三, the (step-)father of PM Yoshida, and played some
role for Kenzo to acquire the land for current Yoshida Residence. Haven’t you
noticed both Yoshida and Iwasaki occupied the places at the end of a row of mansions
for Oiso beachfront? In Pre-war Japanese politics, they were to some extent
outsiders. After Yataro died in 1885, Yanosuke took over Mitsubishi’s fortune
and in 1890 purchased the Oiso property. Since then, the Iwasaki Clan spent summer
there. In 1894 Yanosuke handed over Mitsubishi’s top post to Yanosuke’s eldest
son, Hisaya 岩崎久弥, who had 6 kids. His eldest daughter Miki 美喜 nurtured a good memory with Oiso,
grew up and married a diplomat, Renzo Sawada 澤田廉三. Mr. Sawada was a devout Catholic, who later
became the first Japanese ambassador to the UN. Miki was converted to Catholicism,
moved around the world with her husband, became friends with Josephine Baker,
Marie Laurencin, and Pearl S. Buck, among others, and learned children’s home
by Barnardo’s in the UK. At the time when GHQ dismantled the wealth of Iwasaki Family, the
clan payed their wealth tax due by their summer house in Oiso. Miki had a
different idea.
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| The
forest of former Iwasaki Residence had very beautiful camellia last February. |
Miki
Sawada 澤田美喜 knew there were lots of orphans
because of the war. Especially, as a (rare, then) woman with international
experience, she often watched the hard life in Japan for kids with
international background, like of Japanese emigres or of abandonment by their
parents in international relationship. After 1945, in large Japanese cities where
American forces stationed, there were lots of starved Japanese women who
engaged in prostitution for the occupiers. Some of them gave birth to babies
with no idea who the kid’s father was. Such babies’ feature stood out in
uniform and traditional life of ordinary Japanese. (Oh, yes, Japanese racism,
if you ask me to identify it.) Leaving behind mixed-race babies in a street
corner was rife. Miki determined on converting Iwasaki Clan’s former summer
house to an orphanage for such children, just like Barnardo’s. She poured all the
fortune she personally had, and asked help from her international comrades. One
of such good friends for hard time was Elizabeth Saunders, an English woman who
stayed in Japan even during war years as the Governess of Mitsui Family. She as
a good Anglican donated all her savings to Miki’s project. They managed to buy
back the estate from the GHQ, and in 1948 established an orphanage named Elizabeth Saunders Home. Later in 1953, she added St. Stephan’s School as a private
elementary school + kindergarten, and in 1959 a junior-high school for kids
live at her Home. So, instead of being parks with restored glittering architectures,
or Chinese restaurant, Mitsubishi’s summer house is now a home and a campus for
grade schoolers. Elizabeth Saunders Home for the 21st century is a
place for kids from diverse backgrounds but equally suffered with many kinds of
violence. St. Stephan’s School is not only for the kids from the Home but also
ordinary families who are in sync with the founding sprit of the place. As
such, we cannot enter the forest of Former Iwasaki Residence, but near the
entrance there is Sawadamiki Memorial Museum where we can see the collection of
Miki Sawada who was also famous as a collector of Japanese Christian art. The
Museum has a troop of student volunteers who can guide you in English. 😄 Er … sorry, due to COVID-19 the museum is now
closed until further notice. 😕
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| The
relief of Mrs. Miki Sawada at the entrance for Elizabeth Saunders Home. |
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| The
kids’ place is beyond this tunnel (for permission holders only). |
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| Outside
Meiji Memorial Garden of Oiso along Seisho By-pass Highway, there is a small corridor called Koyurugui Ryokuchi (こゆるぎ緑地 Koyurugui Green Belt) which is managed as Japanese National Trust area. The place was once devastated by pine wilt disease as the pine forest of Yoshida Residence. Volunteers in Oiso Town and Kanagawa Midori Trust are restoring the place since 2003. It’s still a young forest, but pleasant place to stroll quietly. 😌 |
Showa
Kinen Park Oiso Office, Kanto Regional Bureau,
Ministry
of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism
国土交通省関東地方整備局
国営昭和記念公園事務所大磯分室
Phone: 0463-79-8700
St.
Stephan’s School 学校法人 聖ステパノ学園 小学校/中学校
868 Oiso,
Oiso-cho, Naka-gun, Kanagawa, 255-0003
〒255-0003 神奈川県中郡大磯町大磯868
Phone: 0463-61-1298
Oiso
Town Hall 大磯町役場
183 Higashikoiso,
Oiso-cho, Naka-gun, Kanagawa, 255-8555
〒255-8555
神奈川県中郡大磯町東小磯183
Phone:
0463-61-4100
Fax:
0463-61-1991
http://www.town.oiso.kanagawa.jp/isotabi/index.html
http://www.town.oiso.kanagawa.jp/oisomuseum/index.html
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