taika great fires

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .
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taika 江戸の大火 Edo no Taika "Great Fires of Edo"



During the Edo period, when people lived closely in wooden homes and used open fire for cooking, fires were especially terrible.
Fire and fighting are the flowers of Edo (kaji to kenka wa Edo no hana)
is an old proverb of these dangerous times.

hatsu kaji 初火事 first fire
The first fire of the new year is often seen as a bringer of bad luck, if it happens during the first three days of the New Year.

Matsuo Basho's first "Basho Hut (Bashoo An 芭蕉庵" burned down, on January 25, 1683.

. WKD : kaji 火事 fire .
hi no ban　火の番 on the lookout for fire
machibikeshi, machi hikeshi 町火消し local fire brigade
hi no yoojin 火の用心 fire prevention goods

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江戸の火事と火消 / 山本純美

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Fires in Edo
were fires which occurred in Edo (江戸), now Tokyo, during the Edo period. The city of Edo was characterized by frequent great fires as the saying "Fires and quarrels are the flowers of Edo" goes.
Even in the modern days, the old Edo was still remembered as the "City of Fires" (「火災都市」). The city was something of a rarity in the world, as vast urban areas of Edo were repeatedly leveled by fire. The great fires of Edo were compared to the Chinese gods of fire Shukuyū (祝融) and Kairoku (回禄), and also humorously described as "autumn leaves".
..... During the 267 years between 1601 (Keichō 6), the year after the Battle of Sekigahara (関ヶ原の戦い), and 1867 (Keiō 3), the year of Taisei Hōkan (大政奉還, literally "return of sovereignty"), Edo was struck by 49 great fires.
..... The strong winter monsoon from the north was a meteorological condition unique to Edo. It contributed to many winter and spring fires that occurred in dry weather brought about by prevailing northwest and north winds.....

December 26, 1601 / 6 Keicho/11
March 10or11, 1641 / 8 Kan-ei/1/29or30 - Oke-machi Fire 桶町火事
March 2–3, 1657 / 3 Meireki/1/18-19 - Great Fire of Meireki 明暦の大火
January 25, 1683 / 2 Tenna/12/28 - Great Fire of Tenna 天和の大火
October 9, 1698 / 11 Genroku/9/6 - Chokugaku Fire 勅額火事
December 25, 1704 / 16 Genroku/11/29 - Mito-sama Fire 水戸様火事
March 14, 1745 / 2 Enkyo/2/12 - Rokudō Fire 六道火事
March 22, 1760 / 10 Horeki/2/6 - Hōreki Fire 宝暦の大火
April 1, 1772 / 9 Meiwa/2/29 - Great Fire of Meiwa 明和の大火
April 22, 1806 / 3 Bunka/3/4 - Great Fire of Bunka 文化の大火
April 24, 1829 / 12 Bunsei/3/21 - Great Fire of Bunsei 文政の大火 / 江戸神田佐久間町の大火 Great fire in Sakumacho 1829
. March 16, 1834 / 5 Tempo/2/7 - Kōgo Fire 甲午火事 - and Sakuma Fire .
March 2, 1845 / 2 Koka/1/24 - Aoyama Fire 青山火事
November 11, 1855 / 2 Ansei/10/2 - Earthquake Fire 地震火事

Tokugawa shogunate's fire prevention measures
Firefighting organizations
- machibikeshi (町火消, chōnin firefighters).
- buke hikeshi (武家火消 samurai firefighters)
-- daimyō hikeshi (大名火消, daimyo firefighters) and
-- jōbikeshi (定火消, hatamoto firefighters).

Anti-arson measures
- Hitsuke tōzoku aratame 火付盗賊改方

Urban planning - fire barrier zones
- Hiyokechi 火除地 and hirokōji 広小路
- Fire-resistant and fireproof structures
- Prohibitions and fire alert orders
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Meireki no Taika 明暦の大火 Great Fire of Meireki
March 2–3, 1657 / 3 Meireki/1/18-19
... also known as the Furisode Fire, destroyed 60–70% of the Japanese capital city of Edo (now Tokyo) on March 2, 1657, the third year of the Meireki Imperial era. The fire lasted for three days, and is estimated to have claimed over 100,000 lives.
Legend
The fire was said to have been started accidentally by a priest who was cremating an allegedly cursed kimono. The kimono had been owned in succession by three teenage girls who all died before ever being able to wear it. When the garment was being burned, a large gust of wind fanned the flames causing the wooden temple to ignite.
. . . . . On the 24th day of the new year, six days after the fire began, monks and others began to transport the bodies of those killed down the Sumida River to Honjo, Sumida,_Tokyo, a community on the eastern side of the river. There, pits were dug and the bodies buried; the Ekō-in (Hall of Prayer for the Dead) was then built on the site.
. . . . . Under the guidance of Rōjū Matsudaira Nobutsuna 松平信綱, streets were widened and some districts replanned and reorganized
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Matsudaira Nobutsuna 松平信綱 (1596 – 1662)
was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kawagoe Domain. First serving Tokugawa Iemitsu as a page, Nobutsuna was renowned for his sagacity. He was named a rōjū in 1633. Nobutsuna led the shogunal forces to their final victory over the rebellion at Shimabara. His court title was Izu no Kami, which was the origin of his nickname, "Izu the Wise" (知恵伊豆 Chie Izu).
. . . . . In his later years, he joined senior Tokugawa officials such as Hoshina Masayuki in supporting the underaged 4th shogun, Ietsuna. With Hoshina he planned how to rebuilt the town of Edo after the great fire.
. . . . . Shogun Ietsuna calls him "as ugly as a toad".
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


The bridge 両国橋 Ryogokubashi across the　隅田川 Sumida river was constructed on request of Hoshina and Matsudaira to provide an escape road for the townspeople. The land on the other side soon thrived as a popular amusement district, as did many other of the newly built hirokooji　広小路 Hirokoji, Wide Roads, which provided space for yatai 屋台 stalls and evening business.

. Ryoogokubashi 両国橋　 Ryogokubashi bridge .


