Kamonyama Park (掃部山公園)

Bronze Statue of Ii Naosuke

View of the Yokohama Landmark Tower from the park

Kamonyama Park (掃部山公園) is located in the Momijigaoka district of Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture. The park was named in honor of Ii Naosuke (1815–1860), who played a key role in the opening of the Port of Yokohama. The head of the Ii clan's soke (main family line) held the court title Kamon-no-kami (掃部頭), from which the park takes its name. Ii Naosuke was the 16th lord of the Hikone Domain and served as Tairo (chief minister of the Edo Shogunate). He is known for signing the Harris Treaty (the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between Japan and the United States) without imperial approval and carrying out the Ansei Purge which ultimately led to his assassination in the Sakuradamon Incident of 1860 — one of the pivotal events of the late Edo period.

Stone fountain

The erection of his monument had long been a heartfelt wish of the former retainers of the Hikone Domain. In 1884, they purchased land in Yokohama, which became the property of the Ii family. In 1909, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Port of the Yokohama, a bronze statue of Ii Naosuke was erected along with a stone fountain. In 1914, the Ii family donated the land to the City of Yokohama and was organized as Kamonyama Park.

The park was destroyed in the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake but served as a firebreak and a refuge for local residents. During the subsequent reconstruction, a Japanese garden was added.

The statue was removed during World War II under government orders for metal collection but was restored in 1953 to mark the centennial of Japan's opening to the West. The statue's pedestal and the stone fountain were designated as Historic Buildings by the City of Yokohama in 2011.

The park is also known as one of Yokohama's popular hanami (cherry blossom viewing) spots during the sakura season.

Reference:

• City of Yokohama. (2021, October 5). 掃部山公園を知ろう. 横浜市西区. https://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/nishi/kurashi/machizukuri_kankyo/jimusho/koen/kamonyama.html