Zushi–Hayama: A walkable local life | LoreMania
Walking through Zushi and Hayama shows how a history of imperial and aristocratic villas sits alongside the ongoing daily life of fishing and marine sports along the same coastline.
This page follows the villa architecture of Zushi and Hayama, along with the named places tied to everyday local life.
People and buildings whose "who" and "when" are easy to mix up are checked here against a source.
The people and buildings behind villa culture
Dr. Baelz's praise for Hayama's climate helped bring the Imperial Villa here in 1894, and villas like the Former Higashifushimi-no-miya Villa and Kaji Residence still preserve that era.
Dr. Baelz
A German physician who taught medicine at Tokyo Imperial University. From the 1880s he visited Hayama repeatedly, and his praise for its mild climate and terrain as ideal for recuperation is credited as one reason the Imperial Villa was later built there.
Source:Town of Hayama, "Monument (Dr. Bälz and Minister Martino)"
Hayama Imperial Villa
An imperial recuperation villa completed in 1894. In 1926 the ailing Emperor Taisho died here, and the ceremony transferring the imperial regalia to Emperor Showa took place at its annex. Part of the villa remains an active imperial facility, closed to the public.
Source:Kanagawa Prefecture, "Hayama Shiosai Park (former Imperial Villa annex site)"
Hayama Shiosai Park
A town park built on the former site of the Imperial Villa's annex. It has a Japanese garden and teahouse, and its Shiosai Museum displays marine life from Sagami Bay alongside biological specimens collected by Emperor Showa.
Former Higashifushimi-no-miya Hayama Villa
A villa built around 1914 for Prince Higashifushimi Yorihito. Of the roughly 500 aristocratic and imperial villas said to have existed in Hayama by the early Showa era, this is considered nearly the only one that survives in its original form, and is now a Registered Tangible Cultural Property.
Source:Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Heritage Online, "Former Higashifushimi-no-miya Hayama Villa"
Former Kaji Residence
Completed in 1928 as the villa of businessman Kaji Toshio of Mitsui & Co. Designed by Endo Arata, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright, it is a leading example of a Prairie Style house built with heavy use of Oya stone.
Source:Town of Hayama, "Registered Cultural Property: Former Kaji Residence"
Local life and safety rules
Kotsubo's fishing port has worked since the Kamakura period, Nango-Kaminoyama Park confusingly sits in Nagae, and life jackets — mandatory on small boats since 2018 — anchor today's safety rules.
Kotsubo
A district between Zushi Beach and Kamakura's Zaimokuza Beach. Its Kotsubo Fishing Port dates to the Kamakura period and remains Zushi's only local fishing industry; every January 2, boats take part in a "mikan-nage" orange-throwing ritual for a good catch.
Nango-Kaminoyama Park
Despite the "Nango" in its name, this town-run park sits in Hayama's Nagae district. It has a hill-ringed lawn plus a baseball field, tennis courts, and a multi-purpose ground.
life jacket
A flotation device that has been mandatory nationwide for small-boat passengers since February 2018. In Hayama, where stand-up paddleboard users have increasingly drifted out to sea, the town separately urges paddlers to wear one and check their skills and gear.
FAQ
What's the difference between the Hayama Imperial Villa and Hayama Shiosai Park?
The Imperial Villa is still partly used by the imperial family and is closed to the public. Hayama Shiosai Park was built by the town on the site of the villa's former annex — a separate building, and worth keeping distinct.
Who designed the Former Kaji Residence?
Architect Endo Arata, a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright. It's easy to assume any Wright-style house here was designed by Antonin Raymond, but the actual architect was Endo.
Sources & references
- Town of Hayama, "Monument (Dr. Bälz and Minister Martino)"
- Kanagawa Prefecture, "Hayama Shiosai Park (former Imperial Villa annex site)"
- Town of Hayama, "Hayama Shiosai Park"
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Heritage Online, "Former Higashifushimi-no-miya Hayama Villa"
- Town of Hayama, "Registered Cultural Property: Former Kaji Residence"
- City of Zushi, "Kotsubo Fishing Port"
- Town of Hayama, "Nango-Kaminoyama Park"
- Town of Hayama, "SUP accidents are increasing!!"