Edo - the EDOPEDIA -

7/14/2018

Samegahashi district Shinjuku

江戸名所図会　Edo Meisho Zue

- Various explanations for the name are known :

Samegamura 鮫が村 "Shark village"
Samegahashi, Kitacho 鮫河橋北町 Northern District of Samegahashi.

The bridge over a river called Samegawa 鮫川 / 鮫河 "Shark river".
In the Edo period the district was on a plateau above the sea, and shark could be seen from above.
Nearby was 豊島の入江 Toshima no Irie inlet.

- - - - - Another hint for the naming:
In the Edo period, a horse with white eyes was called
sameuma, same-uma 𩥭（さめうま）

- - - - - sameuma kanji with horse and fish
A tale knows this:
Once a priest from the temple 牛込行願寺 Gyogan-Ji in Ushigome had brought such a Sameuma as an offering.
But he fell down from the bridge and both were killed. The bridge was then called after the horse,
さめ馬ヶ橋 Samegahashi.

- - - - - Another hint for the naming:
The bridge was located over tani 谷 steep valley, which was only filled with water when it rained a lot
- 雨 ame .. same - 雨（さめ）ヶ橋 - - - 雨ヶ橋 "Rain Bridge".

Maybe
it was a 駮馬 Sameuma horse belonging to 源義家 Minamoto no Yoshiie.
or
Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu had a 駮馬 Sameuma and when it died, it was carried from 千駄ヶ谷村 Setagaya village for a burial. While crossing the bridge the horse fell into the valley.
or
samizu 冷水（さみず) cold water was flowing below the bridge.

- Another district with the name SAME
. Samezu 鮫洲 "Shark sand bar" district . - Shinagawa

In the Edo period, there were various Samegahashi districts
元鮫河橋表町
元鮫河橋仲町 - 旧字仲殿田
元鮫河橋南町 - 旧鮫河橋千日谷町
元鮫河橋北町
元鮫河橋八軒町
元鮫河橋陽光寺門前 - 江戸時代後期には空き地化
鮫河橋新伊賀町 - 後に鮫河橋谷町

In the beginning of the Meiji period, the following names were used

元鮫河橋町 - 明治5年（1872年）元鮫河橋表町南部、元鮫河橋仲町、武家地が合併
元鮫河橋南町 - 明治2年（1869年）元鮫河橋八軒町、明治5年武家地を合併
鮫河橋谷町一丁目 -(1872年）鮫河橋谷町南部、元鮫河橋北町、元鮫河橋陽光門前、武家地、寺地が合併して成立
鮫河橋谷町二丁目 - 明治5年（1872年）鮫河橋谷町北部、寺地が合併して成立

In 1911, the district of Samegahashi was split into districts in Yotsuya ward:
四谷区元町、南町、谷町一丁目、谷町二丁目
- reference : wikipedia

In 1696, the village along the bridge had become quite large and got the name
Samegahashitanichoo 鮫ヶ橋谷町 Samegahashi Tani Cho "Valley of the Shark bridge"

. Edo goyaku　江戸五役（ごやく）　the five official worker groups of Edo castle .
御駕籠之者 okagonomono, o-kago no mono
They had to look after the kago 駕籠 palanquins for the Shogun and his heirs.
Their quarters were relocated to 四谷鮫ヶ橋 / 鮫河橋 Yotsuya Samegahashi.

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赤坂御用地鮫が橋門 Akasaka Samagahashi Gate

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鮫ヶ橋せきとめ稲荷 Samegahashi Sekitome Inari Shrine
9-9 Minamimotomachi, 新宿区 Tokyo

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- quote -
Ke Brigade, Fifth Group, Samegahashi
Actor Jitsukawa Enjaku I as Yomoshichi,
from the series Flowers o Edo and Views of Famous Places (Edo no hana meishô-e)
「江戸の花名勝会　け　五番組」「与茂七　実川延雀」（初代実川延若）
The term “flowers of Edo” (Edo no hana) can refer, among other things, to fires. The title panel for each print in this series shows the lanterns and identifying standard (matoi) for one of the brigades of firefighters (hikeshi) assigned to various districts. On the west side of the Sumida River were 48 brigades named for the symbols of the kana syllabary and grouped into 8 numbered groups (1 to 10, minus the bad-luck numbers 4 and 7). On the east side of the river, brigades were numbered and assigned to directional groups. Outlying districts were covered by special brigades, here designated “extra” (bangai).
Each title gives the name or number of a brigade, its group, and its district, followed by the kabuki scene chosen to match it.
- source : Museum of Fine Arts, Boston -

