 |
Japan currently maintains three imperial villas for the imperial family when they travel, but there was once another in Numazu. Historically, Shizuoka Prefecture was once under the direct control of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603–1867), and when the shogunate fell and the imperial family moved to Edo (presently Tokyo), large numbers of persons allied to the deposed shogun were displaced, many moving to Shizuoka to be among their allies. The temperate climate of the area is highly attractive, and the large number of private villas built in Numazu lend it an air reminiscent of the capital.
The main building of the former Numazu imperial villa was built in 1893, but it was destroyed during World War II, leaving only a small part, the western annex. In 1969, when the imperial villa was moved to a place at the tip of the Izu Peninsula, the grounds were maintained by the Numazu city government as a park, but the buildings were allowed to fall into disrepair. However, unable to bear the thought of such a precious cultural asset thus falling to ruin, the city has since restored them.
According to Katsuhiro Goto of the Numazu City Hall, "the amount of trouble and expense required were tremendous. The buildings weren't just pure-wood Meiji Period construction, they were also of an extremely extravagant variety. Still, I think the restoration was definitely worth it." Parts of the park and the restored buildings are now open to the public, and both tourists and Numazu residents are showing a broad interest in them.
The vicinity of the coastal pine forest here is home not only to a memorial park containing the restored Numazu imperial villa, but numerous memorials that recall cultural historical figures as well. Numazu is a city where the visitor can retrace the steps of many famous and important Japanese personages and literati of the past. |
 |
A commemorative building housing valuable exhibits on Numazu's political,
economic, and cultural history. |
 |
| A former Imperial villa used by emperors and their families since the Meiji Period. |
|