The 天守閣　tenshukaku tower of Edo castle was also lost during the Meireki fire.
It was not rebuilt any more, to express the lasting peace of the Tokugawa bakufu and the money was spent to rebuilt the town. The gates at the other bridges of Edo were also kept open for free transportation and trade in Edo, thus improving the life of the citizens. This also expressed the now lasting peace of the Bakufu, showing that a castle for war defense was no longer needed.

. Edo joo 江戸城 Edojo, Edo Castle .

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October 9, 1698 - Chokugaku Fire 勅額火事
Also called 元禄江戸大火 or 中堂火事
It started from Kyobashi and by a southern wind spread fast. Soon it came down from Surugadai to Shitaya 下谷、Kanda Myojin Shita 神田明神下 and 湯島天神下 Yushima Tenjin Shita.
Then to 下谷池之端 Shitaya Ikenohata and on to Asakusa. It was stopped by a great rain after 22 hours.
More than 3000 dead.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Shitaya 下谷 and modern Taitō-ku 台東区 Taito Ward .

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April 22, 1806 - Great Fire of Bunka 文化の大火
文化3年3月4日
Also called 丙寅の大火 or 車町火事 or 牛町火事.
It started in 車町, passed the Kamiyashiki of the Satsuma clan.
It destroyed much of the Ryogoku, Kyobashi and Nihonbashi districts of Edo, and on to Kanda and Asakusa.
Next day came a great rain and the fire extinguished.
More than 1200 dead.

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 and the Shitaya Fire Haiku .
Issa lived in 下谷 Shitaya at that time.

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Ueno Hirokoji / Shitaya / Yamashita
The area around the present day Ueno Park (the former Kan'ei-ji Temple).
Ueno Hirokoji is the area from the entrance to present day Ueno Park to Matsuzakaya.
After the Great Fire of Meireki (1657), the street width was widened and the area was made into a firebreak. This was a shopping quarter lined with grocery stores, restaurants and other shops along the route of the Onarimichi (a special road used by the imperial family, regents and advisers and the shogun) successive Shoguns throughout history when they went to worship at the Kan'ei-ji Temple.
At the intersection of the present day Chuo St. and Shinobazu St. the Shinobu-gawa River flowed, and there were 3 bridges over it so the area was called Mihashi (three bridges). Matsuzakaya and Mihashi were both pictured in nishiki-e.
Shitaya refers to a section on the east side of Kan'ei-ji Temple (present day Ueno Park), and the name (lower valley) was in reference to Ueno, which was a plateau.
Yamashita (below mountain) refers to being beneath Toeizan. It was located in the area within the present day JR Ueno Station building and the plaza in front of the station. In 1737 it was made into a firebreak after a fire, and became an amusement district with stores and entertainment booths rather than a residential area.
- reference source : ndl.go.jp/landmarks/e/sights -

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Three Great Fires of Edo 江戸の三大大火

Meireki 明暦の大火
Meguro Gyooninzaka 目黒行人坂の大火 Meguro Gyoninzaka (Meiwa no taika)
Hinoe Tora 丙寅の大火 (Bunka no taika)


- source : gakken.co.jp/kagakusouken -

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Meguro Gyōnin-zaka slope and Fuji 目黒行人坂冨士

Gyōnin-zaka is a steep slope at Shimo-Meguro, Meguro Ward.
The slope was so named because ascetics from Mt.Yudonosan in Ushū (Yamagata Prefecture)
built a Dainichinyorai-do hall there. ("gyōnin" means "ascetic".)
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Museum -

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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Tokyo 文京区 Bunkyo Ward

. The Fire at 伝通院 Temple Denzu-In, Dentsu-In .

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Tokyo 中央区 Chuo Ward

At the Great Bunsei Fire on there was a shop sign that did not burn.
Near the origin of the fire, there was a small hut that did not burn.

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Tokyo 練馬区 Nerima

kitsune 狐 the fox
There lives an old fox in the temple. When he called out, he warned people of a fire, so three or four times a great fire could be averted. He is therefore called

火消稲荷 Fire-extinguishing Inari
a form of hi no kami inari 火の神稲荷, Inari as a Fire Deity.

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Tokyo 西多摩郡 Nishi-Tama district 檜原村 Hinohara village

akai kami 赤い紙 a red paper
A poorly looking traveler was refused to stay over night.
The traveler went to the outskirts of the village, folded a red paper and let it fly.
The paper flew to the home where the traveler had been refused and caused a fire.
Many other homes also burned down that night in a large fire.

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Tokyo 品川区 Shinagawa ward

O-Koojin sama お荒神様 the Venerable Kojin Deity
Once there was a fire in a shopping area in front of Shinagawa station.
A man took a small sancutary of the Kojin Deity, placed it on the roof in the direction of the fire and opened the doors of the sanctuary.
Soon the wind changed direction and the fire stopped at his neighbours house.
. Kojin, Aragami 荒神と伝説 Legends about the Aragami deity .

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- source : nichibun yokai database -

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. taika 大火と伝説 Legends about big fires in Japan .

. Japanese Architecture - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. 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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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]- - - - - #edobakufu ##taika #greatfiresinedo #edofires #fire #gyoninzaka - - - -
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Komagome district

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
- Sendagi, see below
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Komagome 駒込 Komagome districts "groups of horses, crowds of horses"

There are two districts with this name, one in 文京区 Bunkyo ward and one in nearby 豊島区 Toshima ward.



Bunkyō
"Literature Capital" is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !



Toshima
is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo,
Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita wards, in the north, and Nakano, Shinjuku and Bunkyo in the south.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


Horses were the most important means of transportation and very important to the people of Edo.
. uma 馬, koma 駒 - horse amulets .
The horse is also one of the 12 zodiac animals

In the early Edo period, Komagome was a plain, where many wild horsed lived, giving reason for its naming.
Another theory goes back to
Yamato Takeru, who was surprised to see the many horses of his allies gathered here for his Eastern Expedition and had used the many trees to bind the horses on them.
He called out: uma komitari 馬込みたり "So many horses have come together here!"
The komi later changed to gome.

. Yamato Takeru 日本武尊 .


