Okurayama Park is a green public park in the western part of Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. Its name comes from Kisaburo Okura, a successful businessman who built a major business empire during the Meiji Restoration. He purchased approximately 8,000 tsubo (about 26,400 square meters) of land on Mount Anyōji, formerly known as Anyōji-yama, and later donated it to the city of Kobe. Today, much of the area is maintained as a public park and is widely known as Okurayama Park.
Okurayama is located in Kusunoki-cho 7-chome, Chuo Ward, Kobe. The hill was once called Anyōji-yama and originally reached an elevation of approximately 55.7 meters. Its summit was later leveled to make way for park facilities and a baseball field, reducing its present height to around 41 meters.
The name Okurayama is also used for various nearby facilities and places, including Okurayama Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway, the Okurayama Zone, the Okurayama urban planning road, and the Okurayama Police Box. The name is therefore familiar throughout the surrounding area, rather than being limited to the park itself.
Okurayama Park was established after Kisaburo Okura donated land that he had owned as the site of a private villa to Kobe City in 1910. The park was further developed into something close to its present form around 1975.
The park covers approximately 7.9 hectares and offers a variety of facilities, including the Furusato no Mori woodland area, the paid-entry Okurayama Park Baseball Stadium, Kobe City Central Library, and a children’s play area. It serves as both a green retreat and a recreational space for local residents.
Various sculptures and monuments are scattered throughout the park, adding cultural and historical interest to its green surroundings. One notable feature is the surviving pedestal of a bronze statue of Hirobumi Ito, Japan’s first prime minister. The statue itself was removed during the Pacific War as part of a nationwide collection of metal for military use.
On the eastern side of the park are Seifu Children’s Hall and Seifu Community Center, which provide places for local residents to meet and participate in community activities.
Kobe City designates areas that contribute to the city’s distinctive urban character, as well as areas where improvements to the townscape are encouraged, under its urban landscape regulations. In 1985, the Kobe Station–Okurayama Urban Landscape Formation District was designated. Following the introduction of Japan’s Landscape Act, the area was incorporated into a formal landscape planning district in 2006.
The Okurayama Zone extends from Kusunoki-cho, where Okurayama is located, toward Kobe Station, encompassing areas along Tachibanadori and Tamondori. Regulations govern aspects of building design, height, and width to preserve and enhance Kobe’s distinctive urban scenery.
Okurayama offers views across the western part of Kobe, making it a pleasant place to appreciate the city’s landscape. Photographs taken in January 2007 show the hill from a distance, with Kobe Municipal Yamanote Elementary School and the former site of the Kobe Marine Observatory visible nearby. An April 1982 photograph also records the former appearance of Kobe Municipal Ikuta Junior High School.
The area around Okurayama Park contains several cultural and religious sites. These include Kobe City Central Library, Kongo-san Kogonji Temple, also known as Kusudera and belonging to the Nanzenji branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, and Anyōji Temple, a Jōdo (Pure Land) Buddhist temple. The Uji River flows to the east, adding a natural element to this historic urban neighborhood.
Okurayama Park combines greenery, local history, and recreational facilities in the heart of Kobe. Its name reflects the generosity of businessman Kisaburo Okura, whose donation helped shape the area into a public park. Today, it remains a welcoming place for residents and visitors to relax while experiencing a quieter side of the city. Its role in preserving Kobe’s urban landscape also helps pass the area’s history and character on to future generations.