Japanese Vilnius

In 2001, a monument in honour of the Japanese Consul Chiune Sugihara was unveiled on the right bank of the Neris River, near the White Bridge. The two-metre-high monument, made of pink granite and bronze, was erected to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Consul’s birth. The monument was created on the initiative of Waseda University in Tokyo, where Sugihara studied.  

In 1939, Chiune Sugihara was appointed Japanese Consul in Kaunas, the temporary capital of Lithuania. At the outbreak of the Second World War, without any official authority from his government, Chiune Sugihara had already issued Japanese transit visas to Jews emigrating from Lithuania. These visas are also known as ‘life visas’ because they allowed people to escape emigration to other parts of the world by going through Japan. It is estimated that some 6,000 Jewish lives were saved as a result of the visas issued by Chiune Sugihara. For this feat, in 1985, the State of Israel conferred on Chiune Sugihara the title of Righteous Among the Nations, an honorary title given to citizens of other countries who saved victims of the Holocaust.

On the right bank of the Neris River, near the National Art Gallery, the Chiune Sugihara Sakura Park was established in October 2001. 200 Japanese sakura trees lining the path were planted in the park to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of this Japanese diplomat. This was a gift from the Japanese Government to Lithuania and the city of Vilnius to honour a man who saved the lives of more than 6,000 Jews from Lithuania, Poland, and Germany.

Sakura (Japanese: 桜), also known as the Japanese cherry blossom tree, is an important part of Japanese culture. Every year, Japan hosts the hanami (Japanese: 花見) festival, during which millions of Japanese people gather in different parts of the country to watch the sakura blossom. Since 2001, this event has become a common sight in Vilnius. Every year, the white and pink blossoms of the sakura burst into bloom in the garden, delighting the citizens and visitors alike. 

Interestingly, due to the cooler climate in Lithuania, Japanese cherry blossoms open later than in Japan. Here, they bloom in the second half of April and sometimes continue to bloom into early May.

In 2010, the ‘Stone for Peace’ (architect Dalia Bakšienė) was unveiled in the Sakura Park of Chiune Sugihara on Upės Street. This memorial stone to the victims of Hiroshima features a granite tramway pavement tile that survived the atomic bomb explosion. The tile is engraved with the image of the goddess of mercy, Kannon (Japanese: 観音) and the inscription ‘From Hiroshima’. 

On 6 August 1945, the USA dropped an atomic bomb named ‘Little Boy’ on Hiroshima, destroying most of the city. In total, about 140,000 people died in the blast and from the adverse effects of radiation. Three days later, on 9 August, the US dropped an atomic bomb on another Japanese city, Nagasaki. This bombing and its after-effects killed around 74,000 people. Since the development of atomic weapons until today, Japan is the only country in the world against which nuclear weapons have been used. 

In the following decades, after the paving stones around the epicentre were found to be no longer radioactive, they were collected and engraved. The Hiroshima Stone for Peace Association, founded in 1991 to encourage humanity to act for peace, began distributing these stones to other countries around the world. Since the Association’s foundation, more than 100 countries, including Lithuania, have erected such memorial stones.

The bronze sculpture cast in 1987 called ‘The First Swallows’ can be found standing tall next to the National Art Gallery at Konstitucijos pr. 22. The sculpture is an enlarged version of a plaster model of a sculpture made in 1964 by the pioneer of modern sculpture in Lithuania, Juozas Mikėnas. 

When he was still alive, Mikėnas’ work was highly acclaimed. The sculpture was exhibited at the EXPO 1967 World Exhibition in Montreal, Canada. Later, a replica of the sculpture was erected in the Hakone Open-Air Museum near Tokyo, the capital of Japan, where it can still be seen today.

Interestingly, in order to get the Soviet government to approve the sculpture, it was stated that the sculpture was intended to honour Soviet cosmonauts. However, this false image was quickly discarded when Lithuania regained its independence. Today, the ‘The First Swallows’ sculpture symbolises Lithuania – the birds rising from the palm of the hand represent freedom. 

