Zoshigaya Cemetery

March 28th and my thoughts were about having Indian curry for lunch. I headed through a mostly empty Ikebukuro Station. This was highly unusual for what is normally one of the busiest train stations in the world. 

 It was the start of Tokyo's stay home policy in trying to protect people from the virus. So many shops were shuttered.

Since I did need to eat and my room did not have anything to cook with, I took the Yurakucho Line to where I had hoped I could get lunch. Once again, lots of room and social distancing on the train.

Unfortunately the restaurant was closed. So I decided to take a walk through a place I had thought about visiting before. 雑司ヶ谷霊園, Zoshigaya Cemetery. 

Established in 1874, the Tokyo Metropolitan government opened Zoshigaya Cemetery as a public cemetery.  

Something notable of the cemetery is the number of Japanese writers, artists and people of historical importance that have been laid to rest here. 

For many walking through a cemetery isn't their idea of a place to go, but during this pandemic time, it was a way to be outside in a spacious area with interesting things to see.

While many of the grave markers are Japanese, there are western style touches here.

 The cemetery is also a place with beautiful flowers.

Including gorgeous sakura flowers. 

Which remind one of the impermanence of life. 

Like Aoyama Cemetery, there are a few western style graves here. 

One noted site is for Catholic nuns of the Society of Sacred Heart in Japan. The graves are for nuns who passed away, during the time from 1916 to 1953.

There was one grave I was interested in seeing. 小泉 八雲,Koizumi Yakumo. Better known to westerners as Lafcadio Hearn, a writer who opened up a lot of Japan to people unable to travel there back in the late 19th century.

I will finish my post with a few photos of the beautiful flowers in and near by the Zoshigaya Cemetery.  

And of course the gorgeous sakura trees. 

The Cemetery at Gotokuji

Just beyond the Maneki Neko temple or shrine at Gotokuji Temple lies the resting place of the Ii clan.

The story goes that because a cat invited in daimyo Ii Naotaka to the temple while during a thunderstorm, Naotaka made it his family temple. Eventually the name was changed to Gotoku based on his Buddhist name given to him after he passed away, Kyushoin-den Gotokuten ei-daikoji.

This all took place in the 17th century so records for parts of the story are not known. But Ii Naotaka did exist and the story has helped continue Gotoku to this day. As to which grave is his, I do not know. But there are impressive markers and more in this cemetery.

I would guess these are Jizo statues from their placement in the cemetery and their red hoods. They are well worn from the elements and much older than the roof that was built over them to protect them.

Meditative Buddha on a lotus flower.

This stone lantern, toro, is interesting because what looks like a tea kettle is carved on it. Perhaps this was originally by a tea room?

While these markers appear discarded, there was actually work being done at some of the graves. 

Moving them would keep them from being damaged. Although some looked like they had been there for a while.

Since there isn't much information online in English about the cemetery, there isn't much I can add. If I have time to look for Japanese sites and find out more, I will add it. Surprising that Gotokuji Temple does not have their own website that I could find. Given it's popularity as the place to go see maneki neko.

Past and Present in Aoyama Cemetery

Last year when I was up high in Roppongi Hills I spotted this large cemetery in Tokyo. Of course it was Aoyama Cemetery and I decided when I came back I would see it from ground level.

Having nicer weather helped too in my getting there this time. I made it from Gaiemmae Station through Baiso-in to Aoyama Reien. 

I first wandered through more traditional Japanese plots. Some like where Hachiko and his owner Ueno-sensei were laid to rest had people working on cleaning up since it was right before Shunbun no Hi, Vernal Equinox. I do not know who this plot belongs to but the rusting gate was interesting

Aoyama Cemetery is a very interesting mix of different styles of grave markers, like this cairn style.

A Western style marker in the gaikokujin bochi, foreign section. Aoyama Cemetery is one of the few places where non-Japanese people were laid to rest beginning at the end of the 19th century.

 Contrasted with a more traditional Japanese style including a stone lantern.

Another stone lantern. Not sure if this one could be lit like others there. Imagine what it would have looked like with the stone lanterns flickering in the night.

The Foreign Section finally gained special recognition in 2007 after years of neglect for some of the plots. Not only is it interesting for people to visit but there are a number of historically important people laid to rest here.

Still not all is kept up but it's the same in other parts of the cemetery beyond the Foreign Section.

It does make for interesting photography along with wondering who these people were. Efforts have been made to document who has been laid to rest in the Foreign Section.

Especially given how worn some are due to time. While these may look vandalized, more damage has been done by earthquakes than anything else.

I must say, Aoyama Cemetery has an interesting aura of history and more.

Which brings me to one of the reasons I was checking out the Foreign Section. Besides my curiosity about it, I found out a few days before going to Japan that it was the location for a set of photos that I had wondered about. Back in the early years of the band Malice Mizer they used Aoyama Cemetery for a photo shoot. So I'm borrowing these old photos, I hope no one minds. Knowing this I did a little internet searching and found a few of the spots.

 Wilhelm Heise's stone is one of the easier to find. I wasn't actually looking for it but there it was. German engineer and instructor, best known for designing the Double Bridge, Niju Bashi, over the moat at the Imperial Palace.

 I wish I knew something about these church styled sarcophagus.

A little bit away from those is the family plot for Robert Walker Irwin, American business man and first counsel general from Hawaii to Japan.

While it's changed since Malice Mizer took their photos here, it is still recognizable. The Celtic cross at Robert Walker Irwin's marker has fallen but is behind his marker so apparently it will be repaired.

While it was fun to experience something related to the past, and also related to one of the reasons I was in Tokyo, the present was also very much happening with blue sky and pink sakura starting to bloom overhead.

At ground level butterflies flickered and people wandered through. At one place an older Japanese woman sang a hymn along with a tape. Others cleaned graves while some just walked and looked.

 And on my way out I noticed this fertile orange tree. Very present and very alive.