Edo - the EDOPEDIA -

7/10/2018

Tameike district Akasaka Minato

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Tameike, 赤坂溜池町 Akasaka Tameike district

Akasaka tameike choo 赤坂溜池町 Akasaka Tameike district
Minato ward, Akasaka first to third sub-district

tameike 溜池 irrigation pond, "dammed pond", Akasaka Pool

This district does not exist any more.
The name "Tameike" is now only used for subway stations, road crossings and bus stops.
The original irrigation pond of the Edo period does not exist any more.
The pond used to be even bigger than the Shinobazu no Ike pond in Ueno.

Tameike is located on the Sanno Daichi 山王台地 plateau.
It was created in 1606 to provide drinking water for Edo.
Daimyo 浅野幸長 Asano Yoshinaga got the rights from Tokugawa Ieyasu to create this artificial lake and waterways.
It was a pleasant sight and with many lotus flowers in the pond in summer provided a great spot for relaxing.

- quote -
The nearby river was fashioned into a moat around Edo Castle, with some of it channeled into a pond used as a reservoir in present day Tameikesanno - Tameike meaning "dammed pond."
The ready water supply meant a cluster of eateries developed in Tameikesanno, and in the post-feudal Meiji era (i.e., from 1868) Tameikesanno became a pleasure quarter, with well over 100 geisha houses by the 1930s, frequented by nearby Nagatacho bigwigs, among others.
... the United States Embassy Tokyo is accessible from Tameike-Sanno subway station on the Ginza and Namboku lines.
- source : japanvisitor.com/tokyo... -

Tameike Sannoo, Tameike Sannō 溜池山王 Tameike-Sanno, Tameikesanno

The Tameike Sanno station is also located at
千代田区永田町二丁目 Chiyoda ward, Nagatacho 2chome.

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Edo Meisho Zue 江戸名所図会

溜池 Tame Ike, which was located in Akasaka, was an artificial lake
constructed in the foothills of Sannō by a daimyo called 浅野行長 Asano Yukinaga in 1606.
It was supposedly a very large lake stretching eastwards to
Toranomon, Shinbashi, and Shiodome, and westwards all the way to 赤坂御門 Akasaka Gomon.
At the time when the Kanda waterworks and the Tamagawa waterworks had not yet been constructed,
water sourced from this lake was used as supply water.
The lake began to be filled in from as early as the Jhō-ōh years (1652-1655),
and there were hastened works from around 1875, which drained the lake of its water
and turned it into tideland.
The works finished in 1910, and a narrow creek is now all that remains of Tame Ike.
- source : Tokoy Metropolitan Library -
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Sannoo Jinja, Sannō Jinja 山王神社 Tameike Sanno Shrine
. Sanno Gongen 山王権現 Sannō Gongen .
and Hiei Jinja 日枝神社 Tokyo // Sannoo matsuri 山王祭 Sanno festival
- Hie Shrine, also called 日吉神社 Hiyoshi Shrine.

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. Katsushika Hokusai . 葛飾北斎 (1760-1849)

Tootoo Aoigaoka no Taki 東都葵ケ岡の滝 Aoigaoka Waterfall in Edo
Now near 赤坂溜池 Akasaka Pool, Nagata Cho 永田町
During the Edo period, this was a kind of resort area for rich samurai to have a villa for summer.

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Kinokuni-zaka Akasaka Tameike enkei 紀の国坂赤坂溜池遠景
- Hiroshige 広重

. Akasaka 赤坂 "the red slope" district .

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- quote -
Asano Yoshinaga 浅野幸長 (1576 – 1613)
was a Japanese samurai and feudal lord of the late Sengoku and early Edo periods. His father served as one of the Go-Bugyō in the late Azuchi–Momoyama period.
- Career
Asano Yoshinaga was born at Odani, in the Asai district of Ōmi Province, in 1576, the eldest son of Asano Nagamasa, the adopted brother of O-Ne, Toyotomi Hideyoshi's wife. He married a daughter of Ikeda Tsuneoki.
His first action was at the Siege of Odawara, in 1590. In 1593, together with his father, he was granted Fuchu, in Kai Province. Though the Asano family was to be sent to Noto Province as a result of their implication in the alleged treason of Toyotomi Hidetsugu, the good offices of Maeda Toshiie kept them in Kai Province.
Yoshinaga achieved distinction together with his father in 1597, during the Siege of Ulsan, when they held the fortress under the command of Katō Kiyomasa. Though the Asano family was secure following its service under Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Sekigahara, it would be moved to Wakayama Domain, in Kii Province. The family would again be moved, to Hiroshima Domain, in the early 17th century.
Yoshinaga's three-dimensional battle standard, a gold-plated basketlike object, was well known during the Korean campaign. His daughters, Hanahime married Matsudaira Tadamasa and Haruhime (Haruhime was his daughter with Ikeda Tsuneoki’s daughter) married Tokugawa Yoshinao.
- source : wikipedia -

