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KUWANA, Mie -- Rokkaen, a stately structure in this western Japan city, was built in 1913 as the home of second-generation local industrialist Seiroku Moroto. Nestled in the roughly 18,000-square-meter former family estate along the Ibi River, the building has western and Japanese style wings plus a store house, all backed by a peaceful Japanese garden and pond ringed by a path.

The western-style wing, painted in a pale blue with white trim, was designed by British architect Josiah Conder, the man behind the Rokumeikan guest house in Tokyo completed in 1883. A four-story tower punctuates the silhouette of the otherwise two-story wooden home, which has a second-floor sunroom with a view of the garden. Inside and out, from the bay windows on three sides to the art nouveau fireplaces, every part of the house boasts exquisite design elements.

The Moroto clan donated the building to Kuwana after the city bought the land, and in 1993 the entire estate was opened to the public as "Rokkaen." The western and Japanese wings were designated important national cultural properties in 1997, and in 2001 the garden was named a national scenic spot. The combination of Japanese and western architecture still perfectly expresses Conder's love of Japanese culture.

(Japanese original by Koji Hyodo, Nagoya Photo Group)

The Japanese version of this article was originally published on Feb. 7, 2021.

This series explores Japan's architectural wonders and secrets of yesteryear. Read more Retro Japan articles here.

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