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7/12/2018

Aoyama district Minato

- quote -
Aoyama (青山 "Green Mountain" or "Blue Mountain")
is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods of Tokyo, located in the northwest portion of Minato Ward. The area is well known for its international fashion houses, cafes and restaurants.
Kita-Aoyama (北青山) or "North Aoyama" refers to the area on the north side of Aoyama-dori (Aoyama Street) between the Akasaka Palace and Aoyama Gakuin University, while Minami-Aoyama (南青山) or "South Aoyama" refers to the area to the south of Aoyama-dori and extends to the northern edge of Roppongi, Azabu and Hiroo.
During the Edo period,
Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences. The name Aoyama derived from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari who served the Tokugawa Shogunate and held his mansion in this area. Today, along with Shibuya and Harajuku, it is one of the most popular entertainment and shopping areas "Omotesandō",
for young people in Tokyo. It is well known for its fashion houses, restaurants, and shopping.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Cushion Pine at Aoyama 青山円座松 Aoyama enza no matsu
Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾北斎

- quote -
Aoyama Tadanari 青山忠成 (1551 – 1613)
was a Tokugawa general and chief retainer at the end of the Sengoku and start of the Edo period. He was the father of Aoyama Tadatoshi, and the Aoyama region of Shibuya is named after him.
- - - - - History
The Aoyama clan were provincial lords of Dōdo village, Nukata District in Mikawa Province (present Okazaki, Aichi). Aoyama Tadakado, Tadanari's father, served both Matsudaira Hirotada and Tokugawa Ieyasu, and thus Tadanari served near Ieyasu since he was young. In 1572, his father died in battle with Takeda Shingen and Tadanari inherited the estate.
Tadanari was highly trusted by Ieyasu,
and in 1585 he commanded him to guard his son Hidetada. In 1588, Tadanari accompanied Hidetada to the capital where he was granted Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade of Hitachi Province by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1590 Ieyasu relocates to Kantō and promotes Tadanari to magistrate of Edo with lands worth 5,000 koku (increased by 2,000 koku in 1593). His estates centered on Harajuku village and extended from part of Akasaka to Shibuya. Present day Aoyama is so named because one of Tadanari's mansions was located there.
In 1600,
Tadanari joined Hidetada's army at the Battle of Sekigahara and obtained 15,000 koku of lands between Kazusa Province and Shimōsa Province. In addition to being the Edo magistrate, he also served as the general magistrate for the entire Kantō region. After the start of the Edo shogunate, he was heavily involved in shogunate policy along with Honda Masanobu and Naitō Kiyonari. Along with Naitō in 1606, he is temporarily sentenced to house arrest but is soon pardoned.
Tadanari's son Tadayoshi was to fall out of favor with Shôgun Tokugawa Iemitsu, though the family's name would be restored during the time of Tadanari's grandson, Munetoshi.
- source : wikipedia -

When Shogun Ieyasu was hawk hunting together with Tadanari, they passed the area and Ieyasu told him:
"I will give you all the land you want around here!"
So Tananari took a long rope, sat on his horse and begun a long ride, connecting the trees on the way. It reached from Akasaka to Shibuya.
The area had been called 原宿 Harajuku, but when Aoyama Tadanari begun to built his estate here, it was re-named after him.
To the South-West was the sub-district 青山御手大工町 Ote-Daiku machi, where soon many carpenters came to live.
In the East was 青山百人町 Hyakunin cho. This was a district of low-ranking Samurai, who had to work for their living, mostly making paper umbrellas. There were at least 12 shops selling umbrellas in the area.

. Hyakuninchoo　百人町 Hyakunincho district .
(hundred-member town)

Harajuku, Omotesando 原宿 - 表参道

- quote -
Omotesandō 表参道 "frontal approach"
is a zelkova tree-lined avenue located in Shibuya and Minato, Tokyo, stretching from the Meiji Shrine entrance to Aoyama-dori (Aoyama Street), where Omotesandō Station can be found.
Omotesandō was originally created in the Taishō era as the frontal (表 Omote) approach (参道 Sandō) to Meiji Shrine, which is dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shōken.
Omotesandō is the main vehicle and pedestrian thoroughfare for Harajuku and Aoyama. .....
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

明治神宮外苑の紅葉 Autumn at Meiji Jingu Gaien (outer park)

