The Embassy of Canada to Japan is the main

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...

from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to Japan, located in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. The embassy is Canada's third oldest "foreign" legation after

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

(the High Commissions to other Commonwealth states are not considered "foreign" by the Canadian government). The reason for the legation's creation had much to do with anti-Asian feeling in the Canadian province of British Columbia during the first half of the 20th century. Prime Minister Mackenzie King was anxious to limit Japanese migration to Canada, saying "our only effective way to deal with the Japanese question is to have our own Minister in Japan to vise passports." The British government was hesitant to anything that might be seen to undermine Imperial unity, but finally in May 1929, the Canadian legation opened. The first "minister" was Sir Herbert Marler. The embassy soon added trade and political roles to immigration. Construction of the chancery was completed in 1934. In 1938 the minister came back to Canada without being replaced. In 1941 once Canada and Japan were at war the legation staff was placed under arrest and not repatriated to Canada until mid-1942. After the war, Canada's leading Japan expert, Herbert Norman, instead of being minister to Japan was attached to represent Canada with

Supreme Commander Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the United States-led Allied occupation of Japan following World War II. It issued SCAP Directives (alias SCAPIN, SCAP Index Number) to the Japanese government, aiming to suppress its "milit ...

, General Douglas MacArthur. In 1952 Canada and Japan had normalized relations and the legation was upgraded to an embassy, and R.W. Mayhew became Canada's first ambassador to Japan. Canada built a new chancery on Aoyama Avenue, Place Canada, which was designed by

Raymond Moriyama Raymond Moriyama LL. D. (born October 11, 1929) is a Canadian architect.Ra ...

and opened in 1991. The embassy is housed on the upper levels while the lower levels are let out for rental income. There is a stone garden at the fourth storey with a view of the

Akasaka Palace , or the , is one of the two state guest houses of the Government of Japan. The other state guesthouse is the Kyoto State Guest House. The palace was originally built as the in 1909. Today the palace is designated by the Government of Japan a ...

gardens. At the basement level the embassy hosts a public art gallery, a library, and the 233-seat Oscar Peterson Theatre. The elevator in the ambassador's house is the oldest functional one in Japan.

Design

Design Concepts

One of the first design ideas was to create a building in which would be a symbol of Canada within Japan, showcasing both cultures.Moriyama & Teshima: Architecture as a Work of Life. Tokyo: Process Architecture, 1992. With another concept of having a building expressing belonging, connectedness, and human spirit.Creighton, Millie. "A Tree House in Tokyo: Reflections on Nikkei, Citizenship, Belonging, Architecture, and Art on the 75th Anniversary of Japanese American and Japanese Canadian Internment." Taylor Francis Online, August 24, 2017. Accessed February 28, 2021. To expand on the idea of human spirit Moriyama thought the symbolism of a tree house within the city would best represent this idea. The architect hoped it would surface nostalgic memories and idealisms for visitors. To symbolize a tree house there are levels within the building acting as tree branches. These branches were then named after

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The tradition dates back to Heian period, when floral offerings were made at altars. Later, flower arrangements were instead used to adorn the (alcove) of a traditional Japan ...

, form of a flower arrangement, with ten representing heaven, chi to represent earth, and jin to represent man. The top floors of the embassy located underneath the roof represent ten, while the leased offices spaces represent chi, and the entrance and main floor of the embassy represents jin.

Design Elements

When announcing the Tokyo embassy project, the goal was to build an embassy in which wouldn't cost money for Canadian citizens.Nichols, Mark. "Elegance in Tokyo: Maclean's: SEPTEMBER 19,1988." Maclean's , The Complete Archive. September 19, 1988. Accessed March 01, 2021. https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1988/9/19/elegance-in-tokyo. The Mitsubishi Trust and the Banking Corporation was chosen to be in charge of the projects finances, design, and construction. Mitsubishi in exchange would receive all the revenue from the leasable commercial spaces in the embassy until they obtained the money they invested. When designing factors like earthquakes and how to secure the building were heavily researched. Many tests simulating the effect of an earthquake, like the

1923 Tokyo earthquake Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, were conducted to examine the strength of the building.News, Kyodo. "Canadian Architect Moriyama Says Japanese Roots Shaped His Aesthetic." Kyodo News. December 07, 2019. Accessed February 28, 2021. https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2019/12/41e1785ce128-feature-canadian-architect-says-japanese-roots-shaped-his-aesthetic.html. The is only one direct entrance into the embassy and lobby space is on the fourth floor, one must enter by ascending a set of escalators outside of the building. The main door and some windows are from the original chancery built in the 1930s. The embassy is seven stories tall, made of concrete and granite facing. The program layout is split into two functions, the embassy on the top floors and with the leased office spaces located on the bottom half."Canadian Embassy Tokyo." Moriyama & Teshima Architects. January 31, 2019. Accessed February 28, 2021. https://mtarch.com/projects/canadian-embassy/. Behind the embassy is a private residential area of the imperial household. The building was designed to be wide at the base to prevent pedestrians from seeing into the residence. To respect the imperial gardens, the roof of the embassy is slanted to minimize the shadow the building would cast on the gardens. The maximum depth a shadow can be cast on the grounds is 10 meters for only two hours of the day. While most of the building is private there are certain places visitors can see like the Gardens, Prince Takamando Memorial Gallery, Oscar Peterson Theatre, and E.H Norman Library. On average the embassy receives around 10,000 visitors a year.

