Hello friends of Architecture + Design!
Greetings to all, hoping that you had a fruitful week. Mine was very active, but a few days ago in the afternoon I felt like taking a walk along the Malecón Habanero after running some errands with my son, and look what I found very close to it, a Japanese corner that pleasantly surprised me, the monument to the samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga. This beautiful place, located on Avenida del Puerto, houses a bronze statue representing Hasekura with a katana raised, surrounded by a serene environment full of history.
As I approached, I came across some narrow walls that delimit the place and that have an entrance that displays inscriptions in Japanese, inviting visitors to enter this space of peace and reflection. Before entering, there is a large wall engraved in both languages (Japanese and Spanish) with information about Hasekura Tsunenaga, the first Japanese to set foot on Cuban soil in the 17th century from the city of Sendai and the founding of the Sendai Ikuei Gakuen School, which donated this statue.
Hola amigos de Arquitectura + Diseño!
Saludos a todos, esperando que hayan tenido una semana fructífera. La mía fue muy activa, pero hace unos dias en la tarde tuve ganas de dar un paseo por el Malecón Habanero luego de hacer unas gestiones con mi hijo, y miren lo que encontré muy cerca de él, un rincón japonés que me sorprendió gratamente, el monumento al samurái Hasekura Tsunenaga. Este hermoso lugar, ubicado en la Avenida del Puerto, alberga una estatua de bronce que representa a Hasekura con una katana en alto, rodeada de un ambiente sereno y lleno de historia.
Al acercarme, me topé con unos muros estrechos que delimitan el lugar y que tienen una entrada que exhibe inscripciones en japonés, invitando a los visitantes a ingresar a este espacio de paz y reflexión. Antes de ingresar, hay una gran pared grabada en ambos idiomas (japonés y español) con información sobre Hasekura Tsunenaga, el primer japonés que pisó suelo cubano en el siglo XVII procedente de la ciudad de Sendai y la fundación de la Escuela Sendai Ikuei Gakuen, que donó esta estatua.
Upon entering, there is a path to the statue that is covered with gravel at the edge and large stones in certain places, flanked by carefully maintained vegetation, creating a natural and welcoming atmosphere. At two points along the route the path presents slight undulations forming small bridges that add a picturesque touch to the route.
Al entrar, hay un camino hacia la estatua que está cubierto de grava en el borde y grandes piedras en ciertos lugares, flanqueado por una vegetación cuidadosamente mantenida, creando un ambiente natural y acogedor. En dos puntos del recorrido el camino presenta ligeras ondulaciones formando pequeños puentes que añaden un toque pintoresco al recorrido.
The path ends at a beautiful roundabout where, in the center, stands on a high pedestal the bronze statue of Hasekura Tsunenaga, dressed in a kimono, looking towards the entrance of the bay and pointing with his right arm, holding a traditional closed fan that points to the imaginary line towards Sendai, his hometown. With the other hand he firmly holds the sheath of his samurai sword, wearing his unique sandals. If you move your gaze in a straight line from the arm that points, the gaze falls directly on the Morro Habanero.
El camino termina en una preciosa rotonda donde, en el centro, se alza sobre un alto pedestal la estatua de bronce de Hasekura Tsunenaga, vestido con un kimono, mirando hacia la entrada de la bahía y señalando con el brazo derecho, sosteniendo un tradicional abanico cerrado que Señala la línea imaginaria hacia Sendai, su ciudad natal. Con la otra mano sostiene firmemente la vaina de su espada samurái, calzando sus singulares sandalias. Si mueves la mirada en línea recta desde el brazo que apunta, la mirada recae directamente en el Morro Habanero.
On the ground at the foot of the statue are two large arrows, one pointing to Rome and the other to Sendai, which symbolize the key destinations in the life of the samurai. This detail made me reflect on the incredible journey of Hasekura, who arrived in Cuba 400 years ago from a distant and mysterious place.
En el suelo, al pie de la estatua, existen dos grandes flechas, una que apunta a Roma y la otra a Sendai, que simbolizan los destinos claves en la vida de los samuráis. Este detalle me hizo reflexionar sobre el increíble viaje de Hasekura, quien llegó a Cuba hace 400 años desde un lugar lejano y misterioso.
