Hatoyama Hall

Hatoyama Hall (鳩山会館, Hatoyama Kaikan), also known as the Otowa Palace (音羽御殿, Otowa Goten), is a Western-style residence in Bunkyō, Tokyo commissioned in 1924 by Ichirō Hatoyama, and it was here that he helped form the present Liberal Democratic Party. The house and gardens are in the process of evolving into a museum commemorating the Hatoyama family's contributions to politics and education in Japan.[1]

Hatoyama Hall viewed from the garden

The building's architect was Okada Shin'ichi, who also designed the Kabuki-za. The facade is composed of three bays in natural stone, with large French windows on the ground floor. On the first floor, the windows and doors fill the entire width of the building; the doors open inwards and there are narrow, French-style balconies.[2]

There are currently three memorial rooms open to the public, one dedicated to Ichiro, another to his wife Kaoru, and yet another to their son, Iichiro Hatoyama. In addition, the garden features sculptures of Kazuo Hatoyama and his wife, Haruko.[1]

Hatoyama public figures

The Hatoyamas have been active participants in Japanese public life,[3] including:

1st generation
Prime Minister Ichirō Hatoyama (center) and the leaders of the ruling LDP, including Tanzan Ishibashi (to the left of Hatoyama) and Bukichi Miki (second to the right of Hatoyama), along with the press. The group photo was taken in the salon of the Otowa Mansion sometime during 1955.

2nd generation
  • Ichirō Hatoyama (1883 – 1959): Secretary of the Cabinet, Minister of Education and 52nd, 53rd and 54th Prime Minister of Japan, son of Kazuo and Haruko, father of Iichirō, and grandfather of Yukio Hatoyama and Kunio Hatayama.
  • Kaoru Hatoyama (1888 – 1982): schoolmaster of Kyoritsu Women's University; wife of Ichirō, mother of Iichirō

3rd generation

4th generation

5th generation

Notes
  1. "55. Museum Review: Hatoyama Kaikan (Bunkyo-ku)," November 18, 2008.
  2. Dave van Eijnsbergen, Architecture in the Taisho Period (1912-26), Andon 92 (2012), pp. 56-59.
  3. Martin, Alex. "For Hatoyamas, politics is considered birthright," Japan Times. July 14, 2009.

References
  • Itoh, Mayumi. (2003). The Hatoyama Dynasty: Japanese Political Leadership through the Generations, New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-4039-6331-4; OCLC 248918078

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