This is one of the two monuments in Vilnius dedicated to the Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara. The monument was erected in 1992 in the courtyard of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum located at Pamėnkalnio g. 12. The granite monument was created by the sculptors Goichi Kitagawa and Vladas Vildžiūnas. 

The story of the monument’s creation dates back to the 1970s when the Lithuanian sculptor Vladas Vildžiūnas met the Japanese sculptor Goichi Kitagawa at a sculptors’ symposium in Hungary. The new relationship led Kitagawa to Lithuania; he visited several times and worked in the Jeruzalės Sculpture Park. Later, Emanuelis Zingeris, the then director of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum, suggested that the sculptor create a monument to Chiune Sugihara. The monument depicts an abstract human figure raising a crescent moon into the sky. A plaque a little further away from the monument bears the inscription: ‘Let the moonlight shine on the noble-hearted Japanese Consul…’.

Anyone wishing to learn more about the history of Lithuanian Jews is invited to visit the nearby Holocaust exhibition. It presents the culture and history of Lithuanian Jews, from their arrival in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the tragic events of the mid-20th century.

On 26-27 May 2007, former Japanese Emperor Akihito (明仁) and his wife Michiko (美智子) paid a state visit to Lithuania, the first (and so far only) time that representatives of the Japanese Imperial Family have visited Lithuania. The Imperial Couple were received with honour at the Presidential Palace, met the people at Cathedral Square and visited the Chiune Sugihara monument at the White Bridge, and stayed at the ‘Radisson SAS Astoria’ Hotel near the Town Hall of Vilnius. 

The title of the Emperor of Japan, Tenno (Japanese: 天皇), literally translates as ‘Heavenly Emperor’. The holder of the title of Emperor of Japan is the head of the Japanese Imperial Family, the monarch of Japan and the head of state. Emperors have played very different roles in Japanese history, ranging from the highest-ranking cleric with symbolic powers to the de facto ruler of the empire.

Interestingly, the Emperor of Japan is the only monarch in the world to hold the title of Emperor. In 2019, Akihito renounced the title due to declining health, becoming the first Japanese ruler to abdicate in more than 200 years. He was succeeded by his son Naruhito (徳仁), who became the country’s 126th monarch. Few people know, but when monarchs change, the name of the era also officially changes. Akihito’s reign was called Heisei (Japanese: 平成), meaning ‘peace everywhere’, while the era of the new Emperor Naruhito was officially called Reiwa (Japanese: 令和), meaning ‘beautiful harmony’.

The House of Signatories is one of the most important historical sites in Lithuania. On 16 February 1918, the Act of Independence of Lithuania was signed in this house. Few people know that one of the 20 signatories of the Act, Steponas Kairys, had links to Japan.

While studying at the St. Petersburg Institute of Technology, Steponas Kairys became fascinated with Japan. It is believed that this fascination was caused by the fact that a country little known in Lithuania managed to win the war against the Tsarist Russian Empire. Kairys became interested in the everyday life of the Japanese people, their history, traditions, and constitution. In 1906, he published three books entitled ‘Japan Past and Present’, ‘How the Japanese Live Now’ and ‘The Japanese Constitution’. These publications are considered to be the beginning of Japanese studies in Lithuania. Interestingly, Kairys himself described a country he had never been to.

It is worth mentioning that S. Kairys also has similarities with the Japanese Consul in Lithuania, Chijune Sugihara. Both men were characterised by their rebellious souls and willingness to help others. In 1942, Kairys and his wife Ona hid a Jewish girl, Anusė Keilsonaitė, from the Nazis in their home. Because of these activities, Kairys, like Sugihara, was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

S. Kairys is also well-known in Japan. In 2011, Kumiko Hirano, a Japanese journalist who visited Lithuania, presented the book ‘Japan on the Hill’ (Japanese: 丘の上のヤポニヤ), which is about Kairys and his interest in Japan.

The Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies at Vilnius University (until 2018, it was called the ‘Vilnius University Centre for Oriental Studies’) was founded in 1993 on the initiative of lecturers Vytis Vidūnas and Dalia Švambarytė. Located in the Central Building of Vilnius University (Universiteto g. 3), the Institute organises Oriental Studies, during which students undertake courses in Japanese Studies, Arabic Studies, Sinology, Indology, and Turkology. It is one of the largest institutions of its kind in Lithuania.

