Edo - the EDOPEDIA -

6/06/2018

Samezu district Shinagawa

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

- quote -
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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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - - - - #shinagawa #samezu #kaianji - - - -
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6/04/2018

Suda Sudacho district Kanda

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
- - - - - Koyanagi district see below
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Kanda Sudacho　神田須田町 Suda district
Kanda Sudachō, first and second sub-district

This district is located on the Northeastern part of Chiyoda Ward.
It borders (across Kanda River) Soto-Kanda and Kanda-Sakumachō on the north, Kanda-Iwamotochō on the east, Kanda-Kajichō and Kajichō on the south, and Kanda-Awajichō, Kanda-Ogawamachi and Kanda-Tachō on the west.
Sudachō once had a terminal which served for a number of the Tokyo City Streetcar lines. It is one of the few areas that survived the bombing of Tokyo in World War II resulting in many historic buildings still existing.
- quote wikipedia -

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Kanda is the heart of Edo and the Mecca of Edokko, in other words the essence of the Edo culture.
After the Maiji restoration, Kanda, in particular the Sudacho area was developed and enjoyed prosperity so long as Manseibashi station (now Transportation Museum : see the map below) was the main station in Tokyo. From the end of the 19th century Manseibashi became the center of the downtown in Tokyo. Then, the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred in 1923 and destroyed everything.
The reconstruction
rapidly took place and many of the traditional buildings which we can see now were constructed in the period.
However, the central shopping area of Tokyo shifted to Nihonbashi and Ginza when the Second World War was approaching.
Then,
the air-raids in 1944 and 1945 burnt down almost everything on the surface of Tokyo. In Kanda ward 18,650 houses were destroyed by the air-raids from November 29, 1944 till April 13, 1945, and only 3,000 houses, mostly in the Sudacho area, were left at the end of the war.
Many of those old houses
were thereafter torn down and replaced by modern and tasteless buildings.
However, the Sudacho area is still very interesting to stroll and stop by.
..... Anyhow, there are few places in and around Tokyo which retain the old atmosphere due to the air-raids during the War and the development which took place in the last decades. So, the Sudacho area is a very precious place for us, especially because it is located in the midst of the busiest areas of Tokyo and easily accessible
- source : ocada.jp/archive-japanasitis/sudacho... -

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. Shrine Yanagimori jinja 柳森神社 .
千代田区神田須田町2-25 Chiyoda, Kanda, Sudacho
This shrine is famous for its Tanuki tales.

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Kotsu Hakubutsukan 交通博物館 Transportation Museum
東京都千代田区神田須田町1-25 / 1 Chome-25 Kanda Sudachō, Chiyoda-ku, Tōkyō
- museum reference -

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. Kanda renjaku machi 神田連雀町 Renjaku-Cho district .
Now comprising the following districts in Kanda :
神田連雀町 - - - 万世橋　Manseibashi bridge toward 須田町一丁目 Sudacho first district and 、淡路町二丁目 Awajicho second district.

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Koyanagi choo 小柳町 Koyanagi district "small willow tree"
千代田区神田須田町二丁目 Chiyoda ward, Kanda, Suda second sub-district

After the great earthquake and fire of 1933, the old name 東京都神田区小柳町 Tokyo, Kanda ward, Koyanagi
was changed to its present name.

This small district used to be a large temple compound. But the temple burned down in the Great Meireki fire, 1657, and after that, the estates of Daimyo were established here:
Echizen Ono Han　越前大野　土井能登守俊房　Doi Noto no Kami Toshifusa and others.
In 1698, these estates were relocated again and a village for the townspeople developed.
The place name refers to its location below the river bank Yanagihara dote 柳原土手下.

Yanagihara tsutsumi 柳原堤 Yanagihara embankment
江戸名所図会 Edo Meisho Zue

Around 1745, dealers of old Kimono and robes and used household tools settled here and the area became quite busy. This can be seen in the illustration above.

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. Kanda 神田 Kanda district　 .

