Hanezawa Garden

Hanezawa Garden (ザ・ハネザワ・ガーデン) was a restaurant, banquet and wedding venue brand operated by Plan・Do・See Inc. in Hiroo, Shibuya, Tokyo. It occupied a roughly 3,000-tsubo (about 10,000 m²) estate built in 1915 as the private residence of Nakamura Sōkichi, a railway bureaucrat and later Tokyo mayor. The property featured a two-story main house in a Japanese-Western eclectic style, a detached annex, a tea house and a celebrated Japanese garden. The venue was used as a banquet hall for GHQ-related entertaining after World War II, and from 1950 it operated as a ryōtei (traditional Japanese restaurant) under the company Hanezawa Garden. It became famous as a stage for shogi and go title matches, especially the first game of the Meijin tournament. After a major renovation in 2000, it reopened as a Western-style restaurant and wedding venue under Plan・Do・See, but the lease with the landowner, Nisshō (日山), ended and the venue closed on December 18, 2005. The site was redeveloped by Mitsubishi Estate into a luxury apartment complex, The Parkhouse Hiroo Hanezawa, completed around 2014, incorporating some trees and architectural elements from the old estate. The brand is now defunct as an operating venue.

The estate that became Hanezawa Garden was built in 1915 by Nakamura Sōkichi, a railway bureaucrat who had served as president of the South Manchuria Railway and later became a member of the House of Peers and mayor of Tokyo. The approximately 10,000 m² site on a sloping hillside in Hiroo included a two-story main house, a detached annex and a tea house, with a Japanese garden. The architecture was eclectic, combining wooden Japanese style with Western elements such as a reception room and fireplace. After Nakamura's death in 1927, the property passed through several owners. Following Japan's defeat in World War II, it was used as a banquet hall for entertaining GHQ personnel. In 1947, Murakami Teiichi, founder of the meat company Nisshō Shōkai (now Nisshō Co., Ltd.), purchased it for 2.85 million yen from Gokō Shintarō, a businessman who had made his fortune in colonial enterprises in Taiwan. In 1950, Murakami's wife Ikino established Hanezawa Garden Co., Ltd. and began operating it as a ryōtei (traditional Japanese restaurant) leased from Nisshō. The venue became renowned as a stage for shogi and go title matches, particularly the Meijin tournament, where it often hosted the first game. In the 1950s, shogi players Ōyama Yasuharu and Masuda Kōzō played famous matches there, and go players such as Cho Chikun and Kobayashi Kōichi also competed. In 1994, Nisshō sued the then-operator Mori for return of the property and won, but they settled six years later. In 2000, a major renovation converted the main house's Japanese rooms into Western-style rooms, reducing the frequency of shogi and go matches. The venue remained popular as a Western-style restaurant and wedding hall. Due to the termination of the contract between Nisshō (landowner) and Hanezawa Garden, the venue closed on December 18, 2005. In 2007, plans were revealed to build a 3-story, 3-basement apartment building by Mitsubishi Estate. Neighbors and cultural figures, including poet Ōoka Makoto, formed a group to preserve the cultural value and scenery, filing lawsuits. In 2012, an agreement was reached to preserve 84 trees, plant about 110 new ones, and incorporate elements such as a fireplace, alcove shelves and stone lanterns into the new building. The old building was demolished in 2011–2012, and the luxury apartment complex The Parkhouse Hiroo Hanezawa, with 114 units in three buildings, was completed around 2014.

• 2014

  The Parkhouse Hiroo Hanezawa apartment complex is completed.

• 2012

  Agreement reached to preserve trees and architectural elements; lawsuits withdrawn.

• 2011

  Demolition of the old building begins (through 2012).

• 2007

  Mitsubishi Estate reveals plans to build a 3-story, 3-basement apartment building.

• 2005

  Venue closes on December 18 due to contract termination.

• 2000

  Major renovation; reopens as a Western-style restaurant and wedding venue under Plan・Do・See.

• 1994

  Nisshō files a lawsuit for return of the property and wins; settled six years later.

• 1950

  Hanezawa Garden Co., Ltd. is established and begins operating as a ryōtei.

• 1947

  Murakami Teiichi purchases the estate from Gokō Shintarō for 2.85 million yen.

• 1927

  Nakamura Sōkichi dies; the property changes hands several times.

• 1915

  Nakamura Sōkichi builds the estate as his private residence.

A high-end, atmospheric venue blending Taisho-era Japanese architecture, Asian orientalism and a vast garden for weddings and fine dining.

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1. 1［THE HANEZAWA GARDEN］ザ・羽澤ガーデンthehanezawagarden.com
2. 2羽澤ガーデン - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org
3. 3Hanezawa Garden - Wikidatawikidata.org