Gardens

On the main floor of the embassy there is a zen garden designed by Shunmyo Majuno.Mansfield, Stephen. "Canada's Hanging Garden of Stone in Japan." The Japan Times. October 30, 2011. Accessed February 28, 2021. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2011/10/30/environment/canadas-hanging-garden-of-stone-in-japan/. He is the head priest of the Zen temple in Yokoyama, who still practices the traditional garden design o
ishitateso
The stones used for the garden were used from the Hiroshima region. The purpose of this garden was to symbolize the friendship between the two countries, showcasing the Canadian terrain from coast to coast. In the garden are three pyramid shaped rocks in which show the mountains bordering the Canadian shield’s western edge. An

Inukshuk An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) or inukshuk (from the iu, ᐃᓄᒃᓱᒃ, plural ; alternatively in Inuinnaqtun, in Iñupiaq, in Greenlandic) is a type of stone landmark or cairn built by, and for the use of, Inuit, Iñupiat, Kalaallit, Yu ...

created by Kananginak Pootoogook from Cape Dorset, is located the far-right hand side of the garden. The neighbouring Takahashi Korekiyo Memorial Garden was used as a shakkei, the concept of a borrowed view, when designing the garden. This creates a feeling of being detached from the city, allowing one to be immersed within the treetops.

Prince Takamando Memorial Gallery

The Prince Takamando Memorial Gallery is located on the second basement level with 7800 square feet of exhibition space."カナダ大使館高円宮記念ギャラリー." カナダ大使館高円宮記念ギャラリー. March 17, 2020. Accessed February 28, 2021. https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/japan-japon/events-evenements/gallery-galerie.aspx?lang=jpn&menu_id=81. It exhibits Canadian works like paintings, sculptures, photographs, textiles, and other artwork and designs. Some of the exhibits included were, Glenn Gould in Photos & Movies, Travel Prints: The Beginning of Innuit Prints & Japan, and the Canadian Olympic Commemorative Coins. The gallery received its name from a previous commemorative event in which honored

Prince Takamado was a Japanese member of the Imperial House of Japan and the third son of Takahito, Prince Mikasa and Yuriko, Princess Mikasa. He was a first cousin of Emperor Akihito, and was seventh in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne at the time of his deat ...

Oscar Peterson Theatre

The Oscar Peterson Theater is located on level B2 and has 233 seats in which showcases concerts, screenings, lectures/seminars, and conferences. The room was inspired by the early

Noh theatre is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ...

, where in the 17th century actors performed under the open skies in the glow of torch light. In order to replicate this there are metallic branches and leaves in which sparkle, leaving the impression of being under the stars.

E.H Norman Library

The E.H Normal Library is on the same floor as the Prince Takamando Gallery and the Oscar Peterson Theatre. The library houses over 15,000 books in Japanese, English, and French. Within the collection there are a wide variety of Japanese novels, books on Japanese arts and crafts, Japanese sports, travel guides, journals related to Canada & Japan, films, as well as local and Canadian newspapers.Skye, Timothy D. "Bringing Canada to Japan: Experiences with an Embassy Library." Logos 7, no. 3 (1996): 226-30. doi:10.2959/logo.1996.7.3.226. The library is generally used the Japanese who are doing research on Canada and, the Embassy staff who need any information regarding Japan. One of the goals when designing this library was to have a space in which is well lit and relaxing. In May 2001, the library was named the E.H. Norman Library.Government of Canada, Foreign Affairs Trade and Development Canada. "Welcome to the E.H. Norman Library of the Embassy of Canada in Japan." Welcome to the E.H. Norman Library of the Embassy of Canada in Japan. March 17, 2020. Accessed February 28, 2021. https://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/japan-japon/library-bibliotheque/index.aspx?lang=eng.

Other Art

Within the embassy are various other art pieces in which reference Japanese and Canadian culture.Embassy of Canada, Tokyo Tour Guide. Tokyo, Japan. There is a bronze sculpture designed by Ted Bieler called ‘Wave Breaking’ in which references the rocky shores of the Atlantic coast. ‘Wave’ by Maryon Kantaroff is another bronze sculpture representing the Pacific Ocean, connecting the two cultures of Japan and Canada. Inside the embassy is ‘The Carved Glass Wall’ by Warren Carther. The piece shows the co-existence of nature and technology, and how it relates to the relationship between Japan and Canada.

Awards

For the design Raymond Moriyama was awarded Japan Architects Association Top Honour Award, Shimizu Corporation President’s Award, Architectural Institute of Japan: Architecture of the Year, and Art Directors Club of Toronto Gold Award. In November 2003 he was granted with Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette.Canadian Architect. "Raymond Moriyama Receives Award From Emperor of Japan." Canadian Architect. February 04, 2004. Accessed February 28, 2021. https://www.canadianarchitect.com/raymond-moriyama-receives-award-from-emperor-of-japan/. Then presented with this award in January the following year by Takashi Koezuka.

References

External links

Official website of the Embassy of Canada to Japan

Official history of the Canadian mission to Japan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Embassy Of Canada To Japan

Canada–Japan relations Government buildings completed in 1991 Buildings and structures in Minato, Tokyo Raymond Moriyama buildings Akasaka, Tokyo