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駒込 Komagome district / 文京区 Bunkyo ward
文京区 本駒込一丁目から本駒込六丁目 Hon-Komagome from the 1st to the 6th sub-district

It is composed of many sub-districts
駒込片町、駒込曙町、駒込富士前町、駒込上富士前町、駒込吉祥寺町、駒込浅嘉町、駒込動坂町、駒込神明町、小石川駕籠町
There were at one time seven Komagome sub-districts, called
Komagome shichiken mura 駒込七軒村 Seven villages of Komagome.
They also used to be called
. Somei shichiken mura 染井七軒村 .
Somei was a cluster of small towns and villages that specialize in growing ornamental plants and trees to plant in the gardens of all the wealthy Daimyo in Edo.



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. Shrine Komagome Fuji Jinja 駒込富士神社 .
and the festival with mugiwara hebi 富士祭の麦藁蛇 the straw serpent


source :　yosukenaito.blog40.fc2.com

stamp with the straw serpent, from 1965

This shrine is located in :
5 Chome-7-20 Honkomagome, Bunkyo, Tokyo

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Hon-komagome-eki 本駒込駅 Honkomagome Station is a subway station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line in Bunkyo.

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Rikugien 六義園　'6 Poem Garden'
6-16-3 Hon-komagome, Bunkyo



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Rikugien is often considered Tokyo’s most beautiful landscaped garden. Built by the 5th Tokugawa Shogun Tsunayoshi in the 17th century, it reproduces 88 scenes from famous Japanese poetry. It has a traditional Edo-period design with a pond, small hill and trees. The garden was later neglected following the death of it’s key designer and was restored in 1878 by the owner of Mitsubishi, Iwasaki Yataro before it was donated to the Government in 1938.
It is one of Tokyo’s more spacious parks and takes roughly an hour to explore, and longer during cherry-blossom and autumn-leaf viewing seasons. There are different tea houses serving traditional tea and sweets to the public (around ¥500 each), including Fukiage Chaya which is located on the water’s edge. Seasonal flowers are a major attraction even in spring and summer, with plenty to explore and admire throughout the year.
- source : tokyocheapo.com/// -


. Haiku about Rikugi-En .

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. Komagome Oiwake 駒込追分 .

The Nakasendo Highway branch off of the Nikko Highway at 駒込追分 Komagome-Oiwake.

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Komagome nasu 駒込茄子　eggplants from Komagome
. Edo yasai 江戸野菜　vegetables from Edo .



とくに、ナスは優れたものが出来たことから「駒込ナス」として江戸庶民に好まれ、徳川幕府が発行した「新編武蔵風土記稿」（１８２８年）にも記されています。農家はナス苗や種子の生産にも力を入れるようになり。タネ屋に卸していました。 現巣鴨駅の北西にある旧中山道にはタネ屋が集まり、さながらタネ屋街道の趣をなし、駒込、滝野川など周辺の農家が優良品種の採種に大きく貢献していました。

- reference source : tokyo-ja.or.jp/farming.. -


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駒込 Komagome district / 豊島区 Toshima ward
豊島区本駒込 Toshima ward, Hon-Komagome

In the Edo period, the village 駒込村 Komagome mura was located here.

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Is Hon-Komagome the Original Komagome?
- - - - - No, it isn’t.
When the same place name has variations, the kanji 本 is sometimes read as moto “source” (in place names, often “old, original.”
But Hon-komagome is different. In the former Tōkyō City, there was an ward called Hongō-ku 本郷区 Hongō Ward but in 1966 administrative units were re-assigned when the city became the Tōkyō Metropolis. At that time, Bunkyō Ward and Toshima Ward found themselves both in possession of areas called Komagome. The area in Toshima (the former Toshima District) kept the original name Komagome. The new Bunkyō Ward merged the former Hongō Ward name with the old name and so it became Hon(gō) + Komagome = Hon-komagome. So the meaning is not “Original Komagome” as some might think, the original Komagome is the area still called Komagome.
- source : japanthis.com... -


Komagome-eki 駒込駅 Komagome Station is a railway station in Toshima.

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. Magome 馬込 Magome district, 大田区 Ota ward .


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Komagome Sendagi choo 駒込千駄木町 Komagome Sendagi "with 1000 trees",
"a lot of trees"
文京区 Bunkyo ward 千駄木一丁目から千駄木五丁目 from the first to the 5th sub-district



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Sendagi is a mixed residential and shopping area between Nezu and Yanaka. Today the area is distinctly shitamachi. However, if you go there you’ll notice slopes which are clear indicators that in the Edo Period the area was mixed with the elites living on the yamanote (high city) and the merchants and other people living on in the shitamachi (low city) while low ranking samurai naturally lived on the hillsides according to rank.
... 谷根千 Yanesen, an abbreviation based on the collective areas of 谷中 Yanaka, 根津 Nezu, and 千駄木 Sendagi.
The area is dotted with temples, shrines, shops dating as far back as the Edo Period, and is literally so steeped in history ...
The area was formerly part of Komagome Mura 駒込村 Komagome Village and in fact today is still officially part of Komagome. The name Komagome isn’t attested until the Sengoku Period. One the other hand, 千駄木 Sendagi isn’t attested until the early Edo Period when it appears as a label in a map. The label reads Ueno Tōzen'in mochi Komagome Sendagi o-hayashi 上野東漸院持ち駒込千駄木御林 the Komagome Sendagi o-hayashi which is controlled by Ueno Tōzen Temple.
Another early Edo Period map includes the label Ueno Kanshō'in mochi Komagome Sendagi o-hayashi 上野寒松院持ち駒込千駄木御林 the Komagome Sendagi o-hayashi which is controlled by Ueno Kanshō Temple. An 御林 o-hayashi was a hilltop wooded area owned by the shōgunate, but control of the area was granted to a lord or temple.
About 1656,
the former hilltop forest came to be the site of a daimyō residence of the lords of Bungo no Kuni Funai Han 豊後国府内藩 Funai Domain, Bungo Province (present day Oita Prefecture in Kyūshū). The family was the 大給松平家 Ōgyū Matsudaira, a samurai family from Mikawa no Kuni 三河国 Mikawa Province, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s homeland. As Edo depended on the shōgunate and the shōgun himself was from Mikawa, having a Mikawa family bearing the name Matsudaira bolstered the area’s prestige[. The hill became a yamanote town comprised of high ranking samurai residences. It seems that because the Ōgyū residence was first the prestigious palace built on the hilltop, the area came to be to be known as Ōgyūzaka 大給坂 Ōgyū Hill. If you go to the top of Ōgyūzaka there is a crappy little park with a huge gingko tree called the 大銀杏 Ōichō. They say this tree stood inside the original Ōgyū property.
Nearby
is another hill called 道灌山 Dōkanyama. It’s said that at the end of the Muromachi Period, 太田道灌 Ōta Dōkan had a branch castle here which he built for tactical support of Edo-jō 江戸城 Edo Castle.
..... 千駄 senda was another word for takusan 沢山 a lot.
- The 1000 Da Theory - firewood
da 駄 is a unit of measurement that describe how much stuff you can put on a horse’s back.
- The Ōta Dōkan Did It Theory
he re-forested the area by planting sendan 栴檀 Chinaberry trees here.
- It’s a Reference to a Traditional Japanese Prayer For Rain
..... amagoi 雨乞い prayer for rain. In the common parlance, this activity was called 千駄焚き senda-taki burning 1000 da.
There is also the district 千駄ヶ谷 Sendagaya.
- source : japanthis.com... -

