The Ōzone ''Oshitayashiki'' (大曽根御下屋敷), sometimes also read as ''Shimoyashiki'' (下屋敷), is a former residence of the

Owari branch The is a branch of the Tokugawa clan, and it is the seniormost house of the ''Gosanke'' ("three honourable houses of the Tokugawa").Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

, located in Ōzone in

Higashi Higashi is the Japanese word for ''east''. In kanji it is represented as 東. Higashi may also refer to: Places *Higashi, Shibuya, a district of Shibuya, Tokyo *Higashi, Fukushima, a village in Fukushima Prefecture * Higashi, Okinawa, a village i ...

ward in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, central

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

History

In the early

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

(1603-1867),

Tokugawa Mitsutomo was daimyō of Owari Domain during early Edo period Japan. Biography Tokugawa Mitsutomo was the eldest son of the first daimyō of Owari Domain, Tokugawa Yoshinao by a concubine. He undertook his ''genpuku'' ceremony under Shōgun Tokugawa Iemit ...

(1625-1700), head of the Owari Tokugawa clan and lord of the

Owari Domain The was a feudal domain of Japan in the Edo period. Located in what is now the western part of Aichi Prefecture, it encompassed parts of Owari, Mino, and Shinano provinces. Its headquarters were at Nagoya Castle. At its peak, it was rated at ...

, established a vast residence in the Ōzone neighbourhood as a retreat from the main residence at

Nagoya Castle is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, Japan. Nagoya Castle was constructed by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period on the site of an earlier castle of the Oda clan in the Sengoku period. Nagoya Castle was the heart of one of the ...

. During the Edo period, a ''Shimoyashiki'' (下屋敷) was a smaller residence or retreat of a lord, as opposed to his "upper" or main residence, called ''Kamiyashiki'' (上屋敷). The size of the original residence was about 130,000 ''

tsubo A ''pyeong'' (abbreviationpy) is a Korean unit of area and floorspace, equal to a square '' kan'' or 36square Korean feet. The ''ping'' and ''tsubo'' are its equivalent Taiwanese and Japanese units, similarly based on a square '' bu'' ( ja:步) ...

'' (坪; about ). After Lord Mitsutomo died, the grounds of the residence were divided and held by three senior vassal families of the Owari Tokugawa: the Naruse, the Ishiko, and the Watanabe families. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

in 1869, the Owari Tokugawa reacquired the estate, and rebuilt the family's residence to be suitable for the newly elevated rank in 1900. The role of the residence became less relevant during and after the

Taishō era The was a period in the history of Japan dating from 30 July 1912 to 25 December 1926, coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taishō. The new emperor was a sickly man, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of ...

(1911-1925). In 1931, Tokugawa Yoshichika (1886-1976), the 19th head of the Tokugawa family, decided that the time had come to present the property to the community, and donated the of land and buildings to the City of Nagoya. The city maintained the estate and buildings, and opened the Tokugawa-en Garden to the public the next year. Marquess Yoshichika established the Owari Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation in 1931 to protect the treasures of the Owari Tokugawa family from being broken up. Today the Owari Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation is named the Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation. He opened the

Tokugawa Art Museum The is a private art museum, located on the former '' Ōzone Shimoyashiki'' compound in Nagoya, central Japan. Its collection contains more than 12,000 items, including swords, armor, Noh costumes and masks, lacquer furniture, Chinese and Japanese ...

in 1935 and donated the treasures to the foundation. Although the residence was destroyed during the

Bombing of Nagoya in World War II The Bombing of Nagoya in World War II by the United States Army Air Forces took place as part of the air raids on Japan during the closing months of the war. History The first strategic bombing attack on Nagoya was on April 18, 1942, as part ...

, the main building of the museum survived. The garden was heavily damaged but later restored in 2004, and the main Black Gate (''Kuro-mon'') remained intact. Today, the complex houses the Tokugawa Art Museum, the

Hōsa Library The Hōsa Library (蓬左文庫) is a library located on the compound of the '' Ōzone Shimoyashiki'' in Nagoya, central Japan. History Tokugawa Yoshinao, the first lord of the Owari Domain, established it as an official archive. It was transfe ...

and the

Tokugawa Garden The Tokugawa Garden (徳川園 Tokugawa-en) is a Japanese garden in the city of Nagoya, central Japan. It is located next to the Tokugawa Art Museum. History In the early Edo period (1603-1867), Tokugawa Mitsutomo (1625-1700), the second lo ...

. Together, they are a showcase of the might and culture of the Owari Tokugawa. It can be accessed by public transport via Morishita Station on the Seto line or

Ōzone Station is a railway station in Kita-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Lines * Nagoya Municipal Subway **Meijō Line (Station number: M12) *Central Japan Railway Company ** Chūō Main Line *Nagoya Railroad **Meitetsu Seto Line The is a Japa ...

by the Meijo line.

Images

File:Tokugawa Residence Ozone Nagoya 06.jpg, Interior view File:Tokugawaen1.JPG, Garden with pond of the Ōzone ''Oshitayashiki''

References

External links

Owari Tokugawa family Tourist attractions in Nagoya Buildings and structures in Nagoya {{japan-struct-stub

History

Images

See also

References

External links