6/06/2018

Samezu district Shinagawa

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Samezu 鮫洲 "Shark sand bar" district
品川区南品川 3-5、東大井

In 1251, a huge shark was seen in the water. When a brave fisherman came close, he realized the animal was already dead. He pulled the animal ashore and cut it open. Inside was a wooden statue of Kannon Bosatsu. The fishermen felt great reverence and now called the area Samezu.
The Kannon statue was given to the Kamakura government, which in turn had a temple built to house it,
海晏寺 Kaian-Ji. - see below -

. same 鮫 (さめ) shark .

. Samegahashi 鮫ヶ橋 / 鮫河橋 "Shark bridge" district . - Shinjuku


Minami-Shinagawa and Samezu Coast
Utagawa Hiroshige

In the Edo period there were many temples and shrines in the area, apart from the local fishermen and hunters.

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鮫洲 is just the popular local name for the area. There was never an official place, for example Samezu Mura 鮫洲村 Samezu Village or Samezu Machi 鮫洲町 Samezu Town. The name is only preserved in the name of a shrine, Samezu Hachiman Jinja 鮫洲八幡神社 Samezu Hachiman Shrine and whatever local businesses or spots have chosen to don the name Samezu. The actual official name of the area is Higashi Ōi 東大井 East Ōi. Except for the shrine and a few local spots, the name might have fallen into disuse, except in 1904 a train station called Samezu Eki 鮫洲駅 Samezu Station was opened in the area.
In the Edo Period,
the area was known as the 大井御林猟師町 Ōi o-hayashi ryōshimachi 大井御林猟師町 Ōi o-hayashi fishing villages. The area that is now called Samezu today was home to two villages,
Shinagawaura 品川浦 Shinagawa Inlet and 御林浦 Ohayashiura 御林浦 Ohayashi Inlet.
御林 o-hayashi were forests that fell under the direct control of the shōgunate. Most of the resources from this area – be they timber or seafood – were generally for the consumption of the shōgun family in Edo Castle. The area may not have been beautiful but it had shōgunal prestige. It was honored in one of Utagawa Hiroshige’s prints, which depicted the seaweed farms lining the coast....
- Supposedly,
traditional Edo style fishing and seaweed harvesting continued in the area right up until the 1960’s. In the early 1950’s, Tōkyō government officials and other corporate interests began planning a redevelopment of Tōkyō Bay. Japan was exporting a lot at that time, particularly to their rich trade partner, the USA. As Japan rose from the ashes of WWII to become the dominant economic power in Asia, old Edo-style ports were just not cutting it, they were downright embarrassing. Modern ships could fish farther out at sea and return faster with new technology. When the 1964 Olympics came around, perhaps Tōkyō could boast a safe, modern bay that had never been seen in Asia before...
And so from 1962-1969,
the Tōkyō government began buying out and relocating fishermen from the area in order to fill in the bay and reclaim the area. By 1969, the process was more or less complete and much of the shape of Tōkyō Bay today dates from that decade. So by this time, Samezu was officially cut off from the sea. Its proximity to the bay isn’t far, and there are a few controlled inlets that survive. But the Tōkaidō that bordered the sea no longer borders the sea in the former shōgun’s capital.
- Look at more photos on this link :
- source : japanthis.com/2014... -


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Samezu Hachiman Jinja 鮫洲八幡神社 Samezu Hachiman Shrine
Shinagawa, Higashioi, 1丁目20−10 // 東京都品川区東大井1丁目20-10 Higashi-Oi

The deity in residence is
Homutawake no mikoto 誉田別尊

In former times, the shrine was called 御林八幡宮 Ohayashi Hachimangu.



This shrine is first mentioned in 1668. In 1929, it was united with 白山神社 Hakusan Jinja.
The present main hall was reconstructed in 1972.

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At the entrance of the shrine are stone Komainu guardian dogs with "Hunters of the Town" written on them.
There are also stone lanterns donated by local hunters, showing that a strong faith was given as the guardian of Ryoshimachi in Samezu.
- source : shinagawa.kokosil.net/en... -


The Grand Annual Festival of Samezu Hachiman Shrine 鮫洲八幡神社例大祭
From 3:00am they take the large mikoshi (portable shrine) out of the main shrine grounds and walk the city mainly along the old Tokaido route until the morning sun comes.