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Sendagi 千駄木


Sendagi Dango-zaka Hanayashiki
Hiroshige

This area was originally forest land called 千駄木御林 Sendagi Ohayashi, and was contributed as a supply area for firewood after the construction of Ueno Kan'ei-ji Temple. It is said that the area was named Sendagi because senda was the amount of goods carried by a thousand horses and a senda of firewood was cut each day. Because the top of 団子坂 Dango-zaka Hill, which runs from Sendagi to Yanaka and Ueno, overlooks 佃沖 Tsukuda-oki , it was also known as 汐見坂 Shiomi-zaka Hill, and there were many dango (rice dumpling) shops along the roadside. There were many gardeners on top of the hill, and some sort of garden plants could be seen throughout the year. In 1856, a gardener who cultivated chrysanthemum moved to Sendagi from 染井 Somei, and the area became known for kiku ningyo (dolls wearing clothing made of chrysanthemums).
At the bottom of the hill, the 谷戸川 Yato-gawa River (Aizome-gawa River) threaded between the Hongo and Ueno plateaus, but it was turned into a culvert after the Great Kanto Earthquake. It is said a gardener named 宇平治 Uheiji opened a flower garden called 紫泉亭 Shisentei and established a pond.
- source : ndl.go.jp/landmarks/e/sights/sendagi -


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Sendagi
Sendagi Station is located in the Sendagi district of Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo. It is operated by Tokyo Metro for its Chiyoda Subway Line.
Sendagi is part of the historical area known as 谷根千　Yanesen.
The atmosphere of this simple and cozy residential district still holds signs of the Edo period. One can still find traditional wooden houses, small old-styled pubs (Izakaya), and a large number of old temples here mainly because this area has miraculously survived the 1923 Kanto earthquake and the World War II bombings. Walking through the narrow streets of Sendagi will take you to many of these sights. Among the most prominent of these are:
Daienji Temple
Choanji Temple
Tennoji Temple
Yanaka Cemetery
Asakura Choso Museum ( Choso Sculpture Hall )
Yanaka Ginza
- source : tokyo-tokyo.com/Sendagi -


- reference : sendagi edo -
Sendagi Dango-zaka Hanayashiki
Flower Pavilion on Dangozaka Hill in Sendagi - Hiroshige
Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi 谷中・根津・千駄木 - - 谷根千 Yanesen

- reference : aizome-gawa -
"Aizome Gawa" (The Resurrection of a Woman at Aizome-gawa River), Noh Drama

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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 .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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Okachimachi district Taito

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. Famous Places and Power spots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Okachimachi 御徒町 Okachimachi district
Taito ward, Okachimachi , 御徒町一丁目 - 三丁目 Okachimachi first to third sub-district
仲御徒町 Nakaokachimachi 一丁目 - 仲御徒町四丁目 first to fourth sub-district.
After 1964, the area was re-distributed and is now part of
台東区台東 Taito and 東上野 Higashi-Ueno.



The name refers to the foot guards of the Shogun,
okachigumi, o-kachi-gumi 御徒組 / okachigata 御徒方.

The kachi 徒 were very low-ranking Samurai.
Their living quarters were here.
They had to look after the safety of the road when the Shogun was going out.
Many had a low income and had to work at other jobs to make ends meet.

The O-Kachi samurai were divided in various groups:
本丸15組 15 groups for the Honmaru part of Edo castle.
西ノ丸5組 5 groups for Nishi no Maru.
Each group had two leaders and about 28 members.

okachi 御徒 is also spelled 徒士.

goyoogeikoo 御用稽古 "official training" of the Ssamurai of Edo castle.
Swimming was especially taught to the elite of the groups.


- quote
... a 徒 kachi is one of the lowest ranking samurai of the Edo Period. They were not permitted to ride horses. Until the 1800’s, they were not allowed to wear clothes with a family crest as their families were not considered successive clans. Some people draw a parallel between this rank of samurai and low level salarymen and low level management of Tōkyō – the analogy being in the type of housing and accessible neighborhoods according to their salary. This isn’t a good analogy, in my opinion, in that the samurai ranks were highly regulated by the Tokugawa Bakufu and a modern worker can marry “out of his station” or just move to the suburbs and get a bigger place. ...
... Even though these kachi were direct retainers of the shōgun, they were a kind of non-commissioned officer. They were expected to live in barracks. In many cases they wouldn’t be granted permission to live with their wives and children. In times of war, they were forbidden from marching in the vanguard. In times of peace, they were basically the white trash of Japan. They were supposedly privileged, but in reality, they were just commoners. The commoners had to show deference to them, but the rest of the samurai elite probably shat on them. ...
... the whole area from O-kachimachi to Ueno is considered the low town today. ...
- source : japanthis - Marky Star


