Kuwana(桑名), a local city in Mie(三重) Prefecture located at the mouth of the famous three rivers of Kiso(木曽三川) is the birthplace of my parents. It was there where they spent their younger days during wartime.
Even though I went to Kuwana many times, the purpose was to visit the family graves in our parish temple, so I learned almost nothing about the city. The city also had nothing very much to offer anymore because it was severely damaged by the repeated air raids in 1945.
Had it not been for the war, the once famous castle town(城下町) and an important post-station town(宿場町) along the Old Tokaido Highway (東海道) would have remained a historical city worth a visit.
Such being the case, the discovery of Rokkaen with its fine architecture and gardens really ranks the first in my discovery list 2012J
The complex of both European- and Japanese-style buildings (和洋折衷建築) was designed by the English architect Josiah Conder (ジョサイア・コンドル) who is known for such building as the Rokumeikan(鹿鳴館). Now that the Rokumeikan does not exist any more, the historical and cultural importance of Rokkaen cannot be overestimated.
Founded in 1913, Rokkaen served as a private residence of the most successful businessman from Kuwana. It remained a possession of the Moroto family(諸戸家) for the next eighty years until it was handed down to the city in 1991. No wonder that I did not know Rokkaen until now. It was opened in 1993 and soon designated as an important cultural asset of Japan(国の重要文化財).
The photo shows the sun room overlooking the garden.
Writing desk
Corner room in the tower
The long wooden corridor facing to the rear garden
The wide open window plays a role of a photo frame.
The main garden located south of the main building is large.
Rokkaen covers an area of some 18,000 square meters.
Ancient lotus (古代蓮) in the pond
On one of the hottest days in July 2012 I walked around Kuwana.
My final destination was here. It was a quiet place overlooking the Ibi (揖斐川) and the Nagara(長良川) Rivers.
My walking record of the day marked 19,963 steps.