There is also a Koyanagi cho in Fuchu, Tokyo.
Fuchu, Tokyo 183-0013

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Chiyoda ward 千代田区

reiken 霊剣 the magic sword
In 小石川諏訪町蕎麦切横町 Koishikawa, Suwacho, Sobakiri Yokocho lived a man named 折原岩之助 Orihara Iwanosuke. On the 16th day of the 3rd lunar month in 1826 he had a dream.
At a tool dealer in Kanda Koyanagicho there was a very special sword. He saw this dream for many nights in a row, therefore on the 21st day he went to see the shop. There was an old sword indeed. He bought it and on that night he had another dream. A man wearing white robes on top of his armor appeared and told him about the many virtues of the sword.
It had the inscription 小倉五郎源宗広 Kokura Goro Minamoto Munehiro and was more than 470 years old.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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6/03/2018

Suginami ward

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
- - - - 松庵村 Shoan village, 高井戸村 Takaido village, see below
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Suginami 杉並区 Suginami ward

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"Cedars Avenue"
The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English.
- The name Suginami dates back to the early Edo period and is a shortened version of Suginamiki ("avenue of cedars”). This name came about when an early land baron, Lord Tadayoshi Okabe, planted a row of cedar trees to mark the bounds of his property.
The ward was founded on March 15, 1947.
- - - - - The following neighborhoods make up Suginami-ku.
. Amanuma district 天沼 "heavenly swamp" . Hon-Amanuma
. Asagaya district 阿佐ヶ谷 / 阿佐谷 .
- Asagaya 阿佐ヶ谷村, Asagaya-Kita, Asagaya-Minami
Eifuku 永福寺村
Hamadayama
Hōnan
. Horinouchi 堀之内 / 堀ノ内 Horinouchi district .
. Igusa 井草村 Igusa village . - Kami-Igusa, Shimo-Igusa
Imagawa
. Iogi 井荻 Iogi district .
Izumi
. Kooenji, Kōenji 高円寺 Koen-Ji district .
. Kugayama 久我山 Kugayama district .
Matsunoki
Miyamae
Momoi
Narita-Higashi . Narita-Nishi
. Ogikubo 荻窪 Ogikubo district .
. Ōmiya, Oomiya 大宮 Omiya . - Omiya Hachiman Shrine 大宮八幡宮
Shimizu
Shōan
Takaido mura
Umezato
Wada
Zenpukuji, Suginami

幕府領幕府領 12村 ●中野村、高円寺村、馬橋村、久我山村、上高井戸村、下高井戸村、中高井戸村、田端村、成宗村、本郷新田、和泉新田（和泉村のうち）、大宮前新田、松庵村
旗本領 7村 ●上鷺之宮村、和泉村、上高田村、片山村、●和田村、●上井草村、●下井草村
幕府領、旗本領 8村江古田村、雑色村、●永福寺村、●上荻窪村、新井村、下鷺之宮村、上沼袋村、下沼袋村
鉄砲玉薬組同心給地 1村 ●本郷村
その他寺社領 4村下荻窪村、天沼村、阿佐ヶ谷村、堀之内村
- source : wikipedia

. Suginami tezuma 手妻, wazuma 和妻 traditional magician .
藤山新太郎　Shintaro Fujiyama

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. 88 文殊院（杉並区和泉4-18-17））Monju-In (Suginami, Izumi) .
Gofunai 御府内八十八ヶ所霊場 88 Henro Temples in Edo

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Shooanmura 松庵村 Shoan village
杉並区松庵 Suginami ward 松庵一丁目から松庵三丁目 from the first to the third sub-district
In the South-West of Suginami ward.

The river 松庵川 Shoangawa used to pass through the village. Now it is put under ground.

The wilderness was developed for farming in the Edo period by
荻野松庵 doctor Ogino Shoan. He died in 1665.
He was probably also the head priest of the temple 円光寺 Enko-Ji.
The region was first called 松庵新田 Shoan Shinden. Around 1716, it was named Shoan Mura.
In 1889, it became 高井戸村 Takaido mura.
In 1932, it was divided into North Shoan 松庵北町 and South Shoan 松庵南町.
In 1969, the first and second sub-district of Takaido were finally named Shoan first to third sub-district.

