The State Guest Houses (Akasaka Palace) are national facilities to receive foreign dignitaries, such as monarchs, presidents and prime ministers, from countries all over the world. The SGH plays one of the key roles of diplomacy through performing a wide variety of functions, including accommodating foreign dignitaries and holding summit meetings, signing ceremonies or banquets.
The State Guest House, Akasaka Palace serves as a splendid stage of diplomatic activities by welcoming monarchs and presidents from countries all over the world. The State Guest House, Akasaka Palace was the only palace in Japan that was built based on the neo-Baroque style as Crown Prince’s Palace in 1909. It is a structure built by mobilizing all available resources of the Japanese architectural, art and craft industries in those days and represents the culmination of Japan’s full-scale modern Western architecture in the Meiji period. Japan returned to the international community a dozen years after World War II and the number of foreign dignitaries that it welcomes increased; given this, the facilities were extensively restored and remodeled along with the construction of a new Japanese Style Annex and made a fresh start as the current State Guest Houses in 1974.
After the massive repair work in 2009, the State Guest Houses was designated as a national treasure as one of the structures that represent Japanese architecture. The State Guest Houses has received a large number of distinguished guests, such as monarchs, presidents or prime ministers, and been used as a venue for international conferences, including summit meetings, as well.
In addition, it is open to the general public as long as its primary activities are not interrupted, thereby contributing to making Japan a tourism-oriented country.
History
The State Guest House, Akasaka Palace (SGH AP) was the only palace in Japan that was built based on the neo-Baroque style as Togu Gosho (Crown Prince’s Palace) in 1909.
It is a structure built by mobilizing all available resources of the Japanese architectural, art and craft industries in those days and represents the culmination of Japan’s full-scale modern Western architecture in the Meiji period.
Japan returned to the international community a dozen years after World War II and the number of foreign dignitaries that it welcomes increased; given this, the facilities were extensively restored and remodeled along with the construction of a new Japanese Style Annex and made a fresh start as the current SGH AP in 1974.
The State Guest House, Akasaka Palace has had various names according to its function in different eras. By tracing the changes we can unravel the history of the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace.
The Crown Prince’s Palace
The history of the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace began as the Crown Prince’s Palace, constructed in 1909. The palace was designed to be the residence of the Crown Prince at the time. The construction was overseen by Dr. Tōkuma Katayama, the leading palace architect whose work included the Hyokeikan building at Tokyo National Museum and Meiji Kotokan at Kyoto National Museum.
When the palace was first built the front entrance was black with a crown depicted above the chrysanthemum crest.
The black was painted over with white paint during the extensive renovation in the Shōwa period.
According to the “State Guest House, Akasaka Palace Renovation Records”, it seems that the repainting was a major decision taken by Tōgo Murano who supervised the renovation, saying: “Changing the look of the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace was the biggest challenge and the most difficult job (for me).”
The crown above the chrysanthemum crest is believed to have been removed prior to the visit of the British Crown Prince in 1922, although the reason remains unknown.
The Main Building and the Front Garden when the palace was first built, with a pebble-covered driveway in the middle of the way leading up to the Main Building and flanked by concrete walkways.
It looked completely different back then, since major renovation was done in the Shōwa period, including the narrowing of the driveway in the middle, the addition of a sideroad, and the installation of the middle gate.
Akasaka Palace
In 1914 the Crown Prince’s Palace was relocated to the Takanawa Imperial Residence, thus giving the former palace the new name, Akasaka (detached) Palace. In 1922 the Akasaka Palace saw its first guest, the British Crown Prince.
The British Crown Prince is seen here waving his hand from the balcony above the carriage entrance to the crowd waving British flags to welcome him.
Historial image provides invaluable information about the palace, showing that it had already been used to host guests before it became a guest reception facility.
The Crown Prince’s Provisional Palace
In 1924, Prince Hirohito (later Emperor Shōwa) married Princess Nobuko Kuninomiya and the palace became their new residence, thus acquiring the new name, the Crown Prince’s Provisional Palace. The photo is of the postcard made for the commemoration of the wedding. The Kasumigaseki (detached) Palace they were meant to begin their life as newly-weds was extensively damaged during the Great Kanto Earthquake that occurred in September 1923, forcing them to live at the earthquake-proof Akasaka Palace until 1928. The name of the palace reverted to its former name, Akasaka Palace, after Emperor Shōwa relocated to the present-day Imperial Palace (known as Kyūjō at the time).
Akasaka Palace under the management of the National Diet
In 1948, the buildings and land at Akasaka Palace were transferred from Imperial Household assets to administrative assets and fell under the management of the National Diet. The photo shows the palace being used as the National Diet Library between 1948 and 1961. The palace was also later used as a governmental facility to house the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee and other administrative bodies.