- quote
Omotesandō 表参道 Main Approach to the Meiji Shrine
Today, Omotesandō is one of Tokyo’s most fashionable and expensive neighborhoods. It’s famous for Japanese and international brand shops and world-renowned hair salons. Its location next to Harajuku, a fashion center for young people, serves a balancing act making Omotesandō a fashion playground for adults.
But what does Omotesandō mean?
A 参道 sandō is the general word for a road that leads up to a shrine.
Every shrine has a sandō, even if the word isn’t preserved in a place name. 表 omote means “front” or maybe better put into English as “main.” If you go north from Harajuku on the Chiyoda Line, you’ll find a station called 北参道 Kitasandō (North Approach to the Shrine).
The area was a sparsely populated suburb in the Edo Period and Meiji Period. The shrine was finished in the mid-1920’s and the area began to attract business and residences.
omotesando nogi maresuke
The main street that leads up to the Meiji Shrine is called 青山通りAoyama dōri and not Omotesandō.
Aoyama dōri is not the Omotesandō. It has been Aoyama-dōri. But beginning in 1920, a bus that traveled up Aoyama dōri to the 表参道 omote sandō began service. The name of the bus was the “Omotesandō Bus.” This is when the connection with the shrine’s omote sandō began. The station that is now Omotesandō Station was originally called 青山六丁目駅 Aoyama roku-chōme eki. Later it was renamed 神宮前駅 Jingū-mae eki.
By the 1970’s the neighborhood had a personality of its own, distinct from Harajuku, Aoyama and – of course – the Meiji Shrine, so it was renamed 表参道駅 Omotesandō eki.
- soruce : japanthis 2013 -

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- - - - - Sub-districts of the Edo period

青山原宿町 Harajuku - 青山緑町 Aoyama Midori cho
青山御掃除町 - 慶応4年青山掃除町に改称
青山御手大工町 - 慶応4年青山手大工町に改称
青山善光寺門前
青山御炉路町
青山浅河町
青山若松町
青山久保町
青山六軒町
青山百人町
青山五十人町

- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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- - - - - Subway stations
Aoyama-itchōme Station (Ginza Line, Hanzōmon Line, Toei Ōedo Line)
Omotesandō Station (Chiyoda Line, Ginza Line, Hanzōmon Line)
Gaiemmae Station (Ginza Line)
Nogizaka Station (Chiyoda Line) – located in the southeastern corner of Minami-Aoyama adjacent to Roppongi

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. Aoyama Gakuin 青山学院大学 University .
private university in Shibuya 渋谷区

. Meiji Jinguu 明治神宮 Shrine Meiji Jingu .
and the Shrine festivals

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Aoyama 青山　東京

. hitodama　人魂 / 人霊 / 人玉 spirit of a dead person .

hitodama ヒトダマ / Aoyama bochi 青山墓地 cemetery
Sometime ago, after a rainfall, on a quiet evening a person saw a human spirit. It was all round and green-white, with a flaming border around it. It also had a small tail like a triangle and swayed loosely in the air.
Another person had also seen this kind of Hitodama at the Aoyama cemetery. In fear he had poked it with his umbrella and it soon disappeared. On the umbrella were trails of burning.

- quote -
Aoyama Cemetery (青山霊園 Aoyama reien) is a cemetery in Aoyama, Minato, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and at the season of hanami, many people visit.
- - - - - History
The cemetery was originally the land of the Aoyama family of the Gujō clan (now Gujō, Gifu) in the province of Mino (now Gifu). The Japan's first public cemetery was opened in 1874, and in the Meiji era the main locations of foreigners' graves.
The cemetery has an area of 263,564 m2.
- - - - - Grave of Hachikō
One of the cemetery's most famous graves is that of Hachikō, the faithful and dutiful dog whose statue adorns Shibuya Station, was buried alongside with his two owners, Hidesaburō Ueno and Yaeko Sakano.
..... The Japanese section includes the graves of many notable Japanese, including: .....
..... The cemetery includes a gaikokujin bochi (foreign cemetery), one of the few such plots in Tokyo.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Kiku 菊 Lady Chrysanthemumm, 青山主膳 Aoyama Shuzen and the Sara-yashiki
O-Kiku had claimed to be 青山の子 the child of Aoyama.

. Sara yashiki　皿屋敷 "the Dish Mansion" .
- where the ghost of O-Kiku comes out of a well.
The story of Aoyama Daihachi and Okiku.

歌川広重 Utagawa Hiroshige

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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7/10/2018

Tameike district Akasaka Minato

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. 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

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. 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

[ . 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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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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