A Study on the Achievements of Shigeru MATSUMURA as an Expert of Making Imitation Trees andImitation Stones in Modern Tokyo, Japan

Abstract

This paper focusses, on the achievements of Shigeru MATSUMURA (1895-1962). The results of document analysis, interviews of the MATSUMURA family and field surveys, led to this papers new findings: The introduction of the idea of imitation trees and imitation stones to parks in Tokyo came from Kiyoshi INOSHITA (head parks in Tokyo city) who saw various examples of imitation trees, stones, and rocks in the Buttes-Chaumont Park in Paris during the late Taisho era. INOSHITA recommended that MATSUMURA study the making of imitation trees and imitation stones for park usage. MATSUMURA’s first imitation tree work, was the Nanai bridge in the Inokashira Park around 1926. He made the monkey mountain in the Ueno Zoo in 1931. This facility was the first monkey mountain in Japan. He also worked to preserve ancient sites with by using imitations. That was the first case of preserving an excavated site in Japan. At present, in Japan an imitation tree is called ‘Giboku’ and an imitation stone is called ‘Giseki’ which are created by MATSUMURA. From the research, we can recognize that Shigeru MATSUMURA was a father of imitation park items in modern Japan.