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7/08/2018

Aoto district Katsushika

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
- for 葛西 Kasai, see below
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Aoto 青砥 /　青戸 Aoto district, Katsushika
葛飾区青戸 / 青戸一丁目から青戸八丁目 from the first to the 8th sub-district

alternative writing for おおと Aoto in old manuscripts : 「青津」「大戸」「大津」
Aoto mura 青戸村 Aoto village in the Edo period.
The villagers grew rice and also vegetables and flowers and sold them in Edo.

ao 青 blue, green
to 戸 door, in this case a river crossing or sluice gate
to 砥 polishing

This area has been a flourishing harbour along the river 利根川 Tonegawa since olden times, already mentioned in 1288.
In 1288, 青戸二郎重茂 Aoto Jiro Shigemochi was the 代官 Daikan governor of Katsushika

At 青戸七丁目 Aoto seventh sub-district along the road 環七通り沿い Kanshichidōri-zoi there are the remains of 葛西城址 Kasai castle. Now all is left of this is 葛西城址公園 Kasai Joshi Koen Park.
7 Chome-28 Aoto, Katsushika

During the Kamakura period, the area was governed by 青砥藤綱 Aoto Fujitsuna.

In the Edo period, Aocho was always under the supervision of the Edo Bakufu government.
In the Edo period, the area was used as a hunting ground by the Shoguns Ieyasu, Hidetada and Iemitsu and the castle of Kasai 葛西城 became their resting place,
Aoto goten 青戸御殿 Aoto palace.

In 1889, 青戸村 Aoto village was merged with 亀有村 Kameari village、砂原村（西亀有付近）、上千葉村 as the village 東京府南葛飾郡亀青村 Kameao mura.
In 1918, 青砥駅 Aoto station was built.
In 1932, when the ward of Katsushika was created, 青戸町1 - 4丁 Aoto cho was allocated from the first to the fourth sub-district.
After WWII, the population increased sharply and Aoto got 8 sub-districts 青戸町一丁目・二丁目、本田淡之須町、亀有町二丁目、本田立石町、本田中原町のそれぞれ一部が再編され現在の青戸一-八丁目

Since 1973, the construction of the 環七通り city highway begun and was finally finished in 1985.

Aoto eki 青砥駅 Aoto station
is a railway station in Katsushika, operated by the private railway operator Keisei Electric Railway. The station is served by the Keisei Main Line and the Keisei Oshiage Line.

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Aoto Jinja 青砥神社 Aoto Shrine
7-34-30, Aoto, Katsushika-ku, Tokyo

- source and more photos : ambassador.localinfo.j -

In the 万葉集 Manyo-Shu poetry collection about the good quality of the early rice harvest
にほどりの葛飾早稲を贄すとも　そのかなしきを外に立てめやも

The area also had suitable clay and was known since 古墳時代 the Kofun period for its pottery items.

The main deity in residence (apart from 8 others) is
猿田彦命 Sarutahiko no Mikoto

It relates to the story of Aoto Fujitsuna, see below, who said about his lost coins:
『落とした十文は永久に失せることなく、　松明を買った五十文は　
諸家が利益を得ることになり、これは天下の恵みではないか』

- HP of the shrine
- reference source : aoto-jinja.com... -

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Aoto Fujitsuna 青砥藤綱
councilor of the Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333)

source : wikipedia

Aoto Fujitsuna's coins
The Taiheiki mentions the Namerigawa in a story well known to all in Kamakura. The stele on the spot near Tōshō-ji where events are supposed to have taken place describes the story as follows:
According to the Taiheiki,
Aoto Fujitsuna was judge in Kamakura at the time of Regents Hōjō Tokimune and Hōjō Sadatoki. One evening, having lost 10 mon (文) in the Namerigawa, he bought a torch for fifty mon, entered in the water and started looking for the lost coins, finally finding them. Heard the story, people made fun of him saying that he ended up spending far more than he had lost. Fujitsuna replied that ten mon were not many, but losing them forever would have been a great loss. He had personally lost fifty mon, but he had done that for the benefit of all.
- source : wikipedia -

- quote -
Aoto Fujitsuna
from the series Instructive Models of Lofty Ambition - by Inoue Yasuji, 1885
Aoto Fujitsuna 青砥藤綱, a councilor of the Kamakura Shogunate (1192-1333), directing the search for a few coins he has lost in the Namerigawa River.
... Aoto Fujitsuna was a minister under the Hōjō regents Tokiyori and Tokimune in the 13th century, famous for his thrift and uprightness. One night he accidentally lost a small amount of money, 10 mon, in the Namerigawa River [滑川]. He ordered his servants to look for the money in the river, handing 50 mon to a servant to buy flaming torches. While the money was found, many people could not understand why Fujitsuna would spend 50 mon to find only 10 mon and they called him a fool.
Fujitsuna replied:
"It only shows that you are interested in neither public interests nor charity. If I had not looked for the 10 mon in the river, it would have been lost forever. The 50 mon that I payed for the torches profited the merchant.
There was no loss at all. It was a benefit to the public, wasn't it?"
His critics became speechless with admiration and he was thought very wise.
This story is first told in the Taiheiki (太平記), a Japanese historical epic written in the late 14th century. There are numerous versions of this story, involving various amounts of money and slightly different circumstances.
- reference source : myjapanesehanga.com - The Lavenberg Collection

- CLICK for more photos !

