Kyu-Furukawa Gardens

The Furukawa Garden (Japanese旧 古河 庭园, Kyū Furukawa files ) in the Tokyo district of Kita is part of the Villa of Furukawa Toranosuke (古河 虎 之 助) ( 1883-1940 ) from the year 1917.

Background

The property, located in the north of Tokyo on the old main road Iwatsuki Kaidō originally belonged to Count Mutsu Munemitsu. The founder of the Furukawa zaibatsu, Furukawa Ichibe (1832-1903), adopted his second son as successor and took over the land. As this adopted son died early, it finally fell to Toranosuke (1887-1940), a natural son Ichibēs, who now took over the estate and let reshape it.

The Garden

In 1917 the Villa was completed in western style. The park at the house was also applied to the west with lawns, flower beds, boxwood mounts. The larger, deeper part but was designed, composed of Japanese garden designer in Kyoto, Ogawa Jibe ( 1860-1930 ). Center of the Japanese garden is a large pond surrounded by dense trees. The pond has the classic form of "heart sign ", as it results from painted in a train心. There is a "dry waterfall " ( kare -san- sui no taki ), a " Yukimi " stone lantern, its wide roof snow can accumulate, an open pavilion ( Azumaya ) to rest and another.

The Villa

The villa was one of the last works, the architect Josiah Conder executed. The brick building with natural stone, the dark Komatsu - ishi, an andesite from Yugawara ( Kanagawa Prefecture ), disguised. It is worth noting especially the interior design. The ground floor is decorated entirely in western style. It contains a large hall the communal rooms, reception room, dining room and a billiard room.

The upper floor contains the more private spaces. Conder case has a self-contained Japanese suite integrated into the other west -designed floor. These rooms, tatami, close directly at each other. In the western part there is a equipped with the technology of the time the bathroom. The house also contains a "German room," perhaps due to the long standing collaboration between the company Furukawa and Siemens.

With the dissolution of the Furukawa zaibatsu, 1945, the family gave up the land; it fell to the city that made available to the garden to the public. But the building came down. 1982 were three sides overgrown with ivy, the roof was leaking, water came into the rooms upstairs. Since the Otani Foundation took over the building in order to save it. The work began in 1983, lasted six years until she on 31 March 1989 were completed. It was helpful that they found the original documents of Conder in a crate under the stairs. The candelabra were remade according to old documents.

Characteristics

• Operator: Tokyo Prefecture, it is admission charged
• Opening: April 30, 1956
• Size: 30780.86 m² lawn area 1,500 m²,
• Inventory: 3,610 trees, 5,800 shrubs (1995 )
• Facilities: Furukawa villa - you can be seen by appointment, tea house - it can be rented. Both buildings are managed by Otani Foundation.