Sairan no Ma was used as the Judge Impeachment Court between 1948 and 1970.
The State Guest House, Akasaka Palace
With international relations becoming closer, leading to more opportunities to welcoming foreign guests, Akasaka Palace was remodelled in 1974 and became a State Guest House. As the name Akasaka Palace had long been a familiar name among the Japanese, it was retained in the new name—State Guest House, Akasaka Palace. The photo shows the ceiling painting inside Hagoromo no Ma under restoration. The remodelling was directed by one of the great architects from the Shōwa period, Tōgo Murano. While utilizing the inherent quality of the original palace, he put great efforts into creating a cosy atmosphere for a building that was to house the private quarters of guests.
During the remodelling of the roof, a temporary storage shed was created to protect the building’s decorations and paintings. Restoration was done as true to the original state when the building was constructed as possible.
The State Guest House, Akasaka Palace with two functions
The State Guest House, Akasaka Palace was designated a National Treasure in 2009, a first for any building constructed after the Meiji period, and opened to the public all year round in 2016. The palace that began as the Crown Prince’s Palace functions not only as a guest reception facility for diplomatic relations, it also functions as a cultural asset available to the public. The history of the palace continues here and beyond.
Architecture
The State Guest House, Akasaka Palace, which, after being built in the Meiji period and having been extensively renovated during the Shōwa and Heisei periods, now serves as a venue for hosting guests.
Main Building
The Main Building at the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace is the only Neo-Baroque European Palace in Japan. Built with a steel framework for reinforcement, the brick building is covered with granite panels on the outside and has 2 floors above ground and 1 below. The Neo-Baroque style began during the Second Empire of Napoleon III in the latter half of the 19th century and featured a symmetric façade and splendid decorative elements. The building was built with the prevention of disasters in the event of an earthquake from the beginning, with steel frames installed inside the walls both horizontally and vertically, as well as steel parts under the floor to ensure the building can endure earthquakes and fires. In fact, it withstood the Great Kantō Earthquake which occurred after its construction, and continues to stand with a commanding presence more than 100 years later.
The two wings (East Wing and West Wing) of the front side of the Main Building extend out toward the north. At the end of each wing is an entrance, with the East Entrance said to have once been reserved for His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, while the West Entrance was reserved for Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess.
At the centre of façade on the second floor are composite columns and Ionic pilasters intentionally used to enhance the central section of the floor.
The accentuated horizontal protrusion layer on the first floor and the façade on the second floor demarcated by the Ionic pilasters make a characteristic contrast. The Main Building viewed from the main garden to the south. In the central section there is a pediment supported by the composite columns. The first floor is made up of a series of arches making an arcade, while the walls follow the same horizontal protrusions as on the north side. The second floor comprises a colonnade of more than one rank deep.
Entrance Hall
The Entrance Hall is the area in which guests such as state and official guests visiting the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace first set foot. It is also where they first meet His Majesty the Emperor or the Prime Minister.
Guests enter the Main Building through these doors. Above the doors is the chrysanthemum crest of the Imperial Household. Upon entering the Entrance Hall, guests are greeted by a white wall that continues up to the ceiling.
Central Staircase
Guests ascend this staircase in the middle of the Main Building up to the second floor. The walls flanking the central staircase are covered in red marble stone.
It appears that red and green marble stones were used alternately to cover the walls when the building was first constructed, but the colour was unified during the extensive renovations in the Shōwa period to brighten up ambience of the entire building.
Asahi no Ma
Asahi no Ma is located up the grand stairway from the entrance hall, beyond the Large Hall. Called the “First Guest Room” when the residence was first built, Asahi no Ma corresponds to the audience room in European palaces. Now used as the drawing and sitting room for visiting dignitaries, the room is the most elegant one in the facility; it also hosts ceremonial welcomes and summit meetings.
The name comes from the picture of the goddess running a chariot against the sunrise on the ceiling. The ceiling painting is a large ellipse with a major axis of 8.26m and a minor axis of 5.15m. The interior is in classical style, and the walls are furnished with fine art fabrics from Kinkazan Ori in Nishijin, Kyoto. The area is about 200 square meters. It is used as a salon for national and public guests, where events such as courtesy visits and summit meetings are held.
Sairan no Ma
Sairan no Ma is used for treaty signing ceremonies, summit meetings, and many others.
The decor of the interior is of the Empire style in fashion in France during the Monarchical Period of Napoleon I, featuring many military motifs and a classical style of grandeur.
Kacho no Ma
The Kacho no Ma (Hall of Flowers and Birds) is used to host official events such as banquets for invited guests.
The walls are covered by reddish-brown shioji wood (Fraxinus spaethiana) panels that extrude profound ambience, while the decorations are of the Henry II style characteristic in its patterns and designs of straight lines and parallel lines that were in vogue in France during the latter half of the 16th century.
