Around the Celestine Hotel
Walk along with NEC to your back and you will see an open space called “Shiba Satsuma no Michi” that goes through the Shiba 3chome East development area that includes the Celestine Hotel on the right.
At one time, the main daimyo’s residence of the Satsuma clan was located in this area and the incident in which the residence of the Lord of Satsuma was burned signaled the start of the Boshin War. That is why many designs and works of art reflect the history of the area.
The pattern on the granite pavement is in the same ratio as a tatami mat?1:2?and is laid in a checkered pattern. This gives the space a harmony with the surrounding trees and an integrated atmosphere. There are three wells, the “Well of Memory,” the “Well of Mystery” and the “Well of Water Jar” reproducing those that were in the clan’s residence. The constant water flow and fountains will heal your heart.
- Shiba Satsuma Street
- Well of Memory
- Well of Mystery
Along the canals that connect the wells, there are four avant-garde monuments by young glass artist Makoto Nishikawa: Memory of Time 1 ＆ 2 and Memory of Earth 1 ＆ 2. An old map of the Satsuma clan’s residence engraved on the glass case that encloses the work gives the viewer a feeling of the site as it was.
Paving stones are in the traditional Japanese “Hosonami” wave and lattice designs and a “Za no Objet” bench made of stones found in the ruins of the residence make the Shiba Satsuma Street feel like a museum that tells the history of the town.
- Memory of Earth
- Memory of Earth
- Memory of Time
| The Celestine Hotel | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 3-23-1 Shiba; Minato-ku (Celestine Shiba Mitsui Building) |
Points of Interest
There are subtitles to each of Makoto Nishikawa’s four works:“To the heroes of enlightenment” and “To the pioneering spirit” (Memory of Time 1 ＆ 2); “To the men of the restoration” and “To those in the making” (Memory of Earth 1 ＆ 2). Let your thoughts roam about the end of the Edo era while you view the beautiful works of art through the engraved glass case.
