The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-04
JAPANESE VILLA
TRANSPLANTED
WEALTHY CALIFORNIAN HAS "A
BIT OF OLD JAPAN.
His Great Eight pillared Gate as Jap
anese Fence He Spent Ten Years in
Kingdom of the Chrysanthemem and
Loved It.

San Mateo, Calm the heat Of Ell
Cerrito park, adjacent to this city, there |
has been transplanted by Henry P.
Bowie a bit Of real japan, Io those
themum there is a strong Nippon at
mosphere about this miniature villa.
The oriental exotic is located in the
private grounds of Bowie's beautiful
home Severn Lodge and it's purpose
is not merely to afford pleasure to it's
owner and his friends. It is open to the
villa and view with appreciation the
beautiful in art and nature. Severn
LODGE is one of the most attractive
homes in California. a,
A spot Of great natural beauty, it has
been improved under the direction of an
artistic mind. Designed as a villa resi-
mission style Of architecture, distinctly
Californian, with massive walls of ma
sorry and red-tiled roofs. The southern
part of the. grounds is typically French
and was laid out after the plans Of the
great Lenotre, who created Versailles
at the command Of Louis XIV. Gar
pretty lawns form part of the ensemble.
The. northern section Of the grounds is
distinctly Japanese, combining many
humorous features peculiar to the Land
OF the Rising Sun. .. .
. The Oriental Gate. ~.
At the approach to the villa is the
great Yatsu ASH Mon-eight-pillar
gate-.erected to mark the entrance to
a typical Japanese garden. This gate
is the only one Of its kind in America,
and it is believed to be the only one
outside Of Japan. 1t is known as the
Daimyo gate and is used chiefly by the
Japanese nobility at their country
seats. It was on the road to Myano-
shita, near the old feudal city of odo-
nese Daimyo that Bowie first conceived
his idea for a similar gate for his own
home in far-away California del Sur.
The gate on the Myanoshita road
was sketched for Bowie by Shimada
Sekko, an eminent artist and the draw
ing was handed to Suikichi Yagi, a
young Japanese architect residing in
San Francisco, who made detailed
plan. The plans were entrusted to I:
Hossoi, the most skilled carpenter artist
Of Osaka, and under his direction the
eight pillared gate and Gengi fence
were completed. The gate is solid,
massive structure, and yet the lines are
SO happily conceived that the effect Of
the whole is graceful and Of perfect
symmetry.
The pillars and framework are Of
eucalyptus and have been treated. to
prevent checking. The gate, is IS feet
in length, is made Of redwood and bark
five thicknesses being used. The swing
ing doors are of eastern beechwood and
weigh over ton each. They are Sc
cured by heavy, square wooden bolts
Of sufficient strength to resist any force
that could be brought against. them in
the feudal period, for which time their
service, was designed. The panels are
smooth, which makes the prevailing
tone a rich mahogany.
A Decorated Fence.
The Gengi fence contains panels, in
each subdivision Of which have been
etched or sawed various Japanese deco
rations-landscapes,, birds, animals and ID
is interesting as specimen of that pc
culiar style Of architecture. Several
men were occupied for nine months in
building it and it's cost went into the
thousands of dollars.
In the center of the gate, above the
main doors and beneath handsome
central carving, has been placed a cost
| " bronze tablet with an inscription in
csc would be "You Kee," the English
meaning Of which is ito the glory and
grandeur of Japan.'
The inscription was chosen by Bowie
but it was written by Iwaya Ichi Roka
the greatest of Japan s learned writers
of Chinese characters and a personal
friend Of the owner of the villa. 1t is
worth while to state for information
that written Japanese, is expressed II
Chinese characters exclusively, but be
ing spoken, these have a different pro
nunciation and meaning from the Chin
csc. The, mechanical art of writing
these characters in a manner that ex
cells is held in high esteem.
The garden to which this gate is thu
main entrance is wooded enclosure
comprising five acres. and it is one o:
the sights Of California. A double row
Of Japanese cherry trees traverses tn
entire length, forming an arched ave
nue. of fragrance and beauty. A Jap
anese dwelling has been erected and i
occupied by the owner. It is sur
rounded by fences, lawns, plots, pond
and bridges everything needful to re
produce the typical Japanese garden
At the end Of the cherry avenue at tn
San Mateo park entrance is a Shint
gate, three of which have already, bee,
erected about the villa. These are til
more common gates which form the er
frances to Shinto temples in Japan.
Writes in Japanese.
Henry P. Bowie is a scholar, linguis
artist, painter, poet, musician, col
noisseur, collector and bon vivant. II
A speaks most of the modern Europea
languages, as we'll as Japanese, and ais
writes Chinese characters. He mastere
the peculiar art Of Japanese paintin
and has taken eleven prizes and hume
Gus diplomas at PUBLIC exhibitions
4 Kiota, Nagoya and Toxic awarded b
\ government juries. Two Of his picture
A were secured for the imperial household
He does not take himself seriously /;
d an artist and says he is but an amatel
Of mediocre merit. He studied his ar
. however, under Che greatest of Japanes
4 masters, including the great Kuobot
4 known as the Michael Angelo of Japa
A good portion Of ten years Bow
spent in the kingdom, where he came
U love and honor the character of the pc
pie. He once published a book on Il
a study Of the Japanese language whit
4 won high praise from the Japane
4 themselves. He has made critical tran
A lations Of the Sen il Mon, thousan
character classic, and the Hyakim
Il Shu, or japanese anthology, and has al
4 written numerous hokka-17 -syllab
q poemsfor the Japanese press.