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Kasai 葛西 The Kasai district
. 江戸川区 Edogawa ward .

with the following sub-districts in the North, Central, West, East and South:
Kitakasai / Nakakasai / Nishikasai / Higashikasai / Minamikasai

Kasai Rinkai Koen 葛西臨海公園 Kasai Seaside Park
- quote -
Opened in 1989, Kasai Rinkai Park (葛西臨海公園, Kasai Rinkai Kōen) is the largest park in central Tokyo, located just across the Edogawa River from Tokyo Disney Resort. It was built on reclaimed land and developed in an effort to restore and preserve natural Tokyo Bay habitat.
The park
offers a nice break from the surrounding cityscapes and has a number of walking trails that crisscross the gardens, lawns and beaches. In addition, the park features an aquarium, a ferris wheel, a seabird sanctuary and an observation building.
... Near the center of the park is the Tokyo Sealife Aquarium
... the Diamond and Flowers Ferris Wheel
... the Sea Bird Sanctuary
- source : japan-guide.com... -

. Kasai, Edo period print .

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葛西城 Kasai jo, Kasai castle

The 葛西氏 Kasai clan dates back to the 桓武平氏 Kanmu Heike.
They left Kyoto and build a castle here in what is now Katsushika, Aoto and the park is all that remains of it.

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. 葛西三郎 / 葛西清重 Kasai Saburo Kiyoshige (1161 - 1238). .
and the Horikiri district 掘切 "digging a moat"

. 堀江町 Horie Cho district .
Located in the South of 江戸川区南部 Edogwa district, 葛西地域 Kasai area.
The name has been used until 1932 and later (1979) became part of the Kasai area.

. Nagashima no Fujizuka 長島の富士塚 .
at Shrine 香取神社 Katori Jinja at 東葛西 Higashi Kasai

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7/06/2018

Okubo district Shinjuku

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
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Ookubo, Ōkubo 大久保 Okubo district, Shinjuku
東京都新宿区大久保一丁目から大久保三丁目 Shinjuku ward, from the first to the third sub-district,
百人町 Hyakunincho district

ookubo 大窪 "great sunken place", "great hollow"

. Hyakuninchoo　百人町 Hyakunincho district .
Hyakunin (hundred-man) brigade of shooters
During the Edo period, the villages of 柏木 Kashiwagi and 大久保 Okubo were agricultural districts on either side of Hyakunin-cho where samurai warrior residences were located.

Ookubomura 大久保村 Okubo village
In 1713, the village came under the jurisdiction of the Edo Bakufu government.
In the South was the Shimo-Yashiki estate of 一橋the Hitotsubashi family.

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- quote
Shin-Ōkubo 新大久保
is a neighborhood within Tokyo's Shinjuku ward known for its extensive Korean community. It is built around Shin-Ōkubo Station and is accessible on the Yamanote Line. Shin-Ōkubo is home to both Korean residents in Japan as well as Korean immigrants, and has seen an upsurge in popularity due to Hallyu pop-culture. In recent years Nepali people have settled in the area and have opened up Nepali restaurants.
Shin Sang-yoon, the director of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan, stated that Koreans began coming to Shin-Ōkubo around 1983 because at that time it was one of the most inexpensive areas of Tokyo. By July 2013 several nationalistic anti-Korean demonstrations done by Japanese have occurred in Shin-Ōkubo.
- source : wikipedia

新大久保コリアンタウン Shin-Okubo Koreatown

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- quote -
新大久保 Shin-Ōkubo, literally New Okubo.
... this area wasn’t Edo.
West of Edo Castle was all suburbs. The first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, strategically relocated many of his 旗本 hatamoto direct retainers out here. He gave some of them extraordinarily large fiefs for their rank and charged them with the defense of the roads coming into his capital. Very much a Sengoku Period general, he rightly assumed that attacks from the sea in the east would be unlikely, but a land based attack from the west could prove a threat. One of the main entrances to the city was the Yotsuya Ōkido 四谷大木戸 Yotsuya Checkpoint on the Kōshū Kaidō 甲州街道 Kōshū Highway which was in this area. This area, by the way, was known not as Edo, but as 武蔵国豊多摩郡 Musashi no Kuni Toyotama-gun Toyotama District, Musashi Province in those days.This place name,
while seemingly auspicious on the surface, is generally believed to have quite humble roots. You see, a river called the 蟹川 Kanigawa used to flow through the area between Kabukichō 1-2 chōme 1st & 2nd blocks of Kabukichō and Shinjuku 6-7 chōme 6th & 7th blocks of Shinjuku. By their very nature, rivers tend to be in geographic depressions, which made this area good for farming, but prone to flooding. This part of Toyotama seems to have been no different. At the area dividing Nishi-Ōkubo West Ōkubo and Higashi-Ōkubo East Ōkubo, there was a particularly noticeable drop in elevation, an 大きな窪地 ōki na kubochi, if you will. If the story is to be believed, the locals called it an 大窪地 ōkubochi which was eventually reduced to ōkubo.
- source : japanthis -

