Welcome to Konnichiwa Philadelphia, a feature dedicated to
highlighting the relationship between Philadelphia and Japan in the modern day and in years gone by.
We'll also cover interesting societal and cultural content about Japan.
Check back every two weeks for a new article, and rediscover Philadelphia
from a Japanese perspective!
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Monday, 16 October 2006 |
The first Japanese to come to Philadelphia were the over 100 members of the Iwakura Mission -- Japan's first diplomatic mission to the West -- from June 22 -25, 1872. The new Meiji government of Japan had recently reversed the centuries-old policy of isolationism and desired to modernize itself in the model of the US and Europe. The envoy was led by Tomomi Iwakura, and included ambassadors, government officials, and even students (including Umeko Tsuda, one of the first Japanese woman to study abroad -- at Bryn Mawr College).
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Monday, 09 October 2006 |
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You probably already knew that there is a Japanese house and garden in Fairmount Park, but do you know how it got there? Shofuso was built in 1953 in traditional 16th-century style as a gift to the Museum of Modern Art from the America-Japan Society of Tokyo on behalf of the Japanese people to the American people; a gesture of friendship and goodwill. The house was built of the finest materials available. It was built from hinoki cypress obtained with special permission from the national cypress forests, and the rocks for the garden were each hand-selected from the slopes of the Takayama mountains.
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Monday, 02 October 2006 |
Americans first came into direct contact with the Japanese art of tea here in Philadelphia at the 1876 Centennial Exposition, but it wasn't until 1928 that the first authentic Japanese teahouse was obtained for exhibition in any American museum. The growing American interest in Japanese tea ceremonies and architecture in the early 20th century led Fiske Kimball, director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, to plan a permanent Japanese teahouse exhibit in the museum.
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Wednesday, 27 September 2006 |
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Did you know that Philadelphia once had its very own Japanese Temple Gate? From 1905 - 1955, the present site of the Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park was occupied by a gate which served as the main entrance to the temple of Seionji in the village of Furumachi, Hitachi province. The gate was originally commissioned in 1344 by Satake Yoshiatsu, restored in 1600, then exported from Japan to Louisiana as part of the Official Japanese Empire Exhibit at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. After the exhibit, the gate was purchased by two Philadelphians and donated to Fairmount Park.
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