Mt. Rokko is the highest peak of the Rokko mountain range with an altitude of 931m. It controls a wide area from Osaka Bay to Kobe, and from the top of the mountain you can see the entire Hanshin region. This mountain is a landmark of Kobe, and the residents of the area have had deep, special feelings for it since ancient times. In the summer of 2019, the Rokkosan Hotel, beloved as the symbol of Mt. Rokko, was restored by Michele De Lucchi, one of Italy's leading architects, and began a new era as the Rokko Silence Resort.

Foreign businessmen who lived in Japan from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period contributed to the development and landscape protection of Mt. Rokko as a mountain resort. Arthur H. Groom, who immigrated to Kobe in the first year of the Meiji era as a businessman for Glover & Co. in Nagasaki, was a British merchant who loved beautiful things and enjoyed hunting. While visiting Rokko, he thought it would be a good place to build a mountain house, so in 1895 he built his first summer home on Mt. build a house

In 1903, Groom built Japan's first golf club, the Kobe Golf Club, on Mt. Rokko. He also invested his personal funds in planting trees for the sake of the landscape, laying the foundation for Mt. Rokko as a summer resort and resort. Ichizo Kobayashi, the founder of Hankyu Corporation, focused on Mt. Rokko, which had become known as a resort destination thanks to Groom's achievements, and opened the Mt. Rokko Hotel as a branch of the Takarazuka Hotel. It was in 1929 that the half-timbered British-style Western-style building was completed by architect Masaharu Furuzuka, who also designed the Takarazuka Hotel.

This Western-style building, long loved as a symbol of Mt. Rokko, was designated as a modern cultural and industrial heritage site in 2007. In order to restore the beauty of this hotel at the time of its opening, and to revive Mt. Rokko, which has lost its presence as a luxury resort, Italian architect Michele De Lucchi was commissioned to restore the Western-style building and create a new plan. The Hakko Car Group acquired the business rights to the former Rokkosan Hotel in 2017 and became the new operating company. After two years of preparation, the hotel's new history began in July 2 under the name "Mt. Rokko Silence Resort." This marks the beginning of the challenge of redeveloping Mt. Rokko. Business owners, local governments, and regional development organizations must work together to preserve valuable historical buildings, and promote the existence of a new resort that leverages the potential of Mt. Rokko both domestically and internationally. .

The Rokkosan Silence Resort project, which will run until 2025 when the World Expo is scheduled to be held in Osaka, also has the aspect of a new investment for the Hakko Car Group's business expansion. Hakko Car Group was founded in 1959 as a repair shop for domestic cars, and is currently an authorized import car dealer that handles eight brands of European luxury cars, including Maserati, Alfa Romeo, McLaren, and Aston Martin. Currently, it has 25 stores in five prefectures, mainly in western Japan, including Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto. The aim is to revitalize the Rokko Mountains area and redirect the interest of wealthy tourists, who have been on the decline in recent years, to the Rokko Mountains. Rich nature and remarkable scenery that can be reached by a comfortable drive of about an hour from the city center. It also attracts inbound tourists who come to Japan seeking safety, peace, and excellent service.

The energy and presence of Mt. Rokko
This project has a huge sequel.

Michele De Lucchi was chosen as the architect to create a new landmark for Mt. Rokko, probably because this project needed not only true identity but also a European feel. They needed someone who was sensitive and had experience in restoration from a preservation perspective, as well as an expert who could make use of the building's history in the present and connect it to a rhetorical composition. The Western-style building, restored and reborn by Michele De Lucchi, is clearly engraved with the passion of an Italian architect who worked hard with a ``respectful attitude'' toward tradition.

In recent years, De Lucchi has carefully and patiently researched the meaning of this project. The conclusion he came to through the projects he has been involved with is that, ``The people who live in buildings, in other words, the main characters, are people, and the most important thing is to solve the relationship between the lives of the people who live there and nature.'' . Rokkosan Silence Resort was no exception. Going back to the beginning, taking a course backwards instead of forwards, going back, starting over, waiting... After going through such a daunting process, the path we should take gradually begins to take shape, and we become aware of our surroundings, especially this one. The energy of the place combined with the energy of people and things guided the project in the direction it should take in its final form. The Western-style building revived by De Lucchi is integrated with the presence of Mt. Rokko, which is shrouded in silence.

“When I first visited this mountain, I was very impressed by its nature. I thought it was a wonderful and fascinating place. It had its own energy and presence. Little by little, the idea took shape,'' says De Lucchi. Next up is a large ring-shaped guest room building that embraces nature, and then a number of buildings such as churches and restaurants dotted around the natural surroundings----This Rokko Silence Resort project still has a grand continuation.

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Rokkosan Silence Resort
https://rokkosansilence-resort.com/

→Continue to the energy and presence of Mt. Rokko (Part 2)