The trick to designing a monumental home is to avoid overwhelming those who live and visit there. Prominent Ottawa architect Allan Keefer achieved that delicate balance almost a century ago when he designed Waterstone, acquired by the Japanese government as its official ambassadorial residence in 1958.
It is currently home to Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane and his wife, Kaoru, who took up their posting in 2017.
The limestone mansion, a heritage building, was completed in 1930 for Fred E. Bronson, president of the Bronson Company and chairman of the Federal District Commission, which later morphed into the National Capital Commission. His grandfather was lumber baron Henry Franklin Bronson.
Mature pines now tower over the rolling, manicured grounds at 725 Acacia Ave. in Rockcliffe Park. In mid-summer, second-storey window boxes bloom with flowers, and casement windows are wide open above to welcome in the fresh air. The entrance to the Tudor Revival-style home is through a massive porte-cochère, through which one fancies horse-drawn carriages passing, even if Bronson was wealthy enough to own a fleet of automobiles.
Inside, it’s all about balance. The wood-panelled library, where we have our initial chat, is Ishikane’s favourite room. “I like this room. Especially during the wintertime, we use the fireplace,” says Ishikane, who was previously posted to ASEAN. “The wood gives a very comfortable ambience.” He explains that the room is often used for smaller receptions. An intricately carved wood ceiling would lend warmth to those get-togethers, while the three niches along one wall, each holding a blue-toned piece of Japanese porcelain, add a quiet pop of colour.
Next to the library is the living room, with its burnished wood accents and restful white brocade furniture (hence its moniker, the “White Room.”) This is a big space, large enough to have seated 70 people when, earlier this year, the ambassador and his wife hosted a charity concert in support of the Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, which raises funds for the orchestra and the education of aspiring young musicians.
In one corner of the living room sits a gleaming piano, which was played at the concert by Dr. Vadim Serebryany of Ithaca College in New York. He, along with Yosuke Kawasaki, concertmaster of the NAC Orchestra, were the featured performers.
When we visit, the piano is silent and home to an official photo of the newly installed Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako. Next to it reposes a brilliant white and red origami crane, one of many made by Kaoru Ishikane to comfort victims of the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami. The juxtaposition of official portrait and handcrafted symbol of hope and healing makes for a powerful yoking of the grand and the very personal.
“When I was a child, my mother taught me [to make origami.] Nearly every mother teaches her child,” says Kaoru, who is also a trained flower arranger and a member of a local walking group. She’s especially fond of Almonte, with its antique shops and pretty Mississippi River.
Elsewhere in the living room — like the rest of the home, its floor is made of wide, pegged boards — is a large painting of a maple tree in the fall with a misty Parliament Hill in the distance. It’s the work of Japanese-born, Ottawa-dwelling artist Mitsugi Kikuchi.
“I love this one,” says Ishikane. “This is Ottawa with some flavour of Japan.”
Formal dinners in Waterstone take place in the dining room. Large enough to seat up to 18, it’s warmed by wood-panelled doors and quietly elegant hutches and sideboards. Kaoru enthusiastically points out the pineapple design of the exquisite drawer pulls on one of the sideboards, explaining that the fruit is a symbol of hospitality.
Meals in the dining room are generally served in eight-course kaiseki fashion, a fish appetizer, soup, tempura and a beef main course are usually part of the blend. Ishikane is quick to mention that, along with sake, other Japanese wines are often served. “We are starting to have some very good ones: Pinot Noir, Sauvignon.”
Less formal meals are taken in the sunroom (the “Plant Room”) overlooking the stone terrace and grounds beyond. Painted white and with an airy feel, thanks to large, mullioned windows, it features a round dining table, comfy-looking wicker furniture and, of course, plants.
It’s used for lunch or dining when there are four or five people, says Ishikane. “The plant room is a very intimate one.”
Patrick Langston is an Ottawa writer.
