I want to...
Yokiso (揚輝荘)
2022.03.29
Yokiso, adjoining the southeast corner of Kakuozan Nittaiji Temple in Chikusa Ward, is another of Nagoya's well-maintained historical properties. Although only a portion of the original property remains, a diorama in the Choshokaku guesthouse gives visitors a glimpse of what Yokiso, with its assortment of teahouses, recreational facilities and picturesque gardens, must have been like in its former life.
Ponder the Kakuozan of almost a century ago as you take in the fusion of western and Japanese architectural styles (plus the South and Southeast Asian influences in the Choshokaku). And visit again in each season to experience the ever-changing charm of the gardens.
Yokiso was formerly a secondary residence of Ito Jirozaemon Suketami, the founder and first president of the department store retailer Matsuzakaya Co., Ltd. (see below). When completed in 1939, the approximately 33,000km2 grounds, standing proudly on the Kakuozan hillside, contained more than 30 buildings and a pond-centered strolling garden.
In its heyday, Yokiso served as a reception hall and a social meeting place visited by members of the Imperial family and key figures in government, business, bureaucracy, and the cultural sphere. It also became the hub for the formation of an international community through Suketami's support and provision of lodging to Asian students.
Later, the Ito family would relocate from Chaya-machi (now Marunouchi 2-chome, Naka Ward) to take up residence at Yokiso.
Subjected to wartime air-raids, and later partial redevelopment of the property, Yokiso currently exists as two premises, South and North. The site's remaining buildings are of great historical value. With five structures designated Tangible Cultural Properties of the City of Nagoya, and the gardens of the North and South premises, Yokiso remains a cultural asset to its local community. It is also one of a limited number of cultural facilities in Nagoya where visitors can appreciate the historical quality of the site together with the beauty of nature as the gardens transition through the seasons, providing spectacles such as cherry blossoms in spring, the fresh greenery of early summer and the brilliant hues of autumn.
Work to restore and open the site's structures to the public is ongoing. The restoration of the Choshokaku guesthouse was completed in 2013, adding another facility for the sharing of the area's history and culture.
Ito Jirozaemon Suketami 伊藤次郎左衛門祐民
The roots of the Ito Jirozaemon family can be traced to Sukehiro (祐広) and his son Sukemichi (祐道, the first Ito Jirozaemon), both vassals of Oda Nobunaga known by the alias Ranmaru. With the construction of Nagoya Castle and the transfer of regional power from Kiyosu, the family relocated to Nagoya and became purveyors of kimono.
Suketami (1878-1940), who built Yokiso, became the 15th Ito Jirozaemon at the age of 46 in 1924. Suketami had transformed the Ito Kimono Store, which had been operating for over 250 years in Chaya-machi, turning it into a corporation, and he became the first president of Ito Kimono Store Co. Ltd. In 1910 he opened a modern department store on a corner in Nagoya's Sakae-machi, at the time a developing center of business and commerce. The company name later changed to Matsuzakaya, with the first new Matsuzakaya department store opening in Otsu-machi (the current Nagoya store site) in 1925.
Suketami later became president of the Nagoya Chamber of Commerce and was active as a leader in Nagoya's business and economic circles, but resigned his official posts in 1933 in accordance with a policy he himself had instituted, setting 55 as the age of retirement. In retirement he established the social welfare corporation Shuzenkai Co. Ltd, and contributed to social programs in areas including childcare, medical care, and sheltered workshops. Suketami also contributed to international friendship, founding the Nagoya Japan-Siam Society in 1935, and providing assistance to international students from Asian countries.
Suketami constructed Yokiso over two decades, between 1918 and 1939, as a secondary residence of the Ito family.
When: 9:30 - 16:30. Closed Mondays (open if Monday falls on a national holiday, and closed the next weekday)
Where: Chikusa Ward (千種区) Hoo-cho (法王町) 2-5-17
Access: A 10-minute walk north from Kakuozan Sta. (覚王山, H15) on the Subway Higashiyama Line (地下鉄東山線)
Admission:
- South Premises (Choshokaku) - General Admission 300 Yen; Junior HS students and younger free; Nagoya City residents aged 65 and over 100 Yen.
- North Premises - Free
Website: https://www.yokiso.jp/