The name is derived from the 36 paintings on the ceiling, the Gobelin-style sewn weaving in the transom, and the Watanabe Shotei original painting on the wall, “Thirty-Seven Figures of Cloisonne Flowers and Birds” by Sosuke Togawa. The interior is in the style of Henry II, and the waist wall is lined with brown Zion wood to create a solid atmosphere. The area is about 330 square meters. This room is a large dining room where official banquets hosted mainly by national and state guests are held, and seats up to about 130 people.
Hagoromo no Ma
The name is derived from the 300 m2 large mural painting on the ceiling that depicts the scenery of the song “Hagoromo”. The interior is in classical style, as during the morning sun. There is an orchestra box on the mezzanine floor in front. This is because Hagoromo was designed as a ballroom. However, there is no record that the ball was actually held. It has the largest chandelier in the guest house (7000 parts, weight 800 kg). The area is about 330 square meters. This room is a place for welcoming ceremonies during rainy weather and for aperitifs and after-dinner drinks for dinner guests.
East no Ma
Located on the eastern edge of the second floor of the building. It features a Moorish-style arabesque decoration following the Alhambra (Spain). It used to be a smoking room and now a waiting room. It is not on the general visit route and is usually closed.
Japanese-style annex Yushintei
The Japanese-style annex Yushintei was designed by Yoshiro Taniguchi, the architect of the Crown Prince’s Palace, and built in 1974. While the functions and modes of hospitality found in the main wing are entirely Western, the annex is a facility where foreign guests are welcomed according to Japanese framework and in purely Japanese style of hospitality. Along with an aesthetic experience characteristic of Japanese dwellings and gardens, Yushintei provides Japanese hospitality through tea, flowers, and foods.
Japanese elements
The Main Building of the State Guest House, Akasaka Palace is a true palace of European taste that was constructed out of the desire to create an edifice rivalling prestigious European palaces. The desire was not to make imitation of an European palace out of the Main Building, but to harmoniously include Japanese elements all over the building—it was a desire to create a fully original palace that could only be built by the Japanese.
Samurai statues
A top the central roof of the Main Building are two flanking bronze samurai statues in full armour. One has the mouth open while the other has the mouth closed. They function as a’un (Buddhist concept of the beginning and the end of things) statues that are commonly seen guarding temple and shrine gates.
The pediment above the main entrance is adorned with a relief of the imperial chrysanthemum emblem. On the stone below is the Order of the Rising Sun, which is flanked by reliefs of the Orders of the Sacred Treasure. The imperial chrysanthemum emblem is the symbol of the Imperial Household, while the Order of the Rising was the first order created in Japan, followed by the Order of the Sacred Treasure.
Rhe front doors
The front entrance doors were created in France, as was the Main Gate.There are three sets of doors: centre, left and right.Guests enter the Main Building from the central doors. The imperial chrysanthemum emblem — the symbol of the Imperial Household — can be seen above the central doors.
The centre of each door is decorated with the paulownia crest (called Goshichi no Kiri) used by the Japanese government as its official symbol today. The paulownia crest was also once the crest used by the Imperial Household but as daimyos were bestowed with the crest by the Imperial Household, the symbol began to be used in many crests.
The building illuminated in the evening emits an ambience different from that during the day.
Courtyard
During the major restoration in the Showa period, Murano Tōgo who supervised the restoration had the front courtyard of the Palace, which was to become the new State Guest House, greatly changed to a Japnese-style space adequate for entertaining guests. He conceptualised the way leading from the Main Gate to the Main Entrance as a roji (garden next to a teahouse), a narrowed pathway to represent the idea of removing any authority of the host and to welcome guests with a gentle, courteous heart. This was achieved by planting Japanese black pines along the side of the path and installed a middle gate that functions as a wicket door. The Main Building seen from outside the fence and through the pine trees has a solemnity not seen in other countries; the Main Gate seen from the Main Entrance and through the green pine leaves is a vision of elegance and beauty. In addition, a Japanese style annex was also erected to the east of the Main Building during the major restoration in order to entertain foreign guests with Japanese culture.
Garden
The main garden is entirely covered with gravel and has a fountain pond and flower beds in the center. Commemorative tree-planting of US President Ford (1974, Dogwood), British Queen Elizabeth (1975, Brown Oak), and Soviet President Gorbachev (1991, Huyubodaiju).
The main garden on the south side of the Main Building also provides a Japanese landscape. During the major restoration in the Showa period, Tōgo Murano made several changes to the space, such as raising the ground level, in order to create a large, impressive fountain. Yet an impressive fountain was, after all, a fountain and not typical in Japanese landscaping. In thinking so, he had pine trees planted between the fountain and the Main Building, allowing visitors to peek through the trees and get a glance of the fountain, and thus creating a landscape not seen in the west.