Interestingly, as early as the beginning of the 19th century, attempts had already been made to provide Oriental studies at Vilnius University. Among the informal societies of Vilnius University, such as the Philaretes and the Philomats, which were active during the Romantic period, there was an interest in the Orient, which stimulated academic activity. In 1822, Kazimierz Kontrym, a prominent intellectual and cultural figure in Vilnius, proposed the establishment of an Institute of Oriental Languages at Vilnius University. The Institute was to teach Arabic, Armenian, Mongolian, Turkish, and Persian. This was a very progressive project at the time, as the first Orientalist research institutions were still being set up in Europe at that time. Regrettably, the project was never realised without much support. Only after Lithuania regained its independence did interest in Oriental civilisations and ongoing research begin.

The Institute of Asian and Transcultural Studies at Vilnius University organises public lectures by renowned experts invited from abroad. The University Library also houses the Oriental Studies Reading Room, which has as many as 8,000 publications on Asian languages, cultures, religions, philosophy, anthropology and art history. So not only students but also anyone interested in Japan and other Asian countries is welcome here.

SEI SHIN EN (Japanese: 清心園) is a Japanese garden located between Kalnų Park and the River Neris, next to the Embassy of the Holy See (Vatican City). The name of the garden translates into English as ‘Pure Heart’. Back in 2009, the author of this project, the artist Dalia Dokšaitė came up with the idea for the garden.

The implementation was entrusted to the landscape specialist Laura Popkytė-Fukumoto, who had worked for many years in Japanese gardens in Japan. The Kōdai-ji (高台寺) Temple in Kyoto provided funding for the project in 2016, and the garden officially opened its doors to visitors on 17 June 2018. 

The Japanese garden in Vilnius has successfully implemented the basic aesthetic principles found in Japanese culture: respect for nature, simplicity, and harmony. One of the most important parts of the project was the improvement of a natural underground spring that flows from the territory of Kalnų Park and its incorporation into the garden. This spring can also be found on old maps of Vilnius.   

Visitors are welcome to visit the garden, admire its natural surroundings and enjoy the flow of the spring. On Sundays from 11 am to 4 pm, admission to the garden is free of charge and without prior registration. Guided tours of the garden and the nearby Japanese Culture House are also available. The tour includes a tasting of Japanese matcha tea.

In June 2012, the Japanese Garden was opened in the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University in Kairėnai. The 0.5-hectare garden became the first space in Vilnius where Japanese greenery could be admired. 

In 2003, with the support of the Embassy of Japan in Lithuania, the Botanical Garden was visited by two master gardeners from Japan, Hajime Watanabe and Hiroshi Tsunoda, who drew up the project plan. The garden was designed according to the principles of the so-called Edo-period (Japanese: 江戸時代) Japanese stroll garden. The gardens of this period (1603-1868) are characterised by the Sukiya style (Japanese: 数寄屋), which is epitomised by creating the feeling of being constantly surrounded by nature. The shakkei principle (Japanese: 借景) was also applied in this garden in order to ‘borrow’ and incorporate the surrounding landscape into the garden. Therefore, the garden site was chosen on a steep southwestern slope, taking advantage of the natural difference in elevation.

Japanese gardens are unique in that they use different materials as symbols – pebbles or rubble represent rivers, clouds, and purity, while stones represent islands or mountains; small bodies of water represent the seas or oceans, and small trees represent entire forests.

On 6 September 1991, Japan recognised Lithuania’s independence, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in October of the same year. Six years later, the Embassy of Japan was opened in Vilnius and became one of the main promoters of Japanese culture in Lithuania. Thanks to events organised by the Embassy, such as the Japanese Film Festival, which has been running for two decades, the people of Lithuania have the opportunity to get to know this distant country better.

Not many people know, but the Embassy of Japan near Vingis Park has a small library. The library has books, magazines, Japanese manga comics, and videos in Japanese, Lithuanian, and English. All Lithuanian and foreign citizens who would like to learn more about Japanese history, culture, language, economy, or politics are welcome here.