The House of Yukitaka Osaki

The House of Yukitaka Osaki. . , William Gillette's Secretary and Confidante , A Japanese expatriate who exemplified the Connecticut state motto, "He who transplants sustains," Yukitaka Osaki came to the United States with his elder brother, Yukio, in 1888. The Ozaki family supported the Japanese emperor against the shogunate, and the brothers found it prudent to go abroad for political reasons. Yukio eventually returned to Japan, where he took up the family mantle and entered national politics and facilitated giving the famous Japanese cherry trees to Washington, DC. Yukitaka stayed on in the United States to study drama; he was at the Oberlin Academy (now College) in 1895. He started working on Gillette's houseboat the Holy Terror by 1897. He continued as a cabin boy when Gillette built the Aunt Polly in 1899. Osaki and Gillette were close companions for the next several decades, and Osaki filled various roles, including valet, secretary, and castle factotum. After his official retirement in 1919, when Gillette moved into the castle, Osaki moved into this tranquil cottage which Gillette built for him. He continued to visit Gillette each evening and was often seen around town running errands for the castle or driving guests in his cart. Osaki was a popular member of the Hadlyme community and a close friend of the Hamilton sisters-Alice, Edith, and Margaret-who lived across the street in the still-existing yellow house., In 1941, Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor devastated Osaki. Worried that Osaki would be placed in an internment camp, members of the community took steps to support him. Fortunately, the 77-yearold was cleared by the FBI and allowed to stay in his home. He died on September 29, 1942. A service was held at the Hamiltons' home, and he was interred at Cove Cemetery in Hadlyme., A History of the House , This unassuming cottage was originally two-thirds of the length it is today, a true tiny home. The upstairs consisted of a small living room, a bedroom that fit only a cot, a galley kitchen, and a bathroom; the downstairs was where Osaki kept his donkey and mule. Osaki maintained elaborate gardens and planted the wisteria around the castle which you can see today. The deed shows that the house passed from Gillette to Osaki to the Hamiltons to their caretaker, Purvis, before coming to the state. Purvis lived in the house when it was owned by the Hamiltons, and he extended it to its current size to accommodate himself and his wife. Besides a brief stint as a canoe rental building, the cottage has been empty since Purvis's death in 1971.