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Ookubo eki 大久保駅 Okubo station / Shin-Okubo station
is a railway station on the Chūō-Sōbu Line in Shinjuku.
1-17-1 Hyakuninchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo

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. Shrine Kaichu Inari Jinja 皆中稲荷神社 .
Once upon a time there was a region called Okubo 大窪 in the Musashi plain.
Descendants from the Ise Shrine called Oshi 御師 settled there and soon built a shrine (around 1533).

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Nishimuki Tenjinsha 西向天神社
東京都新宿区新宿6-21-1
This shrine had been built by Saint Togano Myoe 栂尾明恵上人 in 1228. Since the main hall faces West, it is called
"West-facing Tenjin Shrine".
It was the protector shrine of 東大久保村鎮守 Higashi Okubo village.

. Myoe Shonin 明恵上人 (1173 - 1232) .

Once the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu came here for hunting with hawks. He gave a golden natsume 棗 tea caddy to the head priest with the request to rebuilt the shrine.
The shrine is therefore also known as
Natsume Jinja 棗神社

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The name Ōkubo-ke 大久保家 Ōkubo Family, Okubo clan
is a distinctly samurai name of rather high pedigree. They were a branch of the Utsunomiya-shi 宇都宮氏 Utsunomiya Clan which could trace their lineage back to the 900’s. The founders of this new branch were among the most loyal retainers of 松平弘忠 Matsudaira Hirotada. In case you don’t recognize that name, he was the father of the first Edo shogun, 徳川家康 Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Later, the Ōkubo clan served Ieyasu well. In fact, the second family head, a certain 大久保忠世 Ōkubo Tadayo, served in nearly all Ieyasu’s military campaigns and even commanded his corps of bodyguards. After Ieyasu had secured the title of shogun, he elevated Tadayo to daimyō status gave him Odawara-han 小田原藩 Odawara Domain. This meant the Odawara clan controlled the 箱根関所 Hakone Sekisho Hakone Check Point as well as 箱根山 Hakone Yama Mt. Hakone, a region famous in Japanese mythology and renowned for its natural hot springs, beautiful lakes and coastal areas.
Odawara, Mt. Hakone, and the Ōkubo clan have nothing to do with this suburb of Edo.
- japanthis

. Okubo Hikozaemon 大久保彦左衛門 - Ōkubo Tadataka 大久保忠教 .
(1560 – 1639)

. Okubo Nagayasu 大久保長安 .

Ōkubo Toshimichi 大久保利通 (1830 – 1878)
- - - More Okubo names in the WIKIPEDIA !

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7/04/2018

Ikebukuro district Toshima

In the Edo period, Ikebukuro mura was a farmer's area outside the main city. It was only incorporated in 1818.
There were many ponds and wide forests, with foxes voices to be heard. There even lived a white snake in the pond.
There was also a meandering river with many ponds like bags surrounding it.
The ponds have all been filled with the arriving of modern times.

- quote
Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan.
Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits.
At the center of Ikebukuro
is the train and subway station, a huge urban gathering shared by the JR East lines, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and the Tōbu Tōjō Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the western Yamanote area of Tokyo.
Ikebukuro Station is the third-busiest station in Japan, and the world.

Around the station
are the Seibu and Tōbu department stores. Seibu, written with the characters for "West" and "Musashi (province)" 西武, is on the east end of the station and Tōbu, written with the characters for "East" and "Musashi" 東武, is on the west end. East of the station, on the site of Sugamo Prison, stands Sunshine 60, which was Tokyo's tallest building at the time of its construction. The Sunshine 60 contains a large and popular shopping mall, which contains various attractions including an aquarium, a Pokémon Center, and cat cafes. Adjacent to Sunshine City, on Meiji-Dori, is the Toyota Amlux Building which houses the Toyota showroom. Otome Road, a leading shopping area for otaku products aimed at women, is located nearby. Marui and Don Quijote also have department stores in the area. The principal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro is Bic Camera. There is a small pleasure district located in Nishi-Ikebukuro, similar to Shinjuku's Kabukichō.

- map of Ikebukuro station

The old village of Ikebukuro
stood to the northwest of the station. Most of the area on which modern Ikebukuro is built was historically known as Sugamo. In the Taishō and Shōwa periods, the relatively low land prices attracted artists and foreign workers, who lent a somewhat cosmopolitan atmosphere to Ikebukuro.

