is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

in Aoyama, Minato,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, managed by the

Tokyo Metropolitan Government The is the government of the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis. One of the 47 Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Japan, the government consists of a popularly elected governor and assembly. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, headquarters build ...

. The cemetery is known for its

cherry blossoms The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

and is popular during the season of .

History

The cemetery was originally the land of the Aoyama family of the Gujō clan (now

Gujō, Gifu Gujō City Hall is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 41,858, and a population density of 41 persons per km2, in 15,341 households. The total area of the city was , including Gujo Hachiman, a part of the ci ...

) in the province of

Mino Mino may refer to: Places in Japan * Mino, Gifu, a city in Gifu Prefecture * Mino, Kagawa, a former town in Kagawa Prefecture * Mino, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture * Mino, an alternate spelling of Minoh, a city in Osaka Prefecture * Mi ...

(now

Gifu is a Cities of Japan, city located in the south-central portion of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, and serves as the prefectural capital. The city has played an important role in Japan's history because of its location in the middle of the country. Durin ...

). Japan's first public cemetery was opened in 1874, and in the

Meiji era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feu ...

was the main locations of foreigners' graves. Minor Sights: Aoyama – Tokyo's only Foreigners' Cemetery
/ref> The cemetery has an area of 263,564 m².

Japanese section

The Japanese section includes the graves of many notable Japanese, including: *

Hachikō was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner, Hidesaburō Ueno, for whom he continued to wait for over nine years following Ueno's death. Hachikō was born on November 10, 1923, at a farm near the city of Ō ...

* Amino Kiku *

Gotō Shōjirō Count was a Japanese samurai and politician during the Bakumatsu period, Bakumatsu and early Meiji period of Japanese history.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Gotō Shōjirō" in He was a leader of which would evolve into a political par ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX was one of the most successful and famous Kabuki actors of the Meiji period (1868–1912). Ninth in the line of actors to hold the name Ichikawa Danjūrō, he is depicted in countless ''ukiyo-e'' actor prints ('' yakusha-e''), and is widely ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō XI may refer to: Places *Ichikawa, Chiba, a city in Chiba, Japan **Ichikawa Gakuen (Ichikawa Junior and Senior High School), a large private boys and girls school in Moto-kita-kata, Ichikawa, Chiba * Ichikawa, Hyogo, a town in Hyōgo, Japan *Ichikawa ...

Kitasato Shibasaburō Baron was a Japanese physician and bacteriologist. He is remembered as the co-discoverer of the infectious agent of bubonic plague in Hong Kong during an outbreak in 1894, almost simultaneously with Alexandre Yersin. Kitasato was nomin ...

Nakae Chōmin was the pen-name of a journalist, political theorist and statesman in Meiji-period Japan. His real name was . His major contribution was the popularization of the egalitarian doctrines of the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Japa ...

Ijichi Masaharu was a Japanese samurai retainer of the Shimazu clan, military strategist, and aristocrat. His imina was . Biography Ijichi Masaharu was born near the walls of Kagoshima Castle. He was the second son, and his father was . As a boy, he was give ...

Nogi Maresuke Count , also known as Kiten, Count Nogi GCB (December 25, 1849September 13, 1912), was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and a governor-general of Taiwan. He was one of the commanders during the 1894 capture of Port Arthur from ...

Ōkubo Toshimichi Ōkubo Toshimichi (; 26 September 1830 – 14 May 1878) was a Japanese statesman and samurai of the Satsuma Domain who played a central role in the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration (維新の� ...

Otoya Yamaguchi was a Japanese right-wing Ultranationalism (Japan), ultranationalist youth who assassinated Inejirō Asanuma, chairman of the Japan Socialist Party, on 12 October 1960. Yamaguchi rushed the stage and stabbed Asanuma with a wakizashi-like shor ...

Sasaki Takayuki Marquis was a bureaucrat, government minister and court official in late Meiji period Japan. Biography Sasaki was born into a samurai class family in Agawa District, Tosa Domain (in the present-day city of Kōchi, Kōchi Prefecture). He serv ...

Shiga Naoya was a Japanese writer active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan, whose work was distinguished by its lucid, straightforward style and strong autobiographical overtones. Early life Shiga was born in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, ...

* Nishi Takeichi *

Osachi Hamaguchi Hamaguchi Osachi (Kyūjitai: ; Shinjitai: , 1 April 1870 – 26 August 1931) was a Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan from 1929 to 1931. Nicknamed the due to his dignified demeanor and mane-like hair, Hamaguchi served as leadin ...

Hidesaburō Ueno was a Japanese agricultural scientist, famous in Japan as the guardian of Hachikō, a devoted Akita dog. Life and career Ueno was born on January 19, 1872, in Hisai-shi (present-day Tsu), Mie Prefecture. In 1895, he graduated from Tokyo Im ...

Tateyama Branch

The cemetery also has a Tateyama branch, where Nagata Tetsuzan, Kimura Heitarō, and

Sagara Sōzō Sagara Sōzō ( 1839March 26, 1868), real name ,Watsuki, Nobuhiro. "The Secret Life of Characters (5) Sagara Sōzō," ''Rurouni Kenshin'' Volume 2. VIZ Media. 28. was the leader of the 1st Unit of the Sekihōtai, a group of Japanese political e ...

are buried. Grave of Miki Matsubara The famous

city pop is a loosely defined form of Japanese pop music that emerged in the late 1970s and peaked in popularity during the 1980s. It was originally termed as an offshoot of Japan's Western-influenced " new music", but came to include a wide range of st ...

singer

Miki Matsubara was a Japanese singer, songwriter, and television personality from Kishiwada, Osaka. She participated in the opening and ending theme songs of the TV anime '' Gu-Gu Ganmo'' under the name "Suzie Matsubara". Her 1979 debut song " Mayonaka no D ...

is also buried in the cemetery, although the exact location remains currently undisclosed.

