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 which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...

, located in Ōzone in

Higashi Higashi (Japanese 東 ''east'') may refer to: Places in Japan *Higashi, Shibuya *Higashi, Fukushima *Higashi, Okinawa *Higashi-ku, Fukuoka *Higashi-ku, Hiroshima *Higashi-ku, Nagoya *Higashi-ku, Sapporo People *Keigo Higashi, Japanese footballer ...

ward in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, central

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

History

In the early

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

(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 Iem ...

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

Owari Domain The Owari-Han, also known as the Owari Domain, was a significant feudal domain in Tokugawa shogunate, Japan during the Edo period. Situated in the western region of what is now Aichi Prefecture, it covered portions of Owari Province, Owari, Mino ...

, 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 (mathematics), area and floorspace, equal to a square ''kan (unit), kan'' or 36square Korean feet. The ''ping'' and ''tsubo'' are its equivalent Taiwanese units, Taiwanese and Japanese units ...

'' (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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

in 1869, the Owari Tokugawa reacquired the estate, and rebuilt the family's residence in 1900, to be suitable for their newly elevated rank. 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 ...

(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 Japane ...

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

Bombing of Nagoya in World War II The by the United States Army Air Forces took place as part of the air raids on Japan during the closing months of the Pacific War in 1945. History The first strategic bombing attack on Nagoya was on April 18, 1942, as part of the Doolittl ...

, 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 lord o ...

. 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, Kita-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest transport hub in Northeastern Nagoya, connecting the JR Chuo Line, Meitetsu Seto Line, Meijo Subway Line, and Yutorito Nagoya guideway bus line ...

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