Tokyo is in the throes of a particularly bold face-lift. In the cause of urban regeneration, massive high-rises are shooting up in Shinagawa, Shinbashi, Roppongi and Shinjuku, transforming the skyline of metropolitan Tokyo. On the ground, wrecking trucks clear more land, demolishing old homes and felling trees.

Amid this frenzy, however, at least one beautiful wooden house stands as a beacon of conservation, saved by the combined efforts of its owner and citizens and spared the wrecker's ball of Japan's outrageously high inheritance tax. This rare success owes much to a commonly shared love of the elegant Yasuda House, which stands, enveloped in thick woods, on the heights of Sendagi in northwest Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward.

The 85-year-old, two-story house is a fine example of an elite businessman's residence. The house is named after Zenshiro Yasuda, son-in-law of Zenjiro Yasuda (1838-1921), who founded the Yasuda financial and industrial zaiba- tsu. Kusuo, Zenshiro's son, inherited it from his father and lived there until his death in 1995.

The news of his demise immediately sparked concern about the fate of the house. Sendagi had once been a luxurious residential area favored by artists, scholars and businessmen. Many of the area's elegant buildings and greenery, however, were lost as soaring land prices and inheritance taxes played into developers' hands. Many thought the Yasuda property was endangered, too.

Noboru Matsuzuka has always been a keen admirer of the Yasuda House. As an independent architect who was born and lives near Sendagi, for most of his life he has passed by it daily and appreciated its understated elegance. The house's wooden gate was always open, allowing him to peer through the spreading branches of a tall chinquapin tree. Though he could only make out the front entrance under the roof's deep overhang, he enjoyed imagining what the rest of the building was like.

When Matsuzuka heard of Kusuo Yasuda's death in November 1995, he knew the house was in danger. Feeling he had to do something, if only to survey it for a permanent record, he hurried to see Hiromi Ogi, editor of Yanesen, a community magazine based nearby.

Wonderfully receptive

Together, they called an urgent meeting of friends who had been involved in preserving environmental landmarks in the area. The members, including architects, students at nearby Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music, a former staff member of the Japan National Trust and a city planner, have successfully saved buildings such as the historic Sogakudo concert hall in Ueno Park.

The group waited until March 1996 to visit the widow, Yukiko Yasuda, in her home. She was wonderfully receptive to the idea of a house survey. Two weeks later, Matsuzuka and Ogi visited her again to formally request her permission. On that occasion, they took along Terunobu Fujimori, a professor of architectural history at Tokyo University, and Yoshinobu Igo, an expert in traditional architecture.

The moment he stepped inside, Fujimori was impressed. The spacious genkan entryway with its 2-meter-wide stone step, slatted lacquer doors and coffered high ceiling echoed the dignity of a feudal daimyo residence. Beyond that, a glossy black wooden floor gave way to a tatami-covered hallway leading to a drawing room. Here, skillful Japanese carpentry and joinery techniques have been tastefully applied to Western-style furnishings. Deriving much of its inspiration from the Katsura Detached Palace in Kyoto, the building zigzagged back, giving each room its own view as it stretched over the nearly 80-meter-long house plot that widens at the back.

Fujimori declared that the house represented the epitome of the residential style and building techniques of the Taisho Era (1912-26).

During that visit, Yasuda also showed them the original construction plans, explaining that the house was built in 1918 for Ko- zaburo Fujita, the banker and businessman who founded the Toshimaen amusement park in Nerima Ward. It was then purchased by Zenshiro Yasuda in 1923, because the family's Nihombashi residence had been destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake that year.

According to Yasuda, the original designs have been kept largely intact. Even the furniture and furnishings are unchanged, including the curtains on the windows! She readily gave her consent to a full survey.

On April 8, 1996, 18 volunteers gathered, welcomed by weeping cherry trees in full bloom. Under Igo's leadership, they divided responsibilities and scattered all over the premises to work. Two men wearing cap lamps who climbed into the dark attic to check the ridge beams underneath the roof were soon heard shouting with joy. They had found the munafuda! This is a board fixed on the top beam of a wooden house, showing the builder's name and the construction date. With this and many more discoveries, the day's work proved rewarding. A month later, a copy of the completed survey was handed to Yasuda, including some ideas for preserving the property.

Approaching deadline

Meanwhile, Yasuda was caught between her wish to save her beloved house and worries over whether she could afford to pay the exorbitant inheritance tax without selling it. After 70 happy years there with her husband and family, the mere thought of losing the house so soon after losing her husband was tormenting her. There was, however, no way to escape the cruel reality of the tax, and the deadline of Aug. 30 was fast approaching.

After listening to Matsuzuka and Ogi relay the results of the survey, Yasuda and her daughter, who was visiting, felt they could explain the family's problems. The two friends were floored when they heard the staggering amount of the tax estimate, but they were also encouraged by the Yasudas' desire to preserve the house if at all possible, and promised to investigate the possibility of donating the house for preservation.

The group began a desperate search for a tax accountant and a sponsor. After several dead ends, the Japan National Trust responded that they would consider accepting the house if its quality met their standards, and if the family gave unreserved consent. After quickly checking with Yasuda, Ogi invited Michitaro Yamaoka, the chairman of the JNT, to view the house.

On June 19, 1996, the day of his visit, the group cleaned the house all over, and with Yasuda's consent, opened it for public viewing. About 130 concerned neighbors and supporters turned up, all excited by this chance to finally peek inside.

Deeply impressed by the house and the community's outpouring of affection for it, Yamaoka unhesitatingly accepted it on behalf of the JNT. He asked Yasuda to make her decision by the end of the month.

The supportive turnout touched the heart of Yasuda, too. Inviting Matsuzuka and Ogi for tea a few days later, she said with a smile: "Let's keep the house. Please put it to a good use for the benefit of this community."

Citizens congratulated

Her decision was promptly conveyed to the JNT through the house butler.

But other problems remained. Yasuda needed a new place to live, and she needed to sell a portion of the land to fulfill certain remaining financial obligations. The group supported her as she made decisions, and Igo and Matsuzuka designed and supervised the construction of a new house for her near the front gate.

Aware of the urgency, JNT staff hurried to contact the Finance Ministry and cleared all the regulatory hurdles within eight weeks.

On Aug. 22, 1996, the house changed hands. On Aug. 26, a tax exemption was issued to Yasuda -- just four days before the deadline.

Congratulations poured in as soon as the media announced the JNT's acquisition, with reporters praising the citizens for their initiative. In 1998 the Tokyo Metropolitan Government designated the house a place of special beauty and historic value.

The JNT has since been investigating the technical and financial aspects of preserving its acquisition. The house is now closed for refurbishment scheduled to begin in June, and the JNT hopes to raise 60 million yen through donations for this and subsequent maintenance.

The citizens' support group, now called Tatemono Oendan, or the Bunkyo Link for Architectural Preservation, is also organizing a series of events to support the fundraising effort. On March 1 and 2, the house will be open for a charity hina doll festival, with exquisite dolls donated to the JNT along with the house on show. The dolls are the creations of Eitokusai (1864-1941), a legendary doll artisan who supplied his handiwork to the fashionable, elite families in prewar Tokyo. Ceremonial tea will also be served by volunteer neighbors.