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西高井戸松庵稲荷神社　Nishi-Takai Shoan Inari Jinja

- Deity in residence
受持命 Ukemochi no Mikoto

It was a shrine in the precincts of temple Enko-Ji, where Ogino Shoan was active.
Shoan is venerated in this shrine as protector deity of the area. His grave is in the North of the Shrine, where the temple Enko-Ji used to be before shrine and temple had to be separated in the Meiji period.
There are two memorial towers in the precinct, one with the inscription
武州野方領松庵新田

To the left of the torii 鳥居 entrance gate there is another small shrine venerating 狐のミイラ the mummy of a fox.

On an artificial hill beside the temple Enko-Ji there was a hole where a mother fox brought up her children.
When the temple had to be removed, the hill was also destroyed and the foxes had to go. Mother fox was so frustrated and sad, she bit off her front legs and died under the veranda of the temple.
The mummy shows a mother fox with her mouth biting the front legs. But it is not shown any more. There are countless small statues of the Inari fox in front of the sanctuary.

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Takaido mura 高井戸村 Takaido village
Kami-Takaido 上高井戸村, Shimo-Takaido 下高井戸, Takaido-Higashi 高井戸東, Takaido-Nishi 高井戸西

See above, Shoan village.
In 1889, it became 高井戸村 Takaido mura.

. Kōshū Kaidō 甲州街道 Koshu Kaido Highway .
The main highway from Nihonbashi to Kofu.
Takaido mura was the first inofficial station 高井戸宿　Takaido shuku. It was divided in an upper (Kami) and lower (Shimo) part.
Kami-Takaido was allowed to operate on the first 15 days of a lunar month, Shimo-Takaido on the last 15 days of a lunar month. The postal station provides porters and pack horses, but it was not a very busy station, since few Daimyo had to pass here.

高井戸, takai ido "high well"
The original name refers to
takai o-doo　高いお堂 a high Temple hall, Hall on high ground
soon written 高井堂.
The temple was 宗源寺 Sogen-ji. It had a Hall for Fudo Myo-O 不動堂 at the sub-temple 本覚院 Hongaku-In, which was located on a high plateau, hence the name.

source : tesshow.jp/suginami/temple...

How is the relation to the well?
In 1486, a guide book by priest 道興准后　Doko Jugo (1430 - 1527) walking in the area mentions a pond
horikane no i ほりかねの井 / 堀兼の井 / 堀兼之井 / 堀難之井 , which is now called Takaido.

the well at Horigane, Sayama, Saitama Prefecture

Doko Jugo wrote a waka poem at the well, which had been dried out by the time he visited Musashino:

おもかげぞかたるに残る武蔵野や
堀兼の井に水はなけれど

Horikane no I Well was also written Horigata-i 堀難井, "hard to dig well”.

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Suginami 杉並区　
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boorei 亡霊 ghost
Once a man buried a man without family, named たきさん Taki san.
When he came back home, a man stood in front of his house and opened the door for him. Looking closer, it was the man he had just buried. But do not fear, Taki san had only come to express his gratitude, thanked the man and then vanished.

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katame no sakana 片目の魚 fish with one eye
In front of the main hall of the temple 医王寺 Io-Ji there is a pond where fish are let free - but they soon become fish with only one eye.
They are maybe buna 鮒 fish of Yakushi Nyorai.

. buna densetsu 鮒伝説　crucian carp legends .

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薬缶坂 The monster from Yakanzaka
It used to prevent people from passing this slope. When a person stopped walking, the Yakan also stopped walking. Then the Yakan would stand up on its hind legs and dance.
The Yakan was often seen on rainy nights.

Yakanzaka 薬缶坂 Yakan slope

. yakan 野干 a monster beast from ancient China .
probably ジャッカル jakkaru, jackal, or maybe a fox 狐.
In Miyagi there is a slope called やかん坂 Yakanzaka. Also spelled 薬缶 or 野狐。

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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6/02/2018

Minowa district

The area used to stick out like a nose into the sea. It was called
mizu no wa 水の輪 ring of water or mizu no hana 水の鼻 nose in the water.
The pronunciation has then changed to Minowa.
It was a kind of plain, 三ノ輪原 Minowahara.

During the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657 most of the city of Edo burned down, including the pleasure district. The new pleasure district, Yoshiwara 吉原, was close to Asakusa and thus to Minowa

Even before the Edo period, this was a sort of highway station on the way to the North.
. Ōshū Kaidō 奥州街道 Oshu Kaido Highway .
connecting Edo with the Mutsu Province in Tohoku.
Just before leaving Edo, after crossing the 三ノ輪橋 Minowabashi bridge there were the new pleasure quarters.
The old bridge was demolished in 1926.