Until October 1, 1932 when Toshima ward was established, the area was an independent municipality of Ikebukuro-mura (池袋村).
The kanji for Ikebukuro literally means pond bag.
Outside the west exit of Ikebukuro station near an entrance to the Fukutoshin Line is a small plaque explaining how the area used to have multiple lakes, hence the name.

There is a small statue of an owl
located near the center of the city called Ikefukurō-zō (いけふくろう像), meaning pond owl statue.
It is a play on words from the alternative meaning of "fukuro" as "owl" (although owl is pronounced with a long final "oh", rather than a short "o" in the word "fukuro" for bag). The owl statue has become a famous meeting place along the lines of the statue of Hachikō located outside Shibuya Station.
- - - - - Ikebukuro Tokyo Chinatown
Ikebukuro is home to many ethnic Chinese who arrived in the 1980s, leading to a variety of Chinese goods and services being provided in the district, which are popular among tourists interested in Chinese culture. However, the Ikebukuro Chinatown is smaller and less populous than Yokohama's Chinatown just to the south of Tokyo.
- source : wikipedia

- - - - - modern Ikebukuro - - - - -

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- - - - - Ikebukuro Chinatown - - - - -

- quote -
A New Chinatown Emerges in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro
Chinatowns have existed as ethnic enclaves in Japan since the nation opened its borders to the outside world in the mid-nineteenth century. More recently, as Japan and China build closer economic ties, a new Chinatown is taking shape in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro.
..... Japan’s three major Chinatowns are enclaves established by old overseas Chinese as they interacted with Japanese society over a long period of time. I wondered whether the growing number of new overseas Chinese were forming a new Chinatown in Japan.
- - - - - A Chinatown Takes Shape in Ikebukuro
The solution to this puzzle came in the words of a Chinese studying in Japan. Toward the end of the 1990s this Chinese student told me that Ikebukuro is a convenient place for Chinese, because there are plenty of part-time jobs and shops offering whatever a Chinese person might need.
Prompted by this statement, I began to explore the east and west sides of Ikebukuro Station, and eventually I discovered a concentration of Chinese restaurants, supermarkets, bookstores, Internet cafes, and travel agencies founded by new overseas Chinese on the north side of the station. This was visible confirmation that, as I had seen in other countries, a new Chinatown was being formed. In 2003 I named this area “Ikebukuro Chinatown.” At first, searching the Internet for “Ikebukuro Chinatown” would only bring up my website, but a similar search now will yield more than 100,000 hits. Ikebukuro Chinatown has been featured in television programs and newspaper and magazine articles, and many people have become aware of its existence.
- - - - - Japanese Language Schools and Reasonable Rents
- - - - - Out and About in Ikebukuro Chinatown
The gateway to Ikebukuro Chinatown is the north exit of Ikebukuro Station, a popular meeting place for many Chinese. Not one minute on foot from the north exit is Yangguangcheng, a Chinese supermarket with characteristic red signage. On the fourth floor in the building across the street is Chinese Foods Youyi Shangdian, the successor to Zhiyin Chinese Foods, whose shelves are stocked with a full range of Chinese foods. O the second floor of the same building is Wenshengtang, a Chinese bookstore.
Unlike Japan’s three major Chinatowns,
many of the Chinese businesses in Ikebukuro Chinatown are located on the upper floors or in the basements of multitenant buildings. The first floor is frequently occupied by a Japanese chain store or a Japanese business in existence for some time. Vacancies are few for those new overseas Chinese hoping to start a business on the first floor. Hence, the trick to walking about Chinatown is to keep your eyes directed upward.
As of June 2015, I have counted about 210 Chinese businesses to the north and west of Ikebukuro Station, of which some 60 are Chinese restaurants.
- source : Yamashita Kiyomi -

Chuka Ryori 中華料理 Chinese Food
Chinatown 中華街 in Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki

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Kami-Ikebukuro 上池袋

Ocha-agare Jizo お茶あがれ地蔵 Jizo drinking tea

In the Genroku priod, the ghost of a woman who was not allowed to marry the man of her choice and had died appeared around the statue of Jizo every night and sighed:
お茶上がれーお茶上がれー
"Have some tea, have some tea".

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Ikebukuro 池袋

ayashiki koto あやしきこと a strange thing
In 赤坂伝馬町 Akasaka, Denmacho, a strange something appeared every night, yes, every night.
Almost like Ikebukuro no Kai 池袋の怪 the Yokai from Ikebukuro.
One evening a villager left a brush and paper outside and next morning, it had written something on the paper.

岡本綺堂池袋の怪 - 青空文庫 - Book by Okamoto Kido (1872 - 1939)
- Japanese Text -

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. kitsune densetsu 狐　伝説 fox legends .
The foxes from 野中 Nakano were eight siblings, and always played around human beings without any harm.
Most of them took the form of a beautiful man and got married. This is the same behaviour as 池袋村の狐 the foxes from Ikebukuro village.

