IFATCA

The brick retaining wall was built by reusing the retaining wall of Iwasaki Yanosuke's residence and Mitsubishi Company, which were located here. The brick retaining wall of Iwasaki's residence and Mitsubishi Company was constructed during the Meiji period, and the cherry blossom mark on the back of the brick indicates that it was manufactured at Kosuge Penal Colony. The bricks are not made using a mold, but are cut using iron wire, and each one is slightly different in size. The bricks are laid in a style known as "English bonding," in which rows of bricks are laid only on the long sides and rows of bricks are laid only on the short sides, alternating between two rows.

The southern end of the building facing Hongo-dori was called "Gunkanyama" in the early Showa era, and was a great playground for children. The triangular area that was created when the street was expanded, with its piled-up stone walls and their peak, looked just like a giant battleship to children. From the remains of the Iwasaki residence's basement, you can get a good view of Nikolai Cathedral opposite, and the place was apparently a popular sketching spot during art classes at elementary school. The stone walls and camphor trees at the tip of Gunkanyama have been left as they were in the past, and together with the historical information board made from recycled bricks from the Iwasaki residence's retaining wall and the benches in the square, they preserve the historic scenery of Kanda Surugadai.