. Yoshiwara 葦原 /　吉原　pleasure quarters in Edo .

. Negishi 根岸 Negishi district - Taito ward .

Nihonzutsumi よし原日本堤 Nihon Embankment at Yoshiwara
Utagawa Hiroshige (Nihon tsutsumi)

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Meisho Edo hyakkei - Minowa, Mikawashima
名所江戸百景［箕輪　金杉　三河しま］/ 蓑輪金杉三河しま
歌川広重初代 Utagawa Hiroshige 1

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Mikawashima (present-day Higashi-Nippori in Arakawa Ward) was a place
where "tsuru" (cranes) flew to during the Edo period,
and people fed them in November every year after surronding them with a bamboo fence.
This was also one of the hunting areas of "Tsuru no Onari"
where the Shogun himself would hunt the cranes with falcons and offered them to the court.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library

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Minowa
Huge villas and gardens of feudal lords who served the Shogun were located here during the Edo period. As painted in ukiyo-e, the farming villages of Minowa and Kanasugi as well as Mikawashima were sites for the Shogun’s hawk hunting.
In 1913, a tram that would be the present-day Toden Arakawa line started its operation to the town of Oji. Adjacent to tram terminal, on the site where 石川屋敷跡 Lord Ishikawa’s villa had been, a new shopping district was built. The area is still a popular shopping district named ジョイフル三の輪商店街 Joyful-Minowa. Locals still call here “the new district.” Here you can buy foods like tempura, dumplings, and メンチカツ menchi-katsu (a breaded, deep-fried meat patty) just as busy Japanese mothers have done since the good old days.
- source : National Diet Library

ジョイフル三の輪

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Minowa Station 三ノ輪駅 Minowa-eki
is a subway station in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, operated by Tokyo Metro. It is close to Minowabashi Station on the Tokyo Sakura Tram.

夜桜を見て横丁の三ノ輪線
yozakura o mite yokochoo no Minowa sen

viewing night cherry blossoms
and then into the back roads
along the Minowa line

両角玲子 Morozumi Reiko

Minowabashi Station Terminus 三ノ輪橋停留場 Minowabashi teiryūjō
is a station on the Tokyo Sakura Tram. This is the terminus of the line. It is close to Minowa Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line.

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　西多摩郡　Nishi-Tama district
箕輪村 Minowa village

shirogitsune 白狐 white fox
There is an old family in Minowa. They tell a tale of a white fox who fell into the well and died on the first day of the New Year.
Since then the family had misfortunes and lost all their wealth.

. kitsune densetsu 狐　伝説 fox legends .

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migawari Kannon 身代り観音 Kannon as a substitute
As the belief in Asakusa Kannon spread, a man was walking along the Nihonzutsumi embankment when a robber stabbed him. All his money was stolen, but he did not get any wounds. This happened in 1806.

. Asakusa Kannon densetsu 浅草観音伝説 Legends from Asakusa Kannon Temple .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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

かたよりて右は箕輪の若葉哉
katayorite migi wa Minowa no wakaba kana

. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 .

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朝顔や三ノ輪の猫のこぎれいに
asagao ya Minowa no neko no kogirei ni

大木あまり Ooki Amari (1941 - )

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6/01/2018

kofun burial mound

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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kofun 古墳 burial mounds in Tokyo

. kofun jidai 古墳時代 burial mound period - 250 to 538 .
- Introduction and legends -

There are more than 200 burial mounds in Tokyo.

