Hasekura Tunenaga Memorial Park

Hasekura Tunenaga Memorial Park is a memorial site in Ōsato dedicated to the Japanese diplomat who journeyed to Europe in the early 1600s. The grounds include monuments, information displays, and walking paths set among landscaped areas.

The park commemorates Hasekura Tsunenaga, who led a diplomatic mission to the Vatican and Spain in the early 1600s. This journey marked one of the first direct contacts between the Tokugawa shogunate and Catholic powers of Europe.

The grounds display informational signs about how this mission reshaped perceptions between Japan and Europe during the 1600s. Walking through, you learn how these early encounters influenced trade and mutual understanding between distant societies.

The park features well-maintained walking paths and bilingual information signs that make it easy to explore the grounds. The open green spaces provide plenty of room to stroll and spend time outdoors comfortably.

The site commemorates one of Japan's lesser-known historical episodes in which a single diplomat undertook a long and perilous sea journey to Europe. His name and voyage remain less familiar in Japan today than the significance of his mission to open dialogue with the West truly deserves.

Location: Ōsato

GPS coordinates: 38.39257,140.97795

Latest update: December 14, 2025 13:05