Akasaka Estate
The Akasaka Estate is a park-like Japanese Imperial Estate, site of several major existing and former Imperial residences in the district of Moto-Akasaka, Minato Special Ward, Tokyo. Besides Prince Hitachi, who lives in Higashi, Shibuya, many members of the Imperial Family have their official residence on this estate, including the Emperor Emeritus. The estate is not accessible to the general public.
Overview
Six residences are currently located on the grounds of the estate. At its rough center is a Japanese garden, the Akasaka Imperial Gardens, where the Emperor holds a garden party twice annually, to which are invited around 2,000 political figures, diplomatic representatives, and celebrities from various fields.There are six main access gates. The Main Gate and the Samegahashi Gate are along Road 414 on the northern side, the East Gate and the Tatsumi Gate face east, the South Gate faces Aoyama Dori, and the West Gate faces Gaien-Higashi Dori on the southwestern side of the estate.
History
The estate was once on the grounds of the spare residence in Edo of the powerful Tokugawa clan of Kii, granted in 1632, which at 145,381 tsubo was one of the largest daimyo residences of the city. In 1823, a fire destroyed the main residence of the clan in Kojimachi, turning that spare into their main Edo residence. During the Meiji Restoration, the head of the clan, Tokugawa Mochitsugu, became a Kazoku noble and lived in the estate. In 1873, a fire destroyed Nishinomaru Palace within Edo Castle, where the Emperor was staying. Mochitsugu opened that very day the estate’s Akasaka Residence to the Emperor, who lived there for 15 years. Another residence on the southwest of the estate was given to Empress Dowager Eishō, as the Emperor wanted to have her nearby.After that point, the grounds of the estate have been used to build several residences and palaces, be it for crown princes, Empresses dowager, or close family members.
On the north side of the estate, on the site of the initial Akasaka Residence, Tōgū Palace was built in 1909 and became the Geihinkan. After the Second World War, the Geihinkan was split from the estate and became National property, whereas the remainder is Imperial property.
Current residences of the estate
There are currently six imperial residences on the estate, in clockwise order:Akasaka Palace
The Tōgū Palace, formerly Tōgū Palace, was the residence of the Emperor, the Empress and Princess Aiko, until they moved to Fukiage Palace in the Imperial Palace complex. This palace on the northern side of the estate is a two-floor, reinforced concrete structure with 72 rooms, built in 1960 based on a design by Yoshirō Taniguchi. The palace is used as the Sentō Imperial Palace for Akihito, the Emperor Emeritus.Akasaka East Palace
Located roughly 200m to the south of the Yushintei Akasaka East Palace was completed in 1984 and is mainly used as a temporary residence for Imperial family members during various construction works. Late Prince Takamado used it while his own residence was being built. It was refurbished in 1989 by adding offices and dependencies and was used as a temporary palace for Naruhito several times. There are plans to include this palace in the nearby Akishino residence.Akishino Residence
The Akishino Residence is located on the south-eastern side of the estate. The residential complex is an aggregation of several former imperial residences and buildings renovated over the years: the Chichibu Residence first built in 1972, a housing for dry nurses of the Ministry of the Imperial Household built in 1931 and an expansion built in 2000, further expanded for the birth of Hisahito of Akishino|Hisahito]. Prince Akishino moved into the building in 1990.From 2019, the complex was being refurbished and renovated; works lasted until 2022. The family lives a few meters to the East in a temporary palace built on purpose, called Gokagusho.
Crown Prince Akishino, his consort Kiko, [Crown Princess of Japan|Kiko], their younger daughter Princess Kako, and their son Prince Hisahito live in this residence.