- collecting -
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. Adachi ku 足立区 Adachi ward .
Takenotsuka, Takenozuka 竹の塚 / 竹ノ塚 Takenotsuka mound
白旗塚史跡公園 Shirahatatsuka Shiseki Park - Shirahatazuka Historical Site / White Flag Mound

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. Kamikoiwa Iseki 上小岩遺跡 Kami-Koiwa . Edogawa ward

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Musashi Fuchu Kumano Jinja Kofun　武蔵府中熊野神社古墳
2-9 Nishi-Fuchu, Fuchu city

- quote -
The tomb mound consists of two lower stages in square shape in plan view and of a single upper stage in circular shape; thus the type is called jo-en kahofun (tomb mound with circular mound on upper stage and rectangular mound on lower stage). As per size, the lowest mound is ca. 32 m on side, the second mound ca. 23 m on side and the uppermost mound has a diameter of ca. 16 m. The structure for funeral is so-called stone chamber with a horizontal hole, which was built by lining cut stones. The total length is ca. 8.8 m, and the structure consists of 3 chambers.
Almost no relics
were excavated due to grave robbing and others, but a metal tip attached to a sword casing was excavated. The metal tip is decorated with silver Damascening.
The construction of the tomb mound
supposedly dates back to the middle to the latter half of the 7th century, on the ground of the shape of the stone chamber and characteristics of the metal tip.
There are four tomb mounds
with circular mound on upper stage and rectangular mound on lower stage which are identified in investigations. And it is said that the mound is likely to be the biggest and oldest one among the four mounds. Moreover, since the tomb mound is one of the largest ones in Musashi area of this period and it has a large-sized stone chamber, it is likely that the buried person was one of the most powerful chieftain in Musashi. Another interesting subject will be a link to Musashi Kokufu (Provincial Office of Musashi Province) and Tosando Musashimichi (Musashimichi branch of the Tosando main road), which were constructed immediately later.
- source : syougai.metro.tokyo.jp/bunkazai... -

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Ootsuka 大塚 Otsuka "big mound"
It used to be a farming region in Koishikawa village.
The name refers to an area of flat fields, in the middle of them was a large mound, a 古墳 Kofun.

. Koishikawa 小石川 - Bunkyo ward .

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Shiba Maruyama Kofun　芝丸山古墳
4-10-17, Shibakoen, Minato ward, Tokyo

- quote
Shiba Maruyama Kofun is a tumulus that is a 106-meter-long zenpo-koen-fun (a keyhole-shaped mound).
It is said to be the largest tumulus in Tokyo with the circular part at 64 meters in diameter, the square part at 40 meters in width at the front, and the narrowest part between the circular and square parts at 22 meters. It is located on the hill at a height of 16 meters above sea level with its frontal part facing south-southwest. Its original shape has been significantly damaged; particularly, the top and the back circular parts have been scraped off. When Japanese archeologists investigated the tumulus in 1898, the main part (the burial facility), thought to have been at the center of the back circular part, was already lost. The corpse and its accompanying burial goods were also missing. From the shape of the frontal part, which is lower and narrower, as well as the condition of the site, it is estimated to have been built in the 5th century. It was designated as an Important Historical Property of Tokyo in 1979. It is within walking distance from both the Toei Subway Mita Line Shiba-koen Station and the JR (Japan Railways) Yamanote Line Hamamatsucho Station.
- source : livejapan.com/en...

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5/31/2018

Azabu district

source : jin3.jp/juban/history...
①一の橋 ②二の橋 ③古川 ④善福寺 ⑤仙台坂（仙台藩屋敷） ⑥がま池 ⑦有栖川宮記念公園
⑧一本松 ⑨南山小学校 ⑩毛利家 ⑪六本木 ⑫広尾 ⑬四の橋 ⑭狸穴 Mamiana
麻布十番の歴史 History of Asabu Juban

- quote
Azabu is an area within Minato ward in Tokyo, Japan, built on a marshy area of foothills south of central Tokyo. Its coverage roughly corresponds to that of the former Azabu Ward, presently consisting of nine official districts:
Azabu-Jūban 麻布十番, Azabudai, Azabu-Nagasakachō, Azabu-Mamianachō, Nishi-Azabu, Higashi-Azabu, Minami-Azabu, Moto-Azabu and Roppongi.
It is known as Tokyo's most expensive upscale residential district; many artists, business people, and celebrities reside there.
- History
The name Azabu literally means hemp cloth. Until the early Edo period, the area was agricultural. Archaeological evidence indicates that the area was inhabited as far back as the Jōmon period. The Juban Inari shrine (formerly known as Takechiyo Inari) was constructed in AD 712, the temple of Zenpuku-ji in 824,
and the Hikawa Shrine in 939 (on orders of Minamoto no Tsunemoto).
The area became urbanized in the 17th century,
after Tokugawa Ieyasu established his seat of government in nearby Edo.
Azabu soon became home to the Juban Horse Grounds, Edo's largest horse market.
In 1859, the first United States delegation in Japan was established at Zenpuku-ji.
- source : more in the wikipedia

. Hikawa Jinja shrines 氷川神社 .