- Other Samurai in service of Edo castle:
oobangumi 大番組　Obangumi, castle guards
onandogumi 御納戸組　keepers of the Shogun's personal stores.
Their living quarters were the
kumiyashiki 組屋敷　group residence

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- quote -
Okachimachi
is an area on the JR Yamanote Line, just south of the major Ueno Station. It is one of the areas of Tokyo that is well known for its shopping and excellent range of foodie options. Expect lots of fashionable youngsters here and crowds of hungry shoppers.
- - What to eat and drink in Okachimachi
There is a shopping street in the Okachimachi area called Taito-ku’s Torigoe. This is where you must go for eating and drinking. The street features around 230 shops that sell a huge range of groceries, ready-made meals and the very traditional and well-loved okazu (sides). This is Japan, so eating on the street and walking is frowned upon, but luckily street-snacking is more than welcome here as there is a small designated rest area with tables and chairs, which is found near the middle of the street. Eat away friends. Do note that most of the shops are closed on a Sunday.
There is of course sushi
to be had in this area. Head to Ginzo Sushi for some tasty options. The atmosphere of the restaurant is relaxing with piano jazz playing and there are also smoking and non-smoking seats, which can be rare to find in Tokyo. Go for the Sakura Nigiri Set for 790 yen, which includes 8 pieces of sushi, chawanmushi (a type of savory egg custard and prawn) and a delicious miso soup. Lunch sushi sets will cost you from 790 yen up to 2,600 yen. If you’re not a sushi fan, they also have a good range of other sets which include udon, grilled fish, tempura and donburi. Great value and great choice here.
- - - What to do in Okachimachi
Ameyokocho is said to be Japan’s last black market. This little number is great for both food and shopping. It really is just a random selection of stalls here. You can see heaps of clothes racks filled with shoes and coats. At another place will see you okonomiyaki, another monja, some French and Italian cuisine here, and other types of Asian restaurants there. You can find running shoes, perfumes, toys, watched, lychees, kebabs and shaved ices all in the same vicinity—the possibilities really are endless. Go here for an interesting and ever-ending browse.
Let’s get some shoes.
Told you this area was a fashion hub. With heaps of options at this shoe haven of an area, your feet will feel fabulous at any of these Okachimachi finds. Hit AbAb for a very good summer sale with pairs of shoes being reduced from 7,000 to as a little as 1,000 yen—bargain! (Do be warned though, if you have a larger size of feet for a woman, you may struggle to find a shoe that fits in Japan!)
Located near Okachimachi Station
lies the Shitamatchi Museum. The museum displays the history and life of shitamachi (downtown). The first floor showcases the living space of shitamachi such as a merchant’s house and a row of tenement house flats. The second floor shows a range of materials that detail the history of the shitamatchi area and there is even an area where visitors can see olden-day toys.
- source : tokyocheapo ... -



. Ameyoko あめよこ (アメ横) shopping in Ueno .


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- quote -

キムチ横丁 Kimchi Yokocho alley.
Near Ueno station east of Showa-dori Street is the oldest “Korean Town” in Tokyo called Kimchi Yokocho.
There are many Korean restaurants, yakiniku restaurants, and stores selling Korean food products like kimchi here. The area developed after World War II, when a number of restaurants, butcher shops, and stores selling traditional clothes opened here.
- source : authentic-tokyo .. -


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station Naka-Okachimachi eki 仲御徒町駅
This station was built in 1961.

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. Taitoo, Taitō 台東区 Taito Ward .


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

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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Sakuragi district Taito

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. Famous Places and Power spots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Sakuragi 桜木 Sakuragi district
上野桜木一丁目 - 上野桜木二丁目 Ueno Sakuragi from first to second district

- quote
Discover craft beer, artisanal bread, and gourmet food in a collection of renovated houses

The first store in the ueno sakuragi atari block is Yanaka Beer Hall, a brewery that serves craft beer and barbecue-style food.
You can place an order from outside the window or settle yourself into the warm and welcoming hall.
The next building houses VANER, an artisanal bakery serving fresh-baked bread all day long.
And the third and final store is OshiOlive, a gourmet boutique selling olive oils, salts and other condiments and sauces.
- source : gotokyo.org/en/spot ...

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. Yoojuin 養壽院 / 養寿院 Temple Yoju-In .
台東区上野桜木1-15-3 / Taito ward, Ueno, Sakuragi

. Kawabata Yasunari 川端康成 Yasunari Kawabata (1899 – 1972) .
The writer lived in 上野桜木町 Ueno-Sakuragi town.

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. Taitoo, Taitō 台東区 Taito Ward .

. Kaido 街道 Highways - ABC Index .

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

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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Tabata Oji Kita

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. Famous Places and Power spots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Tabata 田端 Tabata district
Kita, Tabata 一丁目 - 六丁目 first to sixth sub-district
東田端 Higashi, 一丁目、二丁目 first and second sub-district
田端新町 Shinmachi, 一丁目 - 三丁目 first to third sub-district



The name means 「田の端」にあった町 a town at the end of the fields.
Another spelling is 田畑, meaning many rice and vegetable fields.

In the Edo period, the area was called 豊島郡田端村 Toshima district, Tahata village.

- quote -
Tabata (on the edge of the field)
... In the Edo Period, 田端村 Tabata Mura Tabata Village was located on a section of the elevated area that is geographically referred to as the 上野台地 Ueno Daichi the Ueno Plateau, but was to known at the time as 上野山 Uenoyama Ueno Mountain. The area was well known because one side was bordered by a cliff. Although, most people don’t notice it now, the west side of Tabata Station clearly shows the cliff – it’s just been woven into the fabric of the modern metropolis.
It’s said that meaning of the name is 田ﾉ端 ta no hata on the edge of a rice paddy. Historical records and maps from the early Edo Period are vague at best, but the area would have been quite rural at the time. The presence of 田畑 tahata rice paddies and fields is more or less a given. Speaking of tahata, a second etymology says that via rendaku, tahata became tabata.