There are float parades and children mikoshi parades during the afternoon hours.
- source : ohmatsuri.com/en/matsuri-list... -


There were two temples in the Shrine compound during the Edo period:

Joorinji 常林寺 Jorin-Ji

. Raifukuji 来福寺 Raifuku-Ji .
Gofunai Pilgrim Temple Nr. 26


In May 1851, a huge whale washed ashore at Samezu.
It was buried at the shrine in honor, as many whales were at that time.
The Japanese Culture of Mourning Whales: Whale Graves and Memorial Monuments
- reference source : Mayumi Itoh -

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Kaianji 海晏寺 Temple Kaian-Ji
品川区南品川3-5-21 // Shinagawa, Minamishinagawa

Kaian-Ji became a famous spot to enjoy the red autumn leaves. Many temporary tea shops, Momiji chaya 紅葉茶屋 were installed during that time.


source : Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Maple-leaf Viewing at Kaian-ji
Utagawa Hiroshige

The temple was founded in 1251, as written above, to venerate the wooden statue of Kannon Bosatsu.



The temple name is 補陀落山 Fudarakuzan. It was founded on behalf of the Kamakura government by the founder of temple 建長寺 Kencho-Ji in Kamakura.
During the period of the Sengoku 戦国時代 Warring states it was devastated and later rebuild on orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu and in 1593 it came under the supervision of 本多佐渡守正信 Honda Masanobu (1538 - 1616).
It is now a pilgrim temple of Kannon Temples :
Nr. 30 in 東海三十三観音霊場 Tokai and Nr. 1 in 東京三十三観音霊場 Tokyo.

. 東京三十三観音霊場 Pilgrimage to 33 Tokyo Kannon Temples .


海晏寺 Kaian-Ji
南品川鮫州海岸 Samezu Coast



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tinged autumn leaves in the Kaian-ji Temple
Edo Jiman Sanjūrokkyō Kaian-ji no Momiji
江戸自慢三十六興 海晏寺紅葉

Painted by Utagawa Toyokuni III and Utagawa Hiroshige II 1864 (Genji 1)
Kaian-ji, the Sōtō sect temple Fudarakusan of Samezu in Shinagawa is a notable spot for autumn leaves viewing and it attracts many visitors around late autumn. In this illustration, the figure of a mother with her child enjoying the autumn leaves is depicted.
Kaian-ji Temple is located in Shinagawa, the foremost inn town of the Tōkaido Highway, and is the prime temple for viewing autumn leaves.
A Kannon statue was found from a shark's abdomen caught by the nets of Shinagawa fishermen and so it was enshrined by building a temple under the order of the ruler of the day, Tokiyori Hōjō, in 1251 (3rd year of Kenchō), and this was the beginning of the temple and one of the reasons the area became known as Samezu ('shark province').
As suggested by the name for the tenth month of the lunar calendar, Kanna-zuki (the month where the gods are absent), the deities of Japan were believed to have left for Izumo and possibly as a result of this, there were few festivals in Edo city during that month and the people would head out towards spots which offered fine views of the autumn leaves. In the spacious garden of Kaian-ji Temple, there is a tea house built to view the leaves and the temple attracted many day trippers.
A mother and child are depicted on the surface, but autumn leaves viewing was not such a popular activity with children, young people and ladies and instead was more popular among men of letters such as haiku and renga poets, doctors and priests and it was said to be the pastime of adults.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

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Kaian-ji Temple View of Momiji海晏寺紅葉ノ図
Utagawa Hiroshige
Kaian-ji Temple is said to be the most famous spot in Edo for viewing the autumn leaves.
There is a teahouse in the precinct and many people would take walks around the large garden.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

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Shinagawa ku 品川区 Shinagawa ward

. Shinagawa - Introduction .
The first station of 東海道五十三次 The 53 stations of the Tokaido .
1. Shinagawa-juku 品川宿 (Shinagawa)
Shinagawa jinja 品川神社 / Ebara jinja 荏原神社

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo 江戸の名所 .

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売 - Introduction .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .


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