A group of 100 Koga ninja members 甲賀百人組 settled in Kanda in Edo, in
Koogamachi 甲賀町（こうかまち） Koga Machi, Koga Village.
This placename was kept until 1933, when it was renamed to
神田駿河台一、三丁目 Kanda Surugadai Ichi - Sanchome.
And Kogaichoo in Azabu 麻布の笄町（こうがいちょう）は「甲賀町 Koga-cho・伊賀町 Iga-cho」was named after the Koga and Iga ninja.
. Surugadai　駿河台 .

. Azabu Nana Fushigi 麻布七不思議 seven wonders of Azabu .

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Azabu Kita Higakubo 麻布北日ヶ窪町
To the South is the river 古川 Furukawa, there is a valley up to the Roppongi Hills.
In the Edo period there lives Samurai and townspeople together. There were also the busy temple areas of
麻布正信寺 Azabu Shoshin-Ji
and
麻布教善寺 Azabu Kyozen-Ji.
The estate of 毛利甲斐守邸 Lord Mori Kai no Kami was also in this area, the Mori Park is a historical landmark to our day.

ヒルズの毛利庭園 Mori Koen park in Roppongi Hills
- reference source : azabusaiken.ttcbn.net/machi... -

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Azabuichibeichoo 麻布市兵衛町 Azabu Ichibei district, Azabu Ichibee
Azabuichibei, Azabu Ichibei machi, azabuitibei
Minato ward, part of Roppongi 1 and 3 sub-district, Roppongi 4 sub-district
港区六本木一丁目の一部、六本木三丁目の一部、六本木四丁目

This small district borders on many other small districts in this hilly area and has access via many steep slopes.

Around 1610, it was part of the village 今井村 Imai mura, called 今井台町 Imaidai village.
In 1695, it was named after the village headman, 黒沢市兵衛 Kurozawa Ichibei.
In the beginning of the Edo period, there was a small okabasho 岡場所 red-light district, which was abolished during the Tenpō no kaikaku 天保の改革 Tenpo reform in 1840.
In 1869, part of the temple area of 麻布陽泉寺 Azabu Yozen-Ji was added and the name changed to 麻布市兵衛町 Azabu Ichibei, including the first and second sub-district, 麻布市兵衛町一丁目 and 麻布市兵衛町二丁目.
There were some rich estates in the first district, while the second district housed the townspeople and their shops.
During WWII most of the sub-districts was lost in flames, including the official 偏奇館 Henki-Kan, where 永井荷風 Nagai Kafu had lived.

- quote -
Kafu Nagai (1879 - 1959). Writer.
..... His Association with Minato City
Lived in seclusion by naming his painted house Henki-kan.
Nagai lived in a two-story timber house in Azabu Ichibei-cho (now 1-chome Roppongi) in 1920 and named the house “Henki-kan” because it was painted. He started his life of seclusion in this Western-style house with an extended kitchen and no shoji screens, sliding paper doors, or tatami mats.
The Great Tokyo Earthquake occurred in 1923, but the house fortunately received no fire damage, only a few fallen roof tiles.
..... In 1945, however, the house was destroyed in the Great Air Raids of Tokyo, and he lost his books, except for his diary and a briefcase containing his rough draft of a novel. Twenty?six years of his time in Henki-kan had ended, and until his death in 1959 at the age of 79, he never returned to Minato Ward. .....
- source : lib.city.minato.tokyo.jp/yukari... -

. Kafu the Scribbler, by Edward Seidensticker .

