Takanawadai
Takanawadai
Station lies
on the Toei Asakusa Line in Minato
Ward of Tokyo. The station has one
platform with two tracks – one for
passengers traveling to Nishi Magome
Station to the west, and the other
for those traveling to Sengakuji
and Oshiage Stations to the east.
Takanawadai
Station serves the nearby exclusive
neighborhoods of Shirokanedai and
Takanawa. The housing for the House
of Representatives is also in the
vicinity, besides Meijin Gakuin
University and several hotels.
Tozen-ji
Temple
Tozen-ji
Temple is located a short walk from
Takanawadai Station. This historical
temple, which belongs to the Myoshinji
School of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, was
built in 1610 by Buddhist priest
Reinan. Originally built as Reinan-en
Temple over the reservoir of the
city, it was moved to its present
location in Takanawa in 1636 and
renamed Tozen-ji.
Tozen-ji
Temple has been made famous by a
major historical incident. In 1859,
the first British legation headed
by Sir Rutherford Alcock, was housed
here in the temple. In 1861, a group
of anti-western samurai attacked
the legation and the British retaliated,
resulting in a small battle. Bullet
holes and sword nicks can still
be seen in the main hall building.
Tozen-ji
is an impressive temple in every
sense, with its own neighboring
rises – Hora-zaka (Cave Rise) and
Katsura–zaka (Wig Rise).
Hatakeyama
Memorial Museum of Art
Founded
by Hatakeyama Kazukiyo, founder
of Ebara Industries, in 1964, to
celebrate the anniversary of his
80th birthday, Hatakeyama Memorial
Museum of Art is a small private
museum. It is housed in an authentic
Japanese building, designed by Hatakeyama
himself, in the fashionable residential
area of Shirokanedai, 5 minutes
from Takanawadai Station.
The
exhibits are all the private collection
of Hatakeyama. He had a passion
for Chinese, Korean, and Japanese
traditional arts and undertook the
task of preserving and promoting
them. The collection includes over
1,500 pieces of valuable tea utensils,
such as Shino-yaki fresh water jars,
Iga-yaki vases, porcelain and lacquer
ware, besides calligraphy and paintings.
The items are not displayed all
at the same time. Instead, 40 to
50 objects are displayed at a time,
and then rotated four times a year.
Thirty-three of the 1,500 works
have been designated important cultural
assets, and six pieces are national
treasures.
The
museum also has a tea ceremony room
overlooking a small garden. The
museum is free and is open every
day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except
Mondays.
