Negishi district Taito

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. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
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Negishi 根岸 Negishi district - Taito ward
台東区根岸 / Taitō-ku, Negishi / 根岸一丁目から根岸五丁目 from the first to the fifth sub-district
Located in the North of the Uenodai plateau.

The name might have been
beyond the gake 崖 cliff of the plateau 上野台 Uenodai. Below was the kishi/gishi 岸 shore line
looking garbled like ne 根 roots of trees.
The name is already mentioned in books of the Muromachi period as
武蔵国豊島郡根岸村 Negishi village in the Toshima district of Musashi no kuni.
In the Edo period, it became part of 武蔵国豊島郡金杉村 Kanasugi mura village.


Edo Meisho Zue

Negishi no Sato 根岸の里 Negishi village
It was a rural district with uguisu and kawazu 蛙 frogs and many people of good taste lived here. It had something special for any season.
A Saijiki of 1838 mentions the voice of the first uguisu 鶯 in Edo and Negishi is one of the areas.
. uguisu no hatsune 鶯の初音 first call of the nightingale .
- Kigo season word for spring

So Negishi was also called
hatsune no sato 初音の里 village of the bush warbler
A legend from 1670 tells of a priest from Kyoto, Hieizan, who came all the way to hear the voice of the nightingales.
But the shy birds from the forests in Ueno did not sing for him.
So he went back to Kyoto and asked 尾形乾山 Ogata Kenzan to gather about 3500 nightingales from the forests around Kyoto and bring them to Ueno. The birds were set free in Ueno and soon the local birds were able to sing just as beautiful as their friends from Kyoto.

Now Uguisudani station 鶯谷駅 "Nightingale valley" is located in Negishi
東京都台東区根岸一丁目4-1, first sub-district

. . Uguisudanichō 鶯谷町 Uguisudani district . - Shibuya ward


Ogata Kenzan 尾形乾山 (1663–1743), potter and painter.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. Minowa　三ノ輪 / 箕輪 Minowa district .
including 根岸 Negishi 5th district

. Yanaka - 根岸谷中辺絵図 Negishi Yanaka Map .

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Saizooin 西蔵院 Temple Saizo-In
3 Chome-12-38 Negishi, Taitō


source - Edo Meisho Zue 江戸名所図会　
People are playing 囲碁 Igo in a tea stall
In front is
the pine O-gyoo no matsu 御行の松 O-Gyo no Matsu
Pine of the Religious Practise

The pine was in the temple Saizo-In with a hall for 不動堂 Fudo Myo-O.

The first O-Gyo no Matsu must have been quite famous, since it is depicted in the Edo Meisho Zue
and by Utagawa Hiroshige.
A priest of the temple 上野寛永寺 Kanei-Ji in Ueno practised austerities under this tree.
Nearby in Arakawa ward, Nippori, is the
otooto matsu 弟松 Younger Brother Pine
In 1925, this pine became a 天然記念物指定 national treasure. At that time it was about 14 m high.
In 1928, the tree withered and died, so the national treasure position was revoked.
It must have been more than 350 years old at that time.
In 1956, the second pine was planted, but it soon withered.
In 1976, a third pine was planted and right by its side a bonsai-version of a pine was also planted
to give the local people more incentive to look after its well-being.
Legend says
the statue of Fudo Myo-O was carved from the roots of the first pine.


. pine 松と伝説 Legends about the pine tree .

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Negishi no Sato 根岸の里 Negishi village
絵本江戸土産（広重）Ehon Edo Miyage, Hiroshige

- quote
Negishi no Sato 根岸の里

Negishi no Sato was located in 上野の山蔭 Yamakage, Ueno.
It was a place with artistic elegance, so many writers and artists lived there
from the Edo period onwards.
There were also country villas of the large store owners in Nihonbashi and Kyōbashi
and people went there to enjoy the pleasant scenery of the four seasons.
It was also a home to uguisu 鶯 bush warblers.
. source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library .

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The Rakugo storyteller family of 海老名 Ebina live in Negishi in the 7th generation
根岸は落語家の7代目林家正蔵一門（海老名家）
Hayashiya Sanpei the first 初代林家三平 was even called
Negishi no shishoo 根岸の師匠 The Teacher from Negishi
Now 8代目桂文治 Katsura Bunji in the 8th generation lives here.

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Taito 台東区

. 東叡山寛永寺 Ueno Tōeizan Kanei-Ji .
1 Chome-14-11 Uenosakuragi, Taitō,

gama 蝦蟇 toad - - - hebi 蛇 serpent
In November 1820 a couple went to 東叡山根岸の弁才天の祠 the Benten shrine in the compound of the Kanei-Ji (Negishi).
That night one of their man-servants had a dream of a toad. The toad said it lived under the kitchen sink and was 癩蝦蟇 Kattai-gama, leprosy toad.
It said the mistress had violated the rules of the shrine visit and next night a serpent would come for revenge. But the Toad would protect them.
Next morning when they looked they found a large dead toad under the sink.
The next night the toad appeared in the dream of the master. It said: "I have died but I left enough children to keep protecting you!"
Then following night the serpent appeared in his dream and said: "From now on, I will also protect your home and family!"

. gama 蝦蟇と伝説 Legends about toads .

. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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- - - - - H A I K U and S E N R Y U - - - - -

Masakoa Shiki 正岡子規　and his
. "Negishi no sato no wabizumai" 根岸の里の侘び住まい
the simple abode of the retired poet in Negishi .



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. Taitoo, Taitō 台東区 Taito Ward .

. 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 .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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