- quote -
Nadare-zaka なだれ坂　"Landslide slope"
The name of this slope has been written using different kanji, but it received its name because there had been a landslide.
It was also known as Kokoku(-ji)-zaka , Sachikuni-Zak and Ichibei-zaka.
Between 3-2 and 3-4 Roppongi
- source : minato-ala.net... -

- quote -
Ichimi-zaka 市三坂 "Ichi-Mi slope"
A new slope road opened around the year Meiji 20. It connected two sub-districts:
Ichibei town named after the village headman and 三河台町 Mikawadai-machi where the 松平三河守忠直 Matsudaira, Govenor of Mikawa, Tadanao's residence stood,
used the first kanji character from each town to make this road's name.
- source : ractive-roppongi.com... -

- quote -
Princess Kazu (和宮親子内親王 Kazu-no-miya Chikako naishinnō
(1846 - 1877)
... A series of tragedies hit Princess Kazu between 1865 and 1867. Her mother, who followed her to Edo to keep her company, died on 10 August 1865, followed by her husband shōgun Iemochi, who died in Osaka while commanding the Chōshū Expedition on 20 July 1866. She became a Buddhist nun, receiving the title of Seikan'in-no-miya (静寛院宮)[1] on 9 December 1866, but just a few weeks later her brother Emperor Komei would also pass away. ...
Seikan'in arrived in Tokyo in 1874 and she took up residence in the home of Katsu Kaishū, in the mansion in Azabu ichibei-cho.
She remained there until her death in 1877 of beriberi, at the young age of 31. Her grave is at Zōjō-ji, in Minato, Tokyo.
- source : wiki/Princess_Kazu... -

- quote -
The Strange Tale of Oyuki, 1993 film
Faced with a bout of ill health, global traveller, western-educated novelist Kafu Nagai (1879-1959) began to chronicle sundry episodes in his life, as well as thoughts and observations of contemporary Japanese society, in a series of intimate journals that would eventually span the early half of 20th century. Based on A Strange Tale from East of the River, Nagai’s semi-autobiographical novella, the events presented in The Strange Tale of Oyuki begins in 1920, as a middle-aged Nagai (Masahiko Tsugawa) having recently moved into a new residence in Ichibei in the Azabu district, attempts to impress his doting mother (Haruko Sugimura) – the only relative who accepts his excessive and disreputable lifestyle – by painting the house in time for her arrival.
- source : filmref.com/2017... -

. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .

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Azabuipponmatsuchoo , Azabuipponmatsu 麻布一本松町 Azabu Ipponmatsu district "one pine tree"
元麻布一丁目, 二丁目 Moto-Azabu, first and second sub-district

Around 1670, Ipponmatsu was created in the former Azabu mura 麻布村 Azabu village.
In the beginning there were many Samurai estates and temples, but later the townspeople and merchants took over.

Edo Meisho Zue

The print shows the compound of the temple 長伝寺　Choden-Ji and close to it many shops.
There was also a tea stall and next to it an old large single matsu 松 pine tree.
This tree was also called kanmuri matsu 冠松 "crown pine tree"
and provided shadow for the travelers.

source : deepazabu.blogspot.com/2013...

The old pine tree was destroyed by a fire in 1772, but has been replaced several times after that. The present tree was planted after WWII.

. matsu 松 pine tree - information .

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江戸の華名勝會 / 江戸の花名勝会 Edo no Hana Meisho E - Sanbangumi 三番組
The Flowers of Edo: A Collection of Famous Places
An entertaining feature of the Edo-no-Hana Meisho-e prints is the use of double meanings, which often relate to place names, within the text that accompanies many of the famous landscape scenes.
..... The reference to the constant threat of flames in the city is also reinforced in each of the prints, by the display of the troop name, number and emblem of the firemen responsible for protecting the relevant Edo district pictured. Moreover, as fire-fighters were admired as great examples of enthusiasm and bravery, they were likely considered as much a Flower of Edo as any popular Kabuki actor or fashionable Ukiyo-e print artist of the period. .....
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. Azabu Nana Fushigi 麻布七不思議 seven wonders of Azabu .
Several legends surround Ippon-Matsu,
for example, it is also called "Kanmuri-no-Matsu" and "Shugetsutei-no-Hagoromo-no-Matsu."
There is also a common belief that offering sweet sake in a bamboo cylinder to the tree will help cure a cough and the tree is called one of the seven wonders of Azabu. These legends and superstitions are thought to stem from the belief that gods resided in the giant trees lining the old roads. Today's pine trees were planted by the local community association after the war.

