Illustrated Masterpiece Architecture Tour with Hiroshi Miyazawa & the Heritage Business Lab
Episode 3

This is the third installment of the "Illustrated Masterpieces of Architecture Tour" series, in which we report on the opulent lifestyles of people living with historical buildings. This time, we visited the Japanese-style restaurant Hasshoukan, designated in 2020 as Japan’s fifth Important Cultural Property in the postwar era.

Said Mr. Nishizawa: "It's a place I’d like to visit on special occasions in formal wear. (This time I wore a polo shirt, sorry).”

Hasshoukan is located near Yagoto Station on the Tsurumai Line, about 30 minutes by subway from Nagoya. Looking at the photo, you’d think it’s located in the suburban mountains. Surprisingly, the whole area is surrounded by greenery amid an urban landscape.

At the beginning of this article, we talked about Mr. Nishizawa. I was told that Mr. Nishizawa and Mr. Koji Iwahashi of Masao Hayakawa Architectural Design Office, a disciple of Sutemi Horiguchi, took the lead in preparing the materials necessary for the review of the designation of Hasshoukan as an Important Cultural Property. Mr. Nishizawa created the materials as part of the Heritage Business Lab's business activities. "He smiled shyly and said, "I wanted to help Hasshoukan-sama. I wondered how much this guy really likes architecture. ......

Hasshoukan’s nine facilities, including the main gate, which can be seen from outside the premises, have all been designated as Important Cultural Properties. It’s hard to say exactly when the site was completed due to the multiple dates that have been put on record. But the most famous facility is Miyuki-no-ma, which was built in 1950 for the Showa Emperor’s overnight stay. It was designed by Sutemi Horiguchi (1895-1984), an architect who became involved in Hasshoukan’s expansion and renovation.

Incidentally, four post-war buildings were designated as Important Cultural Properties before Hasshoukan: the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum (architect: Kenzo Tange, 1952), the World Peace Memorial Cathedral (Togo Murano, 1954), Hizuchi Elementary School (Masatsune Matsumura, 1958), and The National Museum of Western Art (Le Corbusier, 1959). All were built around the same time as Hasshoukan. The addition of the Museum of Modern Art, Kamakura (Junzo Sakakura, 1951) was concurrent with Hasshoukan. In May of this year, Yoyogi National Stadium (Kenzo Tange, 1964) was added to the list, bringing the total to seven. There are many registered “tangible cultural properties” in the world today, but Important Cultural Properties are rare.

It was a treat just to be able to see such a treasured building, but I insisted that "a ryotei is a ryotei only when you try the food," and so we had lunch as well.

The place for lunch was Sakura-no-ma. Designed by Sutemi Horiguchi and completed in 1958, it was the last of Horiguchi's works at Hasshoukan. Mr. Nishizawa describes it as "the pinnacle” of Horiguchi's work. However, the food is so good that one forgets about such phrases halfway through the meal. Seasonal ingredients appear one after another in small bowls. This is the taste that the legendary gourmet Rosanjin Kitaoji would have loved......

A famous gourmet, Rosanjin was a professional potter and calligrapher. He hand delivered his own wares to Hasshoukan, and often stayed there. His relationship with Hasshoukan lasted from the early 1930s until his passing in 1959.
During the latter part of the meal, two cooks grilled sweetfish on a hibachi on a porch overhanging the garden. Greenery filled the background. I felt like Rosanjin himself. I felt like I was watching a movie.

I feel like I'm about to ascend into a surreal world…but let's get back to my task of reporting on the building. First of all, it is easy to understand the recommendation of the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Hasshoukan is a restaurant located in the hills east of Nagoya. It was built in the mid-Meiji period (1868-1912) as a villa for Magosuke Shibata, a timber merchant. From the late Meiji period, it was used as a ryokan. Sutemi Horiguchi built the Miyuki-no-ma in 1950 in preparation for the Emperor's visit to the Aichi National Athletic Meet.

