Mikiko Ishikawa: A Masterpiece of Modern Japan—The Crisis of Jingu Gaien

2022/06/09

In the heart of Tokyo, there is the Jingu Naien (Inner Garden), a fertile forest inhabited by northern goshawks, and the Jingu Gaien (Outer Garden), which centers on the Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery and includes Jingu Stadium and a beautiful avenue of ginkgo trees. The total area is 131 hectares, a vast expanse about eight times the size of Hibiya Park and 2.5 times the size of Ueno Park. One hundred years ago, this land was the Yoyogi and Aoyama parade grounds—a wasteland with almost no trees—but through meticulous planning, it became a "masterpiece" representing modern Japan, created over the course of a century (Figure 1).

While the Naien is under strict protection as a sacred sanctuary of Meiji Jingu, the Gaien is now facing an existential crisis. A redevelopment plan involving a forest of skyscrapers was approved at the 236th Tokyo Metropolitan Urban Planning Council held on February 9, 2022, and was officially announced in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Gazette on March 10.

As a result, 3.4 hectares were removed from the Meiji Park urban plan, making it possible to construct three skyscrapers in that area (Figure 2).

The Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium is planned to abandon its traditional and prestigious location adjacent to the current ginkgo avenue and move to the forest where the Kenkoku Kinen Bunko (National Foundation Memorial Library) is located. It is estimated to take 11 years to complete and will be a 55-meter-high indoor rugby stadium with a roof. Consequently, the majority of the serene forest will be cleared.

Jingu Stadium, which has witnessed countless historical moments, will be demolished and replaced by a large stadium with an attached hotel adjacent to the ginkgo avenue. The outfield stands will tower behind the ginkgo trees, and the beautiful avenue where sunlight filters through the leaves will be lost. It is expected that the excavation for the stands will disrupt groundwater circulation, significantly impacting the growth of the ginkgo trees in the long term. Furthermore, the two rows of ginkgo trees that branch off from the four-row avenue and served as the entrance to the former Joshi Gakushuin are being considered for felling or transplantation. Records show that these ginkgoes were grown at a nursery in the Yoyogi Imperial Estate from seeds collected from ginkgo trees in Shinjuku Gyoen in 1908, making them 114 years old.

The lawn plaza in front of the Picture Gallery is the central landscape of the Gaien. It was planted as an open woodland with trees donated by the public and consists of historical trees that survived the war. Because this area is to become a private tennis club, all of these trees, except for one row along the perimeter road, will be cut down.

Until recently, the public was completely unaware that these redevelopments would involve the mass felling of trees. On December 14, 2021, the urban planning documents were made available for public inspection, but there was only a two-week grace period to submit opinions. Feeling unsatisfied, I decided I had no choice but to investigate for myself. Starting January 2, 2022, I spent two weeks conducting an individual tree survey, which revealed that approximately 1,000 trees were slated for removal. I published these findings through ICOMOS Japan. Although a widespread petition movement arose, the redevelopment plan was approved as originally proposed. It was only on April 26, 2022, following requests from many citizens, that the total number of trees to be felled or transplanted (1,052) was finally disclosed.

Economist Hirofumi Uzawa described the concept of social common capital as follows:

"Social common capital refers to the social apparatus that enables all people living in a country or a specific region to lead a rich economic life, develop an excellent culture, and maintain a humanly attractive society in a sustainable and stable manner."

Green spaces like Jingu Gaien in a dense city are typical examples of social common capital. Let us look back at history to see how Jingu Gaien was born.

The construction of Meiji Jingu was proposed on February 27, 1913, by Iesato Tokugawa, President of the House of Peers. The plan was to create the "Naien" for "solemnity and dignity" using national funds, and the "Gaien" for "public recreation and relaxation" using donations. For the development of the Gaien, the Meiji Jingu Hosankai was organized, and construction was completed in October 1926 through donations of money and trees from across the country and overseas. Records show that total donations from the public reached 7,033,640 yen, with 3,190 trees of 54 species donated, and a total of 102,792 members of youth groups serving in the construction of the inner and outer gardens. After its completion, Jingu Gaien was dedicated to Meiji Jingu, and the Meiji Jingu Hosankai requested that its beauty be preserved forever. On September 14, 1926, the Tokyo Urban Planning Meiji Jingu Scenic District was designated as the first scenic district in Japan. Despite numerous changes, this scenic district is a "jewel of a historical asset" whose basic framework has been passed down for over a century.