Grave of Hachikō

One of the cemetery's most famous graves is that of

, the faithful and dutiful dog whose statue adorns

Shibuya Station is a major railway station in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Keio Corporation, Tokyu Corporation, and Tokyo Metro. It serves as a terminal for six railway lines, five of which are operated by Tokyo Metro ...

. He was buried alongside his two owners,

and Yaeko Sakano.

Foreign section

The cemetery includes a gaikokujin bochi (foreign cemetery), one of the few such plots in Tokyo. Many of the graves are of foreign experts who came to Japan at the end of the 19th century, as part of the Meiji Government's drive for modernisation. Although some of the graves were threatened with removal in 2005 due to unpaid annual fees, the Foreign Section was awarded special protection in 2007. A plaque on the site recognises the men and women who contributed to Japan's modernization. Some of the noted foreigners buried within the cemetery: *

Thomas Baty Thomas Baty (8 February 1869 – 9 February 1954), who also used the name Irene Clyde, was an English gender non-conforming international lawyer, writer, and activist. A prominent legal scholar and authority on international law, Baty served fo ...

(1869–1954), English lawyer, writer and activist *

Francis Brinkley Francis Brinkley (30 December 1841 – 12 October 1912) was an Anglo-Irish newspaper owner, editor and scholar who resided in Meiji period Japan for over 40 years, where he was the author of numerous books on Japanese culture, art and architect ...

(1841–1912), Anglo-Irish journalist and scholar *

Edoardo Chiossone Edoardo Chiossone (January 21, 1833 – April 11, 1898) was an Italian engraver and painter, noted for his work as a foreign advisor to Meiji period Japan, and for his collection of Japanese art. He designed the first Japanese bank notes. Bio ...

(1833–1898), Italian engraver * W. K. Burton (1856–1899), Scottish engineer and photographer *

Edwin Dun Edwin Dun (June 19, 1848 – May 15, 1931) was a rancher from Ohio who was employed as an '' o-yatoi gaikokujin'' in Hokkaidō by the Hokkaidō Development Commission (''Kaitakushi'') and advised the Japanese government on modernizing agric ...

(1848–1931), American agricultural advisor. * William Clark Eastlake (1834–1887), American dentist, "Dental Pioneer of the Orient" * Hugh Fraser (1837–1894), British

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

to Japan * Flora B. Harris, American missionary and translator, wife of

Merriman Colbert Harris Merriman Colbert Harris (July 9, 1846 – May 8, 1921) was a Missionary Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1904, who was active in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Japan. Birth and family Merriman was born July 9 ...

(1846–1921), American Methodist missionary * Henry Hartshorne (1823–1897), American Quaker missionary and doctor, father of Anna Hartshorne * Joseph Heco (1837–1897), the first naturalized Japanese-American * Paul Jacoulet (1902–1960), French woodblock print artist in the Japanese style * Arthur Lloyd (1852–1911), English

Anglican Church in Japan The ''Nippon Sei Ko Kai'' (), abbreviated as NSKK, sometimes referred to in English as the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan, is the national Christianity, Christian church representing the Province of Japan (, ) within the Anglican Communion. ...

minister,

Keio University , abbreviated as or , is a private university, private research university located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally established as a school for Rangaku, Western studies in 1858 in Edo. It was granted university status in 1920, becomi ...

professor and translator *

Henry Spencer Palmer Major General Henry Spencer Palmer (30 April 1838 – 10 February 1893) was a British Army military engineer and surveyor, noted for his work in developing Yokohama harbor in the Empire of Japan as a foreign advisor to the Japanese government ...

(1838–1893) British engineer and journalist *

Julius Scriba Julius Karl Scriba (5 June 1848 – 3 January 1905) was a German surgeon serving as a foreign advisor in Meiji-period Japan, where he was an important contributor to the development of Western medicine in the country. Biography Scriba was bo ...

(1848–1905), German surgeon *

Alexander Croft Shaw Alexander Croft Shaw M.A. (26 June 1846 – 13 March 1902) was a minister of the Anglican Church of Canada. He is remembered as Archdeacon Shaw, minister to the British Legation in Tokyo and a leading figure in the early years of the Anglica ...

(1846–1902), Canadian

minister,

professor *

Frederick William Strange Frederick William Strange (September 9, 1844 – June 5, 1897) was an England, English-born physician, surgeon and political figure in Ontario, Canada. He represented York North in the House of Commons of Canada from 1878 to 1882 as a Liberal-C ...

(1853–1889), British. University instructor, founder of competitive

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

in Japan * Guido Verbeck (1830–1898), Dutch political advisor, educator, and missionary * Gottfried Wagener (1831–1892), German chemist, educator and ceramics specialist *

Charles Dickinson West Charles Dickinson West (January 1847 – 10 January 1908) was an Irish mechanical engineer and naval architect, who worked for many years at the Imperial College of Engineering, in Meiji era Japan. Biography West was born in Dublin, Ireland a ...

(1847–1908), Irish engineer

References