According to the proprietress, Horiguchi was a Hasshoukan customer when it was a ryokan. After the Emperor's visit was finalized, he was hurriedly selected as the architect.

Who exactly was Sutemi Horiguchi? He was an important architect at a time of change in Japanese architectural design from the pre-war to the postwar period.

Horiguchi was well known in the architectural world before the war, even as a Tokyo University student. This is because he was a core member of the Secessionist Architecture Association, an organization he founded with classmates Kikuji Ishimoto and Mamoru Yamada. The Association held exhibitions at department stores and other venues with a strong "architecture is art" message. The architecture that Horiguchi proposed at that time was a free-form architecture, also known as “expressionism.”

However, the Association’s activities stirred the ire of contemporary architectural world bigwigs. Horiguchi's path to employment with government agencies and major conglomerates became blocked. Later, as the war intensified, Horiguchi turned away from actual work and devoted himself to researching classical Japanese architecture, including teahouses. The results of his research finally came to fruition in the Miyuki-no-ma, which was completed five years after the war ended.

Let's step into Miyuki-no-ma, Horiguchi's masterpiece.

"Oh, it's so bright!" It is said that the Miyuki-no-ma was modeled after the Katsura Rikyu (Imperial Villa) in Kyoto. But my impression is completely different. There, you can see the greenery of the garden glimmering through the shoji (paper) screens in the darkness. It is truly a world of adoration for shadows. This one, however, had a large glass window on one side. The tatami room is also unusually bright for a Japanese-style room, with light falling even on the ranma (room partitions).

It is a modernist building that clearly emphasizes a sense of openness, while adopting a Japanese style in its individual components. Rosanjin is said to have preferred the old Ume-no-ma room at Hasshoukan, but I wonder what he would have thought of the Miyuki-no-ma’s modern style.......

As I was taking pictures, the proprietress said, "When we replaced the prior glass panes with vacuum glass, we felt a great sense of freedom when all the fixtures were removed. I was surprised at the feeling of openness, and also at the fact that the glass had been replaced with the high-insulation vacuum glass.”

Incidentally, the lighting has been changed from the original fluorescent lamps to LEDs. Although it is an Important Cultural Property, it is also the most advanced in terms of functionality.

If you like architecture, you should visit the Kiku-no-ma if you have a chance. This is an existing wooden structure that Horiguchi renovated (and completed in 1958). The Miyuki-no-ma is a bit more orthodox. So to me, this seems to embody the essence of what Horiguchi meant when he said "architecture is art.”

On the way home, I found a certificate of merit, another Important Cultural Property. I had never seen this before. Registered tangible cultural properties have (explanatory) metal plates, but Important Cultural Properties apparently are accompanied by only paper certificates.

Lastly, said the proprietress, "We are very happy to be designated as an Important Cultural Property, but it may make some people uneasy about visiting. Don’t be troubled; feel free to visit us.” Her words blew away the guilt I felt for having arrived in a polo shirt.

In August, seven facility tours (box lunch included) will be offered for the first time since Hasshoukan’s designation as an Important Cultural Property. So if you want to see the real thing, this is the place to go. (For more tour information, click here (Japanese only): https://www.hasshoukan.com/kengakukai/)

Location: 29 Ishizaka, Hiroji-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya City
Completion date: The existing wooden buildings were built in the Meiji period. The relocated country house is 400 years old. Miyuki-no-ma and Zangetsu-no-ma were built in 1950. The refurbished Kiku-no-ma and Sakura-no-ma were designed by Sutemi Horiguchi in 1958.
Design: Sutemi Horiguchi for major new construction and renovation since 1950.

Cuisine: Special price of 20,000 yen for lunch on weekdays; regular price of 25,000 yen for weekday evenings, weekends, and holidays. Typical Hasshoukan “kaiseki” cuisine: 30,000-35,000 yen (most popular); more extravagant courses: 40,000-50,000 yen; Orizume and Shokado take-out lunch boxes: 10,000 yen.
Official website: https://www.hasshoukan.com/english/