Tabata sits on a ridge – a cliff, if you will – on the edge of the Ueno Plateau. The agricultural lands here were eventually surrendered to the Tokugawa Shōgunate in the name of 参勤交代 sankin-kōtai alternate attendance[ii], for the purpose of building daimyō residences and samurai residences. Without clear historical records, the “edge” could have referred to rice paddies on the plateau itself, or could refer to the cliff – a proverbial “edge” clearly delineating the yamanote and shitamachi, thus indicating the farming was being done in the valley.
A second, more intriguing theory maintains that the place name is most likely far more ancient than the kanji reveal. ... This theory maintains that the oldest place names are all based on the terrain. This theory maintains that the oldest place names are all based on the terrain....
... This alternate theory uses some archaeological findings to back it up. The area has been inhabited since the Jōmon Period but the real activity picked up around the Yayoi Period. During the early to mid Jōmon Period (7,000-4,000 years ago), this area was coastline, and the high areas were inhabited by villagers, communities highly reliant on the sea and not farming. The sea began receding during the Yayoi Period and we find evidence of all kinds of coastal fishing activity, but no farming. Because the only people who farm next to the ocean are idiots.
Again,
if this is an ancient name – not a medieval name – the kanji does not matter. Kanji have sounds (readings) but no kanji is divorced from meaning. It always has a meaning. Going by this theory, the archaeological evidence has led a small group of people to maintain that the name comes from a very ancient place name that originally meant “the top of the plateau.” One of the more interesting speculations was that the name is evidenced by 束旗 tabahata → tabata a bundle of flags, because the high ground is where you can build your fort (and of course put up your flags, which can be seen from everywhere).
- source : Marky Star -

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Atrevie Tabata アトレヴィ田端
Finished in 2008.
Tabata station, 1 Chome-17-2 Higashitabata, Kita

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田端文士村記念館 TABATA Memorial Museum of Writers and Artists
6 Chome-1-2 Tabata, Kita
Admission - Free
- source : kitabunka.or.jp/tabata -

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. 宝珠山 / 寶珠山 Hojuzan　地蔵院 Jizo-In　与楽寺 Yoraku-Ji .
北区田端1-25-1 / 1 Chome-25-1 Tabata, Kita


Dairyuuji 大龍寺 Dairyu-Ji
東京都北区田端4-18-4 / 4-chōme-18-4 Tabata, Kita

With the grave of the haiku poet
. 正岡子規 Masaoka Shiki .


. Toogakuji 東覚寺 Togaku-Ji .
北区田端2-7-3 / 2 Chome-7-3 Tabata, Kita

Nearby is
田端八幡神社 Tabata Hachiman Jinja
東京都北区田端2-7-2 / 2 Chome-7-2 Tabata, Kita

- quote -
The shrine is located right next to Tokakuji Temple.
It's told that this shrine started when Minamoto no Yoritomo, founder of the Kamakura government, stopped by on his way back to Kamakura after the conquest in North Japan, at the end of 12th century.
- source and photos : richiefukuda.blogspot.com... -


上田端八幡神社 Kami-Tabata Hachiman Jinja
東京都北区田端4-18-1 / 4 Chome-18-1 Tabata, Kita
- reference source : tesshow.jp/kita/shrine_tabata... -

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Ooji, Ōji 王子 Oji district
Kita, Oji 一丁目～六丁目 first to sixth sub-district
王子本町 Oji Honcho (Motomachi) 一丁目 - 三丁目 from first to third sub-district
下十条町 Shimo-Jujo machi was located in the 東京都王子区 Oji district.
. Juujoo, Jūjō 十条　Jujo district　. - Kita



The place where the deity 若一王子 Nyakuichi Oji / 若王子 Nyakuoji from Kumano are venerated.
熊野本宮大社の若一王子

The area was first called 岸村 Kishimura, "village on the shore". After the sharing of a deity from the 熊野本宮大社 Kumano Hongo Taisha in Wakayama a new Shrine was built for the deity
若一王子 Nyakuichi Oji The Srine was named Oji Jinja and the district named
王子村 Oji mura village.
This deity is not a prince, but the special deity
熊野権現 Kumano Gongen.

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Ooji Jinja, Ōji Jinja 王子神社 Oji Shrine
王子本町１丁目 / 1 Chome Ojihoncho, Kita


source : wikipedia

In this shrine Kumano Gongen 熊野権現 is venerated.


The Shrine is famous for its huge 王子神社のイチョウ gingko tree.

The local deities in residence are

Semimaru ko 蝉丸公(神霊) (a poet of the Heian period)
Sakagami hime 逆髪姫(神霊)
Furuya bijo 古屋美女(神霊)
Deity of hairstyle 髪の祖神

The Oji Shrine was founded in the 14th century. It is situated on a hill and from there you have a great view.
The shrine buildings of today were reconstructed after WW II.



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. Ooji Inari Jinja 王子稲荷神社 Oji Inari Fox Shrine .
1-12-26,Kishi-Machi,Kita-Ku,Tokyo / 東京都北区岸町1-12-26
This shrine was also called Kishi Inari 岸稲荷.
Once a year on January 1, the foxes from the Kanto region would pay a visit to the great fox shrine . . .

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王子製紙 Oji Paper Company
A paper-making company from the area.
Founded by Shibusawa Eiichi.


- CLICK for more photos !
Kami no Hakubutsukan 紙の博物館 Paper Museum
- reference source : ojipaper.co.jp -

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- quote -
Ōji Ōgi-ya 王子 扇屋 Oji, Ogiya

During the Edo period,
Ōji bustled as a tourist destination for worshipping Ōji Inari Shrine and waterfall bathing.
It is said that restaurants stood in line near the Otonashi River. Ebi-ya and Ōgi-ya, in particular, were listed in the restaurant ranking of the Edo period.
Ebi-ya was run by the brothers of Ōgi-ya, but only Ōgi-ya remains until now.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

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. Kita ku 北区 Kita ward, "Northern Ward" .

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

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. 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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Kobayashi Issa

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Welcome to Kobayashi Issa in Edo !

Read the main introduction here:

. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 - Introduction .



Issa (1763 - 1828)



. Cultural keywords and kigo used by Issa - ABC-LIST .