In particular, the area targeted by the current urban plan is designated as Area A and Area B in the current scenic district zoning. Area A is "positioned as the core of the scenic district, where excellent scenery should be particularly preserved," covering the area from the front of the Picture Gallery through the lawn plaza to the ginkgo avenue. Area B is the "area that should play a role in protecting the beauty and atmosphere of the scenic district surrounding the core area."

Thus, while Jingu Gaien is currently owned by Meiji Jingu, it was created through public donations and service, and the Meiji Jingu Hosankai (equivalent to a modern NPO) dedicated it to Meiji Jingu, trusting them with its perpetual operation. In this sense, it is social common capital that differs from simple private land.

How, then, can we protect Jingu Gaien, this "masterpiece of modern Japan"? Since the urban planning decision has already been made, overturning it is an extremely difficult task. It has become a race against time as the tree felling proceeds. When in trouble, the principle is to return to the starting point. The starting point for urban green space as social common capital is "space for people and living creatures."

New York's Central Park, the dawn of modern parks opened in 1858, created a safe and comfortable park by using grade separations for footpaths, bridle paths, carriage roads, and transverse roads.

Following this principle, and since urban arterial roads have already been developed for the Olympics, ICOMOS Japan considered turning the Special City Road Yotsuya-Kakunohazu Line (the roadway in the center of the ginkgo avenue, etc.) within the Gaien into a pedestrian path, except for emergencies. The result is the "Masterpiece of Modern Japan: Jingu Gaien" regeneration proposal shown in Figure 3, which was submitted to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government on April 26.

By making the interior of the Gaien a safe pedestrian space, it becomes possible to arrange sports facilities more spaciously. By moving Jingu Stadium inward to the position of the current roadway, it can be reborn as a "Jingu Stadium in the Woods." It would be a far more attractive stadium than one surrounded by skyscrapers. If Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium is rebuilt on its current site, it can inherit the tradition and prestige of its prime location. In this plan, miraculously, only two trees would need to be felled.

The design of Jingu Gaien is characterized by its "modern urban beauty and landscape garden" style, which utilizes vistas (view lines). By introducing a new vista that leads from Stadium-dori through the lawn plaza, in addition to the current main vista from the Aoyama entrance to the Picture Gallery, it is possible to develop the area into an even more profound urban green space.

In a society that prioritizes development, the destruction of spaces with layered history has been carried out easily. I believe that not repeating these mistakes is the minimum duty imposed on our generation.

Keio University has played a major role in the century-long history of Jingu Gaien. As the home of Tokyo Big6 Baseball, the university has made significant contributions to the construction and expansion of Jingu Stadium. Furthermore, it is recorded that Keio University Hospital, adjacent to the Gaien, provided great convenience in treating sick members of the youth groups who performed labor service.

Shinzo Koizumi visited Jingu Stadium enthusiastically until his final years. When the season ended and he said goodbye with "See you in the autumn," he wrote, "It is a moment when my heart is filled with the wish for much happiness for the young men who fought well, and I truly love that moment."

The reason the historic Jingu Gaien is facing such a critical situation is that the cost of maintaining the vast forest of the Naien is being funded by income from Jingu Stadium. The reconstruction of the aging Jingu Stadium has become an urgent issue. This poses the fundamental question of who should pay for urban green spaces and how. I hope that the Keio University alumni will once again provide the wisdom needed to pass on the "social common capital" created by our predecessors from the wasteland a century ago.

Ministry of Home Affairs Shrine Bureau, "Meiji Jingu Naien-shi" (1930); Meiji Jingu Hosankai, "Meiji Jingu Gaien-shi" (1937); Town Development of the Jingu Gaien District (Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Urban Development); Shinzo Koizumi, "University Baseball" (included in "Practice Makes Impossible Possible," Keio University Press, 2004); Keita Yamauchi, "Jingu Stadium" (included in "Keio University History Walk (National Edition)," edited by Mitsuaki Kato, Keita Yamauchi, and Teruyoshi Osawa, Keio University Press, 2017).