The area from Nagoya Castle to Tokugawaen is a series of mansions of cultural and business figures and is named "The Cultural Path". Many of the historical buildings where the cultural figures who were responsible for the modernization of Nagoya from the Edo period through the Meiji and Taisho periods lived still remain.

The "The Cultural Path" area was once home to the Toyoda family, which built the foundation of the Toyota Group. The "Former Sasuke Toyoda residence" is the only surviving building in the area. Sasuke Toyoda was the younger brother of inventor Sakichi Toyoda, a businessman who served as president of Toyoda Boshoku and supported his elder brother Sakichi.

We would like to introduce you to the "Former Sasuke Toyoda residence" which still retains the architectural style of the Taisho era.

What is “Former Sasuke Toyoda residence”?

"Former Sasuke Toyoda residence" is the residence of Sasuke Toyoda, the younger brother of Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of the Toyota Group, who was called the King of Invention and laid the foundation of the Toyota Group to this day. It was built in 1923. It consists of a Western-style wooden building with white tiles and a Japanese-style building with a spacious layout.

The history of this residence is thought to date back to 1915, when Risaburo Toyoda, who married Sakichi's daughter Aiko, built the Western-style part of the house as his new residence. However, in 1932, Risaburo moved to Shirakabe-cho suji, north of Former Sasuke Toyoda residence, in search of a larger plot of land.

Later, around 1923, Sakichi's younger brother Sasuke built an addition to the Japanese-style house and began to live there. Sasuke is said to have had five children, so a considerable amount of space was needed. The Western-style house had a flat roof above and was used as a playground for the children of the Toyoda family.

A photograph of Sasuke Toyoda was exhibited.

Sasuke Toyoda was a man of quality and sturdiness, but also a man of unique aesthetics and foresight. Sasuke's progressive thinking is reflected throughout Former Sasuke Toyoda residence, including the introduction of flush toilets and telephone booths, and the use of earthquake-resistant construction even in the period before the Great Kanto Earthquake.

It is said that the Shirakabe area was once home to his brother Sakichi, his son Kiichiro Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Motor Corporation, and other members of his family, but only the Sasuke Residence is still standing. After the Pacific War, the house was confiscated by the U.S. military and used as a residence for officers, but it was later owned by Aisin Seiki and is now leased by Nagoya City and open to the public.

Let's take a quick tour of "Former Sasuke Toyoda residence". This a little different in style from the The Cultural Path Futaba Museum. The main attraction of this building is a slightly different blend of Japanese and Western style from that of the "The Cultural Path Shumoku-kan".

The hallway is spacious. Inside the door on the left side was a student's room.

The stairs are also made wide so that people going up and people going down can pass each other. Many people must have visited this mansion.