- Read the regular comments by
. - Chris Drake - .

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江戸江戸とえどへ出れば秋の暮　
edo edo to edo e izureba aki no kure

when heading to Edo
Edo, Edo!
autumn dusk　

The normally exciting prospect of visiting the Shogun's great capital is overshadowed by a sense of the year's (and life's) approaching end.

.

時鳥花のお江戸を一呑に
hototogisu hana no o-edo o hito nomi ni

oh cuckoo--
swallow blossom-filled Edo
in a gulp!

.

江戸の雨何石呑んだ時鳥
Edo no ame nangoku nonda hototogisu

rain in Edo -
how much of it did you swallow
little cuockoo ?

.

掃溜の江戸へ江戸へと時鳥
hakidame no edo e edo e to hototogisu

"I'm off to that rubbish heap
Edo! Edo!"
the cuckoo

.

江戸衆や庵の犬にも御年玉
edo shuu ya io no inu ni mo o-toshidama

people of Edo
even for the hut's dog
a New Year's gift

...


藤棚の隅から見ゆるお江戸哉
fuji tana no sumi kara miyuru o-edo kana



from a wisteria trellis
nook I see...
Great Edo

...

かはとりも土蔵住居のお江戸哉
kawahori mo dozoo sumai no o-edo kana

the bats, too
live in a storehouse...
Great Edo!



春風にお江戸の春も柳かな
haru kaze ni o-edo no haru mo yanagi kana

with the spring breeze
spring reaches Edo...
the willows!



大江戸の隅の小すみの桜哉
ooedo no sumi no kosumi no sakura kana

in one of great Edo's
little nooks ...
cherry blossoms



もまれてや江戸のきのこは赤くなる
momarete ya edo no kinoko wa akaku naru

squezed and rubbed ...
Edo's mushrooms
turn red


Edo-zakura　江戸桜　Edo Cherry Blossoms
. edo sakura hana mo zeni dake hikaru kana .


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棒杭に江戸を詠る蛙哉
boogui ni Edo o nagamuru kawazu kana

on a stake
a frog gazes long
sings of Edo
Tr. Chris Drake

This is a spring hokku, but it was written just after New Year's in the 1st month (February) of 1825, probably before many frogs were singing in the snow country where Issa lived. Issa's note says "Mimeguri Shrine," a reference to a Shinto shrine near the Sumida River in northeast Edo, the largest city in Japan in Issa's time. The hokku must be a hokku of memory, since Issa was far from Edo in his hometown when he recorded it in his diary. A woodblock print of the Mimeguri Shrine from Issa's time shows a row of stakes along the river's edge, protecting the base of the high embankment on the east side of the Sumida River. There are also high tethering poles along the bank used by small ferry boats when they stop at a riverside landing to unload or pick up visitors to the shrine.

Issa's use of Sino-Japanese characters follows normal Edo-period usage, which is different from contemporary Japanese usage. The verb nagamu (in the hokku it's in its attributive form nagamuru) means to gaze, to look into the distance, to look non-specifically, as in meditation or deep thought. In the Edo period it was often written with the character 詠 , used by Issa here and in many other of his hokku, and it sometimes had the suggestion of singing as well as gazing. The character 眺 , "to gaze," was more common as a verb of looking, but only the character 詠, whose main readings were utau and yomu, "to sing; recite, chant, compose a poem," could also, through its semantics as a visual character, suggest a double meaning: "gazing/staring abstractedly while singing (or writing/composing a poem)." This double meaning may well be what Issa is suggesting in this hokku.

A frog seems to be gazing meditatively, panoramically watching Edo across the river and to the southwest from a stake on the city's periphery while thinking deeply about choosing the best sounds for its songs about the city, which it sings for its frog audience. To me the plural "frogs" is also powerful, as if Issa were imagining a group of commoner voices singing from their humble waterline perspective about the proud humans in the stylish big city in the near distance. However, a single frog can better evoke the ageing Issa, who has lost his first wife and four children and then, the year before, has been divorced by his second wife and now, alone, seems to be looking back on his early life in Edo. In those days he was an idealistic young man who studied and followed one of the main Edo styles of haikai and often evoked city life, though from the periphery, since he always felt himself to be a bit of an emotional outsider in Edo. The frog is not Issa, but since this is a hokku of imagination and memory, there may well be some overlap between the frog's songs and Issa's own hokku and renku.

The custom of reading the character 詠 as nagamuru goes back at least to the late medieval period, because the famous Wagoku-hen (倭玉篇) dictionary of the middle Muromachi Period gives these readings: 詠 .....ウタウ　ナガメ　ナガムル (utau, nagame, nagamuru). Many, many examples of this usage can be found in the literature and other written genres of the Edo Period, and Issa's usage is in no way unusual or strange.　

Chris Drake

. Mimeguri Jinja 三囲神社 / 三圍神社 Mimeguri Shrine .

. MORE - Issa and the kawazu FROG .


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江戸江戸とえどへ出れば秋の暮　
edo edo to edo e izureba aki no kure

Edo! Edo!
when I'm here it's just edo --
autumn twilight

- Tr. and Comment by Chris Drake -



江戸の蚊の気が強いぞよ強いぞよ
edo no ka no ki ga tsuyoi zo yo tsuyoi zo yo

those mosquitoes of Edo
they really are strong ...
they are strong ...
Tr. Gabi Greve

(I have the feeling he is talking about the male inhabitants of the city . . .)


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本町や夷の飯の横がすみ
Honchoo ya Ebisu no meshi no yoko-gasumi

Old Quarter--
food for the God of Wealth
in mist

On the 20th day of Tenth Month (old calendar), a festival was held in honor of Ebisu, god of wealth. In the haiku, food offerings to the god meet a bank of mist.
The "Old Quarter" Honchoo was in the Nihonbashi section of Edo, today's Tokyo.
Tr. and comment by David Lanoue

. Ebisu and related KIGO 　


. Honjo 本所　 and Motomachi 本町 in Edo .