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. ubugami 産神 "deity of birth" .
guardian deity of pregnant women, newborn babies and one's birthplace
If a woman was born in 池袋村 Ikebukuro village (former 練馬 Nerima district) and is disrespectful to the deity of her birthplace, her home will be hit with disaster and misfortune.
Therefore most women of this district looked for a wedding partner here and never ventured out.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

Ikebukuro no Onna - The Woman from Ikebukuro
池袋の女（いけぶくろのおんな）は、江戸時代末期における日本の俗信の一つ。
- reference source : wikipedia -

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

すこし酔ひ跣足で歩く池袋
sukoshi yoi hadashi de aruku Ikebukuro

a bit drunk
I walk barefeet
in Ikebukuro

岡田史乃 Okada Shino (1940 - )

池袋二丁目常の目刺出て
岡本眸 Okamoto Hitomi (1928 - )

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A Haiku poet named
- 池袋寛 Ikebukuro Kan -

昼の虫日向国府という田舎
hiru no mushi Hinata Kokufu to iuu inaka

insects at daytime -
a countryside named
Hinata Kokufu

. insects at daytime, hiru no mushi　昼の虫 .
kigo for autumn

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7/02/2018

Oi district Shinagawa

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
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Ooi, Ōi 大井 Oi district "Great Well"
東京都品川区　Shinagawa, Higashi 東 East, Nishi 西 West and Minami 南 South Oi

Ooi Musashino 大井武蔵野 Ōi-Musashino
Ooimachi 大井町 Ōi machi

It had this name already in the Heian period and is mentioned in some old records as 大井郷.
The 大井 "Great Well" was dug in 1201 and the local farmers soon called the arae like this.
Another theory about the name
mentions records around 800, where o 大 a lot of igusa 藺草 rushes grew, 大藺 Oi.

In the Edo period it was named Ooi mura 大井村 Oi village.
The district was just outside of Central Edo and thus an easy place to enjoy a relaxed time.
Many Daimyo set up their Shimoyashiki estate here, with close access to the beach.

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The Sendai domaine used this estate to have the special Sendai Miso paste made here. Sendai Miso was much more salty than the normal Miso of Edo.
To our day there is a store selling
仙台味噌 Sendai Miso in Oi.

仙台味噌醸造所 - 4 Chome-1-10 Higashioi, Shinagawa

. Miso 味噌 All about Miso paste .

旧仙台坂（くらやみ坂）Old Sendaizaka, now Kurayamizaka slope - "Slope of darkness"

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Zeemusu saka, Zēmusu-saka. Zemusuzaka ゼームス坂 Zemusu "James" slope
（旧浅間坂）former Sengenzaka
Named after John Matthews James (1839 - 1908).

- quote -
James' Slope
In Central Tokyo, there is a gentle slope which was named after a Western person. It is called “James’ Slope”. The name of this slope has never been changed since it was first named over 100 years ago, even during an antagonistic renaming campaign during WWII. This name is derived from ‘John M. James’ (1839-1908) who was a British Captain and had come to Japan to teach navigation skills. His accomplishment greatly contributed to the Japanese Navy and he became known as ‘The Father of the Japanese Navy’. Surprisingly, there was something special about him; he was a devoted Nichiren Shū Buddhist. I believe he was the first European Congregation.

In 1860, as soon as Captain James came to Japan, he had a fateful passage to Britain along with two Japanese politicians. Unfortunately they encountered a storm and the ship was wrecked off the coast of Hong Kong. This incident led him to a turning point in his life. First, he made the decision to settle in Japan permanently. Second, he met Mr. Yoshiomi Seki who was a politician. Together they shared their fate from the coast of Hong Kong until they returned to Japan and became life long friends. Later, it is said that Mr. Seki taught Captain James Nichiren Shū Buddhism.

In 1868, he mediated for the Japanese Government in the purchase of battle ships from Britain. After that, he advised the Japanese on the installation of arms and equipment. He also taught the skills of how to cruise a ship and how to rescue a wrecked ship. The Japanese Government thought highly of his contributions. He was promoted to the position of Adviser of the Naval Department, and improved the immature Japanese ship skills to world class level. Because of this accomplishment, he was called the ‘Father of the Japanese Navy’. It is mentioned in his own notes that he really wanted to teach Japan how important marine affairs are, because he also grew up on an island country like Japan, Britain. His contribution was not only great for the Navy but he also contributed to the development of Japanese Civil Marine Affairs. In 1890 he received a permanent annuity and the following year he received an honorary medal from the Japanese Government.

