Kenichi Fujita was one of the leading prosperous businessmen in Japan before the Second World War. Hitting the mark in the fields of insurance business, film industry, tourism and the like, he took office as the first President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Japan in 1928. As he was from Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture, about 800 kilometers north of Tokyo, he built a villa with an extensive garden, 21,800 square meters in area. The first rank gardeners from Tokyo and two sons of Horie Sakichi, a famous master carpenter of the district, were invited to build this villa and it was completed in 1919. The pictures show the Western style main building of the villa as well as a part of the annexed garden. They say this garden is the second largest garden in the Tohoku Region. This garden is made up of two parts, the Western style garden on the high ground where the building in the first picture stands and Japanese style garden on the low ground 13 meters down. His Japanese-style city house in the downtown of Hirosaki city was relocated here later in 1961. These old houses and buildings in this garden are on the list of nationally designated important cultural assets.
Licensed tour guide, travel consultant,
Masahisa Takaki.
全国通訳案内士 高木聖久。
