Yabashi House
OgakiSituated in the middle of Japan, the Akasaka area of the Gifu Prefecture is known for the good quality of its marble and limestone. The Yabashi family started in the business of stone processing and construction about 100 years ago, and has helped build many structures of national importance including the Diet Building in Tokyo. With the marble quarries of Akasaka now depleted, Yabashi Marble Company continued its business by importing stone from all over the world.
The residence of Syutaro Yabashi, the president of Yabashi Marble Company, consists of several buildings, storehouses, and gardens. The oldest structure, which is used as a guesthouse and for tea ceremonies, is Mui-an, which means “without anything artificial”. It was built around 1925 and moved across the property to its present location by tugs about thirty years ago. The trees and stones on the property are much older than any of the structures.
The special stones in the garden, such as “Kurama” and “Ibi”, were collected by Yabashi’s father, who was very fond of stones.
At the beginning of spring, the unrivalled star of this garden is a special cherry tree. The stepping-stone path from the entrance leads to a large flat granite stone called a fumiwake-ishi placed a bit off the path. This stone is situated to provide the best views of this cherry tree, as well as other good views of the garden. Although the most popular sort of cherry tree in Japan is Somei-yoshino, the tree here is of the Usuzumi-zakura variety. Its pink buds turn to white blossoms, which in turn become light gray before they fall. From inside Mui-an, this cherry tree presents a beautiful sight. It is also linked to another Usuzumi-zakura tree in a nearby village called Neo, which is famous for being nearly 1,500 years old, and for the many people who have helped preserve it. A washbasin, with a table nearby for placing a pail and garden lantern, has been situated in front of this tree. Each of these elegant elements is made up of stones in their natural shape.
Yabashi and his wife are classical music enthusiasts, and occasionally invite musicians from Germany to their home to enjoy the old house and the garden.
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