Conservation Association of Hatada House for Its Cultural Utilization and Preservation

Registration as Cultural Properties and Formation of the Conservation Association

   The city of Habikino is located in the south-east part of the Osaka Prefecture. Its east-half extends over Habikino Heights, covering the Furuichi Old Mounds, which include the ancient tomb of Emperor Oujin.  The city abounds with rich historical sites and beautiful nature, and has a population of nearly 120,000, who live in residential or industrial areas.

   The House of Hatada is found in the western part of the Habikino city.  It is a so-called Shoya-Yashiki(residence of the village headman), which reminds us of the old Meiji era-houses very well.  The main building is two storied, and four rooms, forming a two-by-two matrix are at the center of the first floor.  The structure of beams over the earth floor is telling the old tradition visibly. The whole mansion has storehouses(the east and west storehouses and granary), Nagayamon-gate(the row house gate), an attached building including a well, bathroom and privy and a storage barn, in addition.  It was registered as a registered tangible cultural property of Japan in 1999. With registration as the cultural properties, have been started the Hatada academy for school children, open-house and forum, in accordance with the aim of the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties, "preservation and utilization of cultural properties in order to promote the cultural well-being of the Japanese people as well as the global development of culture". The program has been supported since the 12th year of Heisei(2000) by the city of Habikino and its board of education.   After six months of the program-starting, those who understand and are willing to collaborate the purpose, decided to establish "the Conservation Association of Hatada House for Its Utilization and Preservation ". The association consists of 281 members (as of July, 2006) with Isamu Hatada as its president.

Activity of the Society

   The Hatada Juku(Hatada Academy) plans to help the youths, from primary school pupils to high school students, find their ways in future through the contact with elderly specialists in various fields.

   For children and youths in their early ages, not only school education, but environment created by their parents or protectors are very important.  In view of that consideration, participation of parents or protectors are strongly encouraged.

   In the year of 2006, the program had its eighth.  The number of lecturers totals 27, in which are included Hideki Shirakawa, the Nobel laureate in chemistry, Junjirou Kanamori, the previous president of Osaka University, Yasutaka Tsutsui, the novelist, Mika Yoshida, woman Hon'inbo winner, Osamu Wakita, the president of Osaka Historical Museum, Kousuke Itoigawa, Professor of Mukogawa Women's University, Satoru Yamamoto, Professor at University of Tokyo, Masanori Kobayashi, the photo-journalist, Taro Eguchi, President of the Museum of Osaka University, Takao Kashiwagi, Professor at the Faculty of Literature of Osaka University, Hiromi Hatada, a soprano of Kansai Nikikai Opera Company.

   In Hatada Juku children are invoked of their interests in the fields they have never known so far, or affairs they have never thought of.  Through listening to talks in an ordinary house-room, sitting on tatami, they can feel lecturers very close to themselves.  The meeting becomes that of heart-exchange.  Though somewhat timidly, children enjoy going up to the "tsushi"(loft), or running around the under-floor space.  Many old furniture artlessly put here and there, small rooms whose usage is hard to suppose---looking at these things unfamiliar to the children, they bear their own imagination for the lifestyle and customs of the old inhabitants of the house who experienced their life in the age different from children's own, and learn the culture so far unknown to them.

   Talks by lecturers are sometimes too difficult.  Primary school children, however, have special ability to remember the contents of a talk until the day when they understand their meanings.  Even a difficult talk, accodingly, is not quite useless.

   Open-house and forums are held in spring and autumn, every year.  More than 50 participate the open-house every time.  Ages of the participants are broadly spread.  The elderly find nostalgia in the old house as well as its furniture and confirm the goodness of old cultures, while the younger frequently try to utilize the old customs and unique contrivance in life for the sake of modern living.  The Association earnestly hopes that many more people have contact with the House and extract new attractive points and individuality of the House of Hatada.  To enliven the House of Hatada beautiful for long, would be a mission of the holders.

   At forums in the afternoon, after the open-house, exchange of various active opinions are made.  It is sometimes hard to close the meeting.  Some examples are: "Have a culture talk with the world people!", which invited as many as 70 visitors from eleven countries, "Energy problems in 21st century" presided by Yoshihiro Hamakawa, the Vice-president of Ritsumeikan University and one of the first rank investigators of solar electric power generation, and Isamu Hatada, the long time user of 4 kW solar batteries and the president of the Association, "Fine Arts of Afghanistan --- the crossroad of cultures of modernity and antiquity", a talk by Takashi Koezuka, the President of the Museum of Osaka University, "Drawing of Giant Rivers --- Locus of Landscape Painting" by Sadao Nakamura, Professor of Takarazuka University of Art and Design, who is drawing a large scale landscape painting in the atelier built in the barn of the Hatada House territory.  After the talks, stimulating discussions always continue more than an hour.

   In "Let's enjoy music boxes" by Koichi Hatada, the holder of the House, beautiful and delicate tones of cylinder music boxes spread in the whole house and impressed the goodness of old wooden house all the more.

Publications

   Since the last year, the Society started publication of some of the contents of juku and forums.  The first was "Fine Arts of Afghanistan" by Takashi Koezuka and the second "Ingenious Ideas Seen in Ancient Japanese Homes" by Koichi Hatada.