Privately, Captain James was a very gentle person. Beside his house there was a very steep slope which was called ‘Sengen Zaka’.
Local people were inconvenienced by this slope and had trouble getting up and down it . As soon as he knew that, he spent his own funds and had the steep slope reconcstructed into a gentle slope.
Since that event, people began to call this slope ‘James’ Slope’ and it became the official name instead of the original name ‘Sengen Zaka’. This name never changed even during an antagonistic campaign which expelled all Western names during WWII. He took very good care of the children in the neighbourhood, even though he did not have children of his own. He donated large funds to a local elementary school to rebuild a new school building. In his neighbourhood, he gave children food or token money. Without his knowledge, he had been called ‘Santa Claus’. He was very popular and respected by many people.
- snip snip -
In 1908 his life ended at the age of 71. His funeral was held at his home directed by the 78th Hosu, the spiritual leader of Nichiren Shū. Three days before he passed away, he left a special request in his will “to please cremate my body and store my ashes in Mt. Minobu.” He chanted the Lotus Sūtra before his death and he meditated for a while, and then passed away peacefully while he was chanting the Odaimoku. According to the request of his will, his grave was erected behind the main temple. His Buddhist name was “East Seas Inn Royal Devoted Righteousness Nation Sunlight great lay Minister”. One seafaring man who came from far away Europe chose a port as the final port of call, it was Mt. Minobu. This year, 2008, his 100th year Memorial Service will be held on 20th May at Mt. Minobu.
- source : nichiren-shu.org.uk/james-slope... -

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Hankyu Hyakkaten　Oi Shokudokan　阪急百貨店大井食品館
1 Chome-50-５ Oi, Shinagawa
One of the first Hyakkaten 百貨店 stores opened in Tokyo after the earthquake destruction in 1923.

Ōimachi Station (大井町駅 Ōimachi-eki)
is an interchange railway station in Shinagawa, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East), Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit (TWR), and the private railway operator Tokyu Corporation.

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Ebara Shichi-Fuku-Jin 荏原荏原七福神　Seven Lucky Gods in Ebara area

- reference source : ebara-shichifuku.com... -

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大井蔵王権現神社　Oi Zao Gongen jinja

正確な創建時期は不詳だが、平安末期に創建された言い伝えがあるという。[1][2] 江戸時代、江戸の町に火事や疫病が流行ったとき、この地域は大井村の権現神社の天狗のおかげで無事だったとされる。その後、人々は天狗に感謝して権現神社のお祭りには太鼓を叩いたり、天狗を祀った神輿をかついだりしてきた。今ある、「大井権現太鼓」の発祥はその時の名残である。毎年8月下旬の土・日に大井町駅前で行われる(大井どんたく祭り)でも披露される。江戸後期に編纂された「新編武蔵風土記稿」には「蔵王権現社、村の北の方にあり、祭礼毎年九月三日神酒を供す、此社あるにより此あたりを權現台と呼べり」とあり、元の社地であった現在の品川区広町2丁目JR東京総合車両センター付近が旧地名である大井権現台の由来となった。[3] 1991(平成3)年に始まった巡礼札所として、荏原七福神のひとつ福禄寿も祀っている。
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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

. Raifukuji 来福寺 Raifuku-Ji .
品川区東大井3-13-1 / 3 Chome-13-1 Higashiōi, Shinagawa ward

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Takamura Chieko 高村智恵子
(1886 – October 1938) - Painter

- quote -
She was born in the town of Adachi in what is now the city of Nihonmatsu, Fukushima Prefecture as Chieko Naganuma, the eldest of six daughters and two sons.
In 1903,
she went to the Japan Women's University, the Nihon Joshi Daigaku in Tokyo, and graduated in 1907. She was an oil painter, and made colorful papercuts. She was an early member of the Japanese feminist movement Seitosha, joining in 1911. She made the cover illustration for the first issue of their magazine, "Seitō". It began as a literary outlet for woman writers and quickly turned into a forum for discussing feminist issues. These women were from the upper-middle class and soon were labeled "New Women" because of their views and their lifestyles. In February 1914, she married Kōtarō Takamura, a sculptor and poet, whom she met soon after he had returned from France.
Following the breakup of her family home in 1929, she was diagnosed in 1931 with symptoms of schizophrenia – she was hospitalized for that disease in 1935, and remained there until her death from tuberculosis in 1938.
Kōtarō's book of poems about her,
Chieko's Sky (智恵子抄 Chiekosho, literally "Selections of Chieko"), is still widely admired and read today. The translated title, "Chieko's Sky", is from one of the poems, "Childlike story" (あどけない話 Adokenai hanashi), where Chieko longs for the sky of her childhood.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- - - - - Chieko's memorial monument at her death place
She stayed in a hospital in Oi.
There are always lemons, as her husband had written in his last poem about her.

