Himonya district

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
- for 荏原郡 Ebara, see below -
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Himonya 碑文谷 Himonya district

This is a very old district, dating back to the Muromachi period, when it was called
Himonoyoya 檜物屋 District of woodworkers with Japanese cypress
Now part of 目黒区 Meguro Ward.
Its name is a kind of pun with the sound and meaning of himon (hibun) 碑文 meaning "inscription on a stone".

Many woodworkers lived there.
. himonoshi 檜物師 "artisan making things from Hinoki cypress wood" .
also called magemonoshi 曲物師 craftsmen of bentwood products
kurimono 刳物 "bent things"
Himonoshi craftsmen also lived in
Himonochoo　檜物町 / 檜物丁　Himono Cho District in Edo
close to Nihonbashi - 東京都中央区八重洲一丁目 / 1 Chome Yaesu, Chūō ward

. hinoki 檜 or 桧 Japanese cypress .
Chamaecyparis obtusa

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碑文谷八幡宮 Himonya Hachimangu
目黒区碑文谷三丁目7番3号 / 3 Chome-7-3 Himonya, Meguro

The Shrine dates back to the Kamakura period and has thus a long history. Hatakeyama Shigetada 畠山重忠 (1164 - 1205), a vassal of Minamoto no Yoritomo, came to this shrine to pray for victory in war.
A vassal of Hatakeyama, 榛沢六郎　Hanzawa Rokuro, built a sanctuary for Inari 稲荷社 with a himon seki 碑文石 stone inscription of the name of Himonya 碑文谷.
The stone is 75 cm high, 45 cm wide and 10 cm thick. It was made in the Muromachi period.

In the middle is the Sanscrit letter for 大日如来 Dainichi Nyorai, on the left 勢至菩薩 Seishi Bosatsu and on the right 観音菩薩 Kannon Bosatsu.

Some say the name of Himonya derives from the 碑文 Himon (Hibun) inscription of this stone.

The original 社殿 Shaden Hall was erected in 1674 and rebuilt in 1872. In 1877 it was again refurbished.
The shrine also has a famous 神楽殿 Kagura-Den for Kagura dance performances.
With the separation of Buddhism and Shintoism, part of it became the temple 円融寺 Enyu-Ji (former 法華寺 Hokke-Ji).
The compound is famous for a long row of cherry trees from the first to the second Torii gate.

Sakura matsuri 桜まつり Cherry Blossom Festival during the season.
The main Shrine festival is in Mid-September.

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目黒の筍 bamboo shoots from Meguro
They were grown in the 碑文谷村　Himonya village since 1772.
After visiting the famous Meguro Fudo Temple, people would come here to buy the vegetables.

. Edo Yasai 江戸伝統野菜 Traditional vegetables from Edo .

. Meguro Fudo Temple 目黒不動尊 .
天台宗泰叡山瀧泉寺

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

wara no ryuu 藁の龍 dragon from straw
碑文谷八幡宮 Himonya Hachimangu

Sometimes at the Torii gate of the shrine appeared a large straw rope. looking like a dragon with its tail on the ground.
It is said to be a huge serpent from Mount Fuji coming to protect the Shrine from fire.
In times of drought, people came here for rain rituals.

A Torii gate with a straw rope of a dragon/ snake at shrine
Okusawa Jinja 奥澤神社
東京都世田谷区奥沢五丁目22番1号 / 5 Chome-22-1 Okusawa, Setagaya
The shrine is related to Himonya Shrine.

Okusawa shrine is a quiet emerald in a simple neighborhood, only a few stops from Meguro station on the Yamanote Line. Built during the Edo Period, a huge snake made of straw lies guarding its entrance, wrapped heavily around the stone torii gate. Walk under this, and past the burly protective shisa lion-dogs, and the world behind you falls away.
... To the left behind Okusawa shrine is a little hollow. A tree stands tall, surrounded by low benches. A bamboo fountain bleeds water into another basin, which flows in turn into a shallow moat that runs around the main shrine. Here is another altar – the Cave of the Dragon – which is said to provide the snake at the entrance with its serpentine spine.
Other small figures are hidden in the plants, all in the name of different spirits and gods.
- source : voyapon.com/tokyo-okusawa-shrine -

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Himonya Nio 碑文谷仁王
The Korean statue carver 安阿弥 Annami made the Nio Statues of the temple 妙光山法華寺 Myokozan Hokke-Ji in the old village of
Bushu, Ebara district, Himonya village 武州荏原郡碑文谷村.
In 1772 Annami became ill when he was about 25 years old and prayed for healing in the hall for many days. On the last day of his vow - indeed - his illness was healed.

碑文谷　法華寺　
(江戸名所図会 Edo Meisho Zue）

On the left side is the inscription 八まん Hachiman - short for 碑文谷八幡宮 Himonya Hachimangu.
Hokke-Ji was built in the Heian period by 天台宗 the Tendai sect. During the Kamakura period it belonged to the 日蓮宗 Nichiren sect and in the middle of the Edo period it came back to the Tendai sect. At the end of the Edo period it was re-named 円融寺 Enryu-Ji.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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Ebara 荏原郡 district / 武州荏原 Bushu, Ebara

This was a farming region, mostly for egoma 荏胡麻 a kind of perilla.
Perilla frutescens Britton var. japonica Hara
It smells quite different from shiso 紫蘇 Perilla.
The seeds are often used to make egoma oil 荏胡麻油.
The leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Since it grows like a weed, it was very useful for farmers of old times to get over a period of famine.
egoma no hara . . . ehara . . . Ebara.
In 1927, the village 荏原町 Ebara Machi was founded.
Ebaramachi station is in 5-2-1 Nakanobu, Shinagawa, Tokyo.
The parts of Ebara now are located in Shinagawa, Ota, Meguro and Setagaya ward.
中延駅 Nakanobu station / 旗の台駅 Hatanodai station

1.品川町 2.大井村 3.大崎村 4.目黒村 5.碑衾村 6.平塚村 7.大森村 8.入新井村 9.調布村 10.池上村 11.馬込村 12.羽田村 13.蒲田村 Kamata village 14.六郷村 15.矢口村 16.駒沢村 17.世田ヶ谷村 18.玉川村 19.松沢村
（青：品川区 blue: Shinawaga / 紫：目黒区 purple : Meguro / 桃：大田区 peach pink : Ota / 赤：世田谷区 red : Setagaya）
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Shrine Ebara jinja 荏原神社 .
Shinagawa, Kita-Shinagawa

. Kamata 蒲田 "bulrush district" - Ota ward .

This ancient district is already mentioned in the Heian period.

Sakimori Uta 防人歌 Song of a Soldier

橘の美袁利の里に父を置きて道の長道は行きかてのかも
tachibana no miwori no sato ni chichi o okite
michi no nagate ha yukikate no ka mo

In Tachibana
In the village of Miwori
I left my father;
This long, long road
Is hard to travel, indeed.

Hasebe no Tarimaro　小長谷部笠麻呂 Ohasebe no Kasamaro
He was a Sakimori in the Heian period. He traveled in 755 to 信濃( Shinano (Nagano) and 筑紫 Tsukushi
- source : wakapoetry.net/tag/sakimori-uta... -

. The Legacy of Sakimori - the frontier guard conscripts .

. Musashi no Kuni 武蔵国 Musashi Province /Bushuu 武州 Bushu .

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Edo - the EDOPEDIA -

11/10/2017

Himonya district

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