Tekigaiso Park

In short

​Tekigaiso Park​ is a Suginami City park that opens Tekigaiso to the public. It is the former residence of Konoe Fumimaro, who served as Prime Minister three times during the early Showa period. It has been designated as a National Historic Site as a place where important political talks and cabinet formations took place. The building was designed by architect Ito Chuta.

• ​The Guest Room of the Ogikubo Conference​​: The room where the basic policies of the Second Konoe Cabinet were discussed in 1940 (Showa 15).
• ​The Restored Residence​​: The guest room wing, which had been relocated after the war, was brought back to its original location and restored to its appearance when Konoe lived there.
• ​The Exhibition Building Designed by Kuma Kengo​​: Located across from Tekigaiso, this facility houses an exhibition room, a café, and a shop.

History and Highlights

​Tekigaiso Park​ is located in a quiet residential area southeast of Ogikubo Station on the JR Chuo Line. Tekigaiso is the former residence of Konoe Fumimaro, a politician who served as Prime Minister three times in the early Showa period.

The building was originally a villa built in 1927 (Showa 2) by Irisawa Tatsukichi, a physician who served as the head physician to Emperor Taisho. It was designed by architect Ito Chuta. Irisawa called this villa "Futekiso," as there were also maple trees in the garden. Konoe took a liking to this house, acquired it from Irisawa in 1937 (Showa 12), and began living there. It is said that the name "Tekigaiso" was given by Saionji Kinmochi, who was Konoe's guardian.

Konoe decided to live here to rest his body and mind. Gradually, however, the house became a venue for crucial national conferences. In the "Ogikubo Conference" of 1940 (Showa 15), he invited Matsuoka Yosuke, Tojo Hideki, and Yoshida Zengo, who were slated to become the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Army, and the Navy, respectively, to discuss strengthening ties with Germany and Italy. The following year, about two months before the outbreak of war between Japan and the United States, another conference was held here. Then, in December 1945 (Showa 20) after the end of the war, Konoe took his own life in this house.

After the war, the wing containing the guest room was relocated to Toshima City. Suginami City acquired the land and buildings in 2014 (Heisei 26), and Tekigaiso was designated as a National Historic Site in 2016 (Heisei 28). The city returned the guest room wing to Ogikubo and restored it to how it looked between 1940 and 1941 when Konoe lived there. It has been open to the public as the municipal Tekigaiso Park since December 2024 (Reiwa 6).

Points for Appreciation and Experience

• ​The Guest Room of the Ogikubo Conference​​: The room where Konoe and the three designated ministers met before the formation of the Second Konoe Cabinet. Ito Chuta's designs and the interior furnishings of the time have been recreated by specialists and artisans.
• ​Rooms Preserved in Their Original State​​: The study where Konoe took his own life has been preserved almost as it was at the time.
• ​Exhibition Building​​: Across from Tekigaiso stands an exhibition building designed by architect Kuma Kengo. Characterized by its polygonal roof, it has a café and shop on the first floor and an exhibition room on the second floor. From the café, visitors can look out over the greenery of the garden trees and Tekigaiso.

Tips for Strolling

Tekigaiso Park, along with Otaguro Park and Kadokawa Garden, is collectively called the "Three Ogikubo Gardens." The exhibition building was constructed as a resting spot when touring the three gardens. Learning about the history of Ogikubo at the exhibition building before entering Tekigaiso across the street makes it easier to imagine the scenes of the historic conferences. There is also a lawn area on the south side. Otaguro Park is located about 340 meters northeast of here.