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7/01/2018

Minato ward

- quote
It is also called Minato City in English.
It was formed on March 15, 1947 as a merger of Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. The modern Minato ward exhibits the contrasting Shitamachi and Yamanote geographical and cultural division. The Shinbashi neighborhood in the ward's northeastern corner is attached to the core of Shitamachi, the original commercial center of Edo-Tokyo. On the other hand, the Azabu and Akasaka areas are typically representative Yamanote districts.
- source : wikipedia

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. Shiba Area 芝　/ 柴村 Shiba mura / 芝町 Shiba machi district　.
. Atago 愛宕 Atago district .
. Shinbashi, Shimbashi 新橋 "new bridge" district, Minato .
..... Shinbashi / Nishi-Shinbashi / Higashi-Shinbashi
..... . Tamura Kooji 田村小路 Tamura Koji Alley district - Shinbashi .
. Shiba 芝　/ 柴村 Shiba mura / 芝町 Shiba machi .
Shiba / Shibakōen / Shibadaimon
. Shiodome 汐留 Shiodome district .
. Toranomon 虎ノ門　/ 虎の門 / 虎門 "Tiger Gate" district .
. Yabukooji, Yabukōji 藪小路 Yabukoji alley district, "bamboo thicket" . -
. Hamamatsuchō 浜松町 Hamamatsucho, Hamamatsu district .
Kaigan (1-chōme)
. Mita　三田 /　御田 / 美田　"Three Rice Fields" .
..... Mita Shikoku Machi 三田四国町 "Shikoku Town" in Mita

. Azabu Area 麻布 "hemp cloth" district .
..... Azabu Nana Fushigi 麻布七不思議 seven wonders of Azabu
..... Azabuichibei 麻布市兵衛町 Azabu Ichibei town, Azabu Ichibee
..... Azabuipponmatsu 麻布一本松町 Azabu Ipponmatsu district "one pine tree"
Azabu-Jūban
Azabudai
Azabu-Nagasakachō
Higashi-Azabu // Minami-Azabu // Nishi-Azabu
Moto-Azabu
. Mamiana 麻布狸穴町 Azabu Mamiana district "hole of a Mami badger" .

. Akasaka Area 赤坂 "the red slope" district .
..... There are many sub-districts in Akasaka. Moto-Akasaka
. Aoyama 青山 Aoyama district, "Green Mountain" .
- Kita-Aoyama and Minami-Aoyama

. Takanawa Area 高輪 Takanawa district, Takanawadai 高輪台　 .
..... Takanawa Ushimachi 高輪牛町 Takanawa "Ox Town"
..... Takanawa Okido 高輪　大木戸　The Gates of Edo
. Shirokane 白金 Shirokane district "white metal" silver district .
..... 白金台 Shirokanedai
. Mita　三田 /　御田 / 美田　"Three Rice Fields" .

. Shibaura-Kōnan Area /　芝浦 Shiba-Ura ("under Shiba") 　.
Kōnan
Daiba
Kaigan (2, 3-chōme)

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6/30/2018

Chiyogasaki Meguro

In the Edo period, this district bordered to 三田 Mita, 上大崎 Kamiosaki, 中目黒 Nakameguro and 下目黒 Shimomeguro.

The name refers to an old story about Nitta Yoshioki and his concubine, 千代 Chiyo.
Yoshioki was killed in 1358.
When Chiyo heard of his death. she said
"If I die too, I will be able to be at his side for ever!" and drowned in the pond of the estate.
The villagers respected her death and called the pond now
Chiyo ga Ike 千代が池 Pond of Lady Chiyo.

歌川広重 Utagawa Hiroshige

Until about 1935, the pond was still there, but now we only have the print of Hiroshige to enjoy the view.

また、千代が崎には、こんなエピソードも残されている。「松平主殿頭の屋敷内に三基の異様な灯ろうがあった。この灯ろうは大正15年に大聖院（目黒区下目黒三丁目1番）に移されたのだが、それが十字の型をした切支丹灯ろうであることがわかり、この地が潜伏切支丹の遺跡ではないかと大騒ぎになった」のである。

- reference source : city.meguro.tokyo.jp/gyosei... -

. Nitta Yoshioki 新田義興 (? - 1358) .

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江戸名所図会 Edo Meisho Zue

"景色の優れたところで、松平主殿頭の別荘「絶景観」があったところ.
関東第一といわれた三段の滝が落ち込む大きな池があった"

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Beside other famous spots in Meguro to watch Mount Fuji, this was one of them.
Other famous spots were
目黒元富士、目黒新富士、爺ヶ茶屋、夕日が丘.

People came here to enjoy the cherry blossoms in spring, the autumn moon and the snow in winter.
The estate of the 松平 Matsudaira clan and the 肥前島原藩 Shimabara han domaine were located here.

- - - - - 歌川広重 Utagawa Hiroshige

不二三十六景 Fuji Sanjurokkei

絵本江戸土産 Ehon Edo Miyage

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- Modern Chiyogasaki and photos :
- reference source : ameblo.jp/tkyburabura... -

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千代ヶ崎砲台跡 Chiyogasaki battery traces
Yokosuka city, Kanagawa

- reference for Yokosuka -

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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 .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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- - - - - #chiyogasaki #megurochiyogasaki #chiyogasakimeguro #chiyogaike - - - -
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