Tanukizaka　狸坂　
It is said that a tanuki (raccoon dog) sometimes appeared and bewitched people. The slope is also called Asahi-zaka　(morning-light slope), because it slopes upward toward the east. With Ippon-Matsu, one of the seven wonders of Azabu, as a landmark, there are four slopes branching off:
Tanuki-zaka, where the tanuki is said to have appeared;
Daikoku-zaka, site of Daiho-ji, a temple dedicated to Daikokuten, one of the Seven Gods of Good Fortune;
Kurayami-zaka, a slope that was always dark because of the trees covering it; and
Ippon-matsu-zaka, named for the lone pine tree. At the top of Ippon-matsu-zaka stands Hikawa-jinja (shrine) dedicated to Bishamonten (god of war).

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Azabu Ipponmatsu-zaka 麻布一本松坂 Ipponmatsuzaka slope, Ipponmatsu slope

. saka, sakamichi 坂道 the many slopes of Edo .

- reference source : deepazabu.blogspot.com/2013 -

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. Mamiana, 麻布狸穴 Azabu Mamiana district "hole of a Mami badger" .
- and
Azabu Nagasakachoo, Azabu-Nagasakachō 麻布永坂町 Azabu Nagasakacho district
No sub-districts
板倉永坂町 Itakura-Nagazakacho and 麻布永坂光照寺門前 Azabu Nagazaka Kosho-Ji Monzen

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Roppongi 六本木 Roppongi district, "six trees"

- quote -
... famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area and popular night club scene. A few foreign embassies are located near Roppongi, and the night life is popular with locals and foreigners alike. It is in the central part of Tokyo, south of Akasaka and north of Azabu.
The name "Roppongi", which appears to have been coined around 1660, literally means "six trees".
Six very old and large zelkova trees used to mark the area; the first three were cleared, and the last were destroyed during World War II.
Another legend has it that the name comes from the fact that six daimyo Lords lived nearby during the Edo period, each with the kanji character for "tree" or a kind of tree in their names. Roppongi was not extensively populated until after the Meiji Restoration, although the area was trafficked for centuries and served as the site of the cremation of Shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada's wife in 1626.
In 1890,
the Third Imperial Guard of the Imperial Japanese Army was moved to a site near Roppongi (now home to the Pacific bureau of Stars and Stripes). The influx of soldiers led to the area's rise as a nightlife district, briefly interrupted by the Great Kanto earthquake which flattened the area in 1923. Roppongi was administratively part of Azabu Ward from 1878 to 1947.
... Starting in the late 1960s, Roppongi became popular among Japanese people and foreigners alike for its disco scene, which attracted many of Tokyo's entertainment elites. Contributing to the international scene was the location of several foreign embassies and foreign corporate offices in the Roppongi area. However, many dance clubs shut down in the recession following the market crash of 1989.
The Roppongi area received a major economic boost in 2002–2003 when the Izumi Garden Tower and the Roppongi Hills high-rise complexes were completed. These projects brought high-end office and condominium space to Roppongi for the first time. The Tokyo Midtown project, which was completed in 2006, and includes the first Tokyo Ritz-Carlton Hotel, continued this trend. ...
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　麻布市兵衛町 Azabu Ichibei

kitsune 狐 the fox
In June 1752, the maid servant of a villager of Azabu Ichibei village was suddenly possessed by a fox. They tried all kinds of exorcism, but nothing helped.
The fox seemed to live in 松平紀伊守様屋敷 the estate of Matsudaira, Governor of Mikawa.
His daughter was from the Inari shrine of 石川近江守様屋敷の稲荷, his wife from the Inari shrine of 山王町の稲荷.
So they built a small Inari shrine to honor the fox family and prayed for the protection from fires.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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

冬空や麻布の坂の上りおり
fuyuzora ya Azabu no saka no agari-ori

this winter sky -
I walk up the slope
in Azabu

永井荷風 Nagai Kafu

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昔麻布大山道の桔梗かな
野村喜舟 Nomura Kishu (1886 - 1983)

. kikyoo 桔梗 Platycodon grandiflorus .
- - kigo for autumn - -

石焼藷に雪降る麻布中之橋
Azabu Naka no Hashi

有働亨 Udo Toru (1920 - 2010)

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