Hasekura Tsunenaga's visit marked the beginning of the bonds of friendship between Cuba and Japan. His stay in Havana was brief, but his presence and that of his entourage made a great impression on the Cubans, who had never seen people with Asian features or such exotic clothing. The katana at his waist and the sandals were immortalized in the statue, which has adorned this corner of Havana since 2001. Around the statue there are four screens where you can see very colorful images of Japan in the different seasons of the year and at the base there is a plaque with his name engraved. Further down, on the ground in front of the base, there is another very beautiful plaque with the two flags of both countries forever united in close fraternal ties.
La visita de Hasekura Tsunenaga marcó el inicio de los lazos de amistad entre Cuba y Japón. Su estancia en La Habana fue breve, pero su presencia y la de su comitiva causaron gran impresión en los cubanos, que nunca habían visto personas con rasgos asiáticos ni vestimentas tan exóticas. La katana a la cintura y las sandalias quedaron inmortalizadas en la estatua, que adorna este rincón habanero desde 2001. Alrededor de la estatua hay cuatro pantallas donde se pueden ver imágenes muy coloridas de Japón en las diferentes estaciones del año y en la base hay una placa con su nombre grabado. Más abajo, en el suelo frente a la base, hay otra placa muy hermosa con las dos banderas de ambos países unidas para siempre en estrechos lazos fraternales.
Historians believe that Hasekura's mission helped open new horizons for Japanese trade. Some recognize him as the first Japanese ambassador between America and Europe, highlighting his sagacity, discipline, and skills as a negotiator. From Havana, Hasekura left for Europe, where references to this unique character are preserved in the Vatican Library.
Los historiadores consideran que la misión de Hasekura ayudó a abrir nuevos horizontes para el comercio japonés. Algunos lo reconocen como el primer embajador japonés entre América y Europa, destacando su sagacidad, disciplina y habilidades como negociador. Desde La Habana, Hasekura partió hacia Europa, donde se conservan referencias de este singular personaje en la Biblioteca Vaticana.
This monument not only celebrates his legacy, but also the historical and cultural connection between Cuba and Japan. Discovering it was an enriching experience, since I was unaware of the history, and it allowed me to connect with a fascinating part of history and appreciate the beauty of this Japanese corner in the middle of Havana.
Este monumento no solo celebra su legado, sino también la conexión histórica y cultural entre Cuba y Japón. Descubrirlo fue una experiencia enriquecedora, ya que desconocía la historia, y me permitió conectarme con una parte fascinante de la historia y apreciar la belleza de este rincón japonés en medio de La Habana.
Las fotos fueron tomadas con mi teléfono Xiaomi Note 11, unidas y recreadas en canva.
Usar Traductor DeepL
The photos were taken with my Xiaomi Note 11 phone, joined and recreated in canva.
Use Translator DeepL
I obtained the information from the information plaques that exist in the monument.
Posted Using InLeo Alpha
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @lileisabel ) sharing the post on Reddit as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com. Otherwise, rewards go to the author of the blog post.
You can check out this post and your own profile on the map. Be part of the Worldmappin Community and join our Discord Channel to get in touch with other travelers, ask questions or just be updated on our latest features.
Thank you so much @worldmappin
Hey @lileisabel you are welcome.
Thanks for using @worldmappin 😘
This post has been manually curated by @bhattg from Indiaunited community. Join us on our Discord Server.
Do you know that you can earn a passive income by delegating to @indiaunited. We share more than 100 % of the curation rewards with the delegators in the form of IUC tokens. HP delegators and IUC token holders also get upto 20% additional vote weight.
Here are some handy links for delegations: 100HP, 250HP, 500HP, 1000HP.
100% of the rewards from this comment goes to the curator for their manual curation efforts. Please encourage the curator @bhattg by upvoting this comment and support the community by voting the posts made by @indiaunited.
Es un parque precioso, de hecho no conocía este monumento, me alegro hermana @lileisabel que hayas posteado sobre él.
feliz día 🌹🌷🏵️🥀💮💐🌸🌺🪻🪷🌼🌻🍀
It is a beautiful park, in fact I didn't know about this monument, I'm glad sister @lileisabel you posted about it.
happy day 🌹🌷🏵️🥀💮💐🌸🌺🪻🪷🌼🌻🍀