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浅草の鶏にも蒔ん歳暮米
Asakusa no tori ni mo makan seibo mai

for Asakusa's chickens, too
a end-of-year gift...
scattering rice
Tr. Lanoue


. WKD : Issa in Asakusa .


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江戸状や親の外へも衣配
edo joo ya oya no hoka e mo kinu kubari

in a package from Edo
new clothes...and I'm not
his dad!
Tr. David Lanoue


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梅さくや先あら玉の御制札
ume sake ya mazu aratama no o-seisatsu

plum trees will bloom
but first the new year's
edicts


A subtly anti-government haiku. Literally, Issa suggests that "before the plum blossoms of spring can bloom, we will be subjected to the government's new year's edict signs posted everywhere."
Tr. and Comment : David Lanoue




制札 seisatsu, goseisatsu, koosatsu 高札
fure, o-furegaki, o-fure お触書
Wooden plaques with the edicts of the government, placed at crossroads along the city streets. Many people could not read and someone read them for all.


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. Kameido choo 亀戸町 Kemeido, Kame-Ido "Turtle Well" .

心の字に水も流れて梅の花
shin no ji ni mizu mo nagarete ume no hana

Heart Pond at Kameido Tenjin Shrine and plum blossoms


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Meguro 目黒

目黒へはこちへこちへと小てふ哉
. meguro e wa kochi e kochi e to kochoo kana .

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夕涼や草臥に出る上野山
yuusuzu ya kutabire ni deru Ueno yama

evening cool--
weariness sets in
on Ueno Hill
Tr. David Lanoue



露三粒上野の蝉の鳴出しぬ
tsuyu mi tsubu ueno no semi no nakidashinu


. Ueno (上野) .
a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, now best known as the home of Ueno Station and Ueno Park.


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深川や桃の中より汐干狩
Fukagawa ya momo no naka yori shiohigari

Fukagawa !
through the peach blossoms
people are gathering shells
Tr. Gabi Greve


深川や蠣がら山の秋の月
Fukagawa ya kakigara yama no aki no tsuki

深川や舟も一組とし忘
Fukagawa ya fune mo hito-gumi toshiwasure


. Issa in Fukagawa - Edo .
Fukagawa is famous for the Basho-An　芭蕉庵, dwelling of Matsuo Basho.


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Onari suji 御成り筋 road for the Shogun, in Edo and other parts of the country
. kare-giku ya kari no nosabaru onari-suji .



外堀の割るる音あり冬の月
. sotobori no waruru oto ari fuyu no tsuki .
Sotobori 外堀　 outer moat of Edo castle



陽炎によしある人の素足哉
. kageroo ni yoshi aru hito no suashi kana .
a woman praying at Ooji Inari Jinja 王子稲荷神社 Oji Inari Shrine


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Yuki no Edogawa 雪の江戸川　 - Evening Snow at Edo River


Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水 (1883-1957）


これきりと見えてどっさり春の霜
kore kiri to miete dossari haru no shimo

it seems as if
this will be the end of it　-
severe frost in spring


The Edo River (江戸川, Edogawa)
is a river in the Kantō region of Japan. It splits from the Tone River at the northernmost tip of Narita City, crosses through Nagareyama and Matsudo, and empties into Tokyo Bay at Ichikawa. The Edo forms the borders between Tokyo, Chiba, and Saitama prefectures. Its length is 59.5 km.

The course of the Edo River was previously the main course of the Tone River. It was diverted from the Tone in 1654 by the Tokugawa shogunate to protect the city of Edo from flooding. The Edo was used to transport large amounts of cargo from Chōshi and other cities on the Pacific Ocean coast inland to the capital. Before industralization the river was also used to cultivate lotus roots.

Edogawa (江戸川区, Edogawa-ku) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It takes its name from the river that runs from north to south along the eastern edge of the ward. In English, it uses the name Edogawa City.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Koumemura 小梅村 "Little-Plum village" near Edo on the Sumida River.
. kuwa no e ni uguisu naku koume mura . 　　


Sumidagawa 隅田川　River Sumidagawa

かつしかや煤の捨場も角田川 - Katsushika 葛飾
. katsushika ya susu no suteba mo sumida-gawa .


. Ryoogokubashi 両国橋　Ryogoku Bridge - Ryoogoku, Ryōgoku　両国 .

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. Senju 千住 Senju district .

早立は千住留りか帰る雁
haya tatsu wa senju-domari ka kaeru kari

rising early
will you stop at Senju town?
departing geese

Shinji Ogawa points out that kaeru in this context can be translated as "return" or "leave." Since this is a spring haiku, the wild geese are leaving Japan (i.e., returning to northern lands).
He adds, "Senju is a town located in today's Arakawa-ku; in Issa's day it was the first post town for travelers from Edo to the northern provinces."
Tr. and comment - David Lanoue


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- - - - - A waka by Issa -　和歌　

kaki-mono mo nokorazu boo ni furusato no
hito no shimijimi nikuki tsura kana

Paper-eating bookworms
those people in my hometown
treating all the documents
as if they were nothing --
I can't stand seeing their faces

Read the discussion here:
. Chris Drake .
Translating Haiku Forum, March 2013



MORE hokku by Issa about
. furusato ふるさと　故郷、古里 my hometown, my home village .




. Honganji 本願寺 Temple Hongan-Ji, Hongwanji .
Issa visiting these temples of Amida and Saint Shinran in Kyoto and Edo.



. kasen 1827 linked verse .
for the New Year 1827
with Issa, Baiji and Rancho (Ranchou)


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June 15, 2013



This is in memory of Kobayashi Issa Birthday 小林 一茶、
宝暦13年5月5日（1763年6月15日）- 文政10年11月19日（1828年1月5日））


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. Ora ga Haru　おらが春　Year of My Life .

. ISSA and Genji Monogatari 源氏物語 The Tale of Genji .


. His son Ishitaroo、Ishitarō, 石太郎 Ishitaro .
Born in 1820, but died one year later.
and third son Konzaburo

. Chinese Poetry Influence on Issa .



. Cultural keywords and kigo used by Issa - ABC-LIST .


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Latest updates about Issa on facebook - CLICK to join !



. WKD : Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 .


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