daiku carpenter

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. shokunin 　職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .
. Places and Powerspots of Edo .
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daiku　大工 carpenter and legends

. daiku - Introducing Japanese Carpenters .


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江戸時代大工上棟之図 Edo Carpenters building a roof

tooryoo 棟梁　Toryo, master carpenter
He is a most important person when building a new wooden home, temple or shrine.
They also had the job of an architect in planning and organizing the whole construction.

miyadaiku　宮大工 "shrine carpenter"
specializing in building shrines and palaces

. Hida no takumi 飛騨の匠 master builders from Hida, Gifu .
an expert carpenter or craftsman from Hida
Hida no daiku 飛騨の大工 carpenter from Hida, architect from Hida

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There was a special district in Edo where most of the carpenters lived :

Kanda daikuchoo　神田　大工町 carpenter district in Kanda
tate daikuchoo 竪大工町 (now in Uchi Kanda 内神田三丁目14番 )
yoko daikuchoo 横大工町 / minami daikuchoo 南大工町

This district was founded around 1640 in the Kanei period 寛永 and is mentioned in the
"Edo Map of Kanei 寛永江戸図".
Many carpenters who lived here worked directly for the Bakufu government for the official buildings of Edo.


source :　無涯塾日記

One famous (but fictional) character is the carpenter 吉五郎 Kichigoro in the story
三方一両損 sanbo ichiryo zon, where the famous magistrate 大岡越前守忠相 Oka Echizen is holding court.

The shop of a craftsman making the matoi 纏 standards , a pole with the fire fighters brigade mark, is also located here.
纏屋治郎右衛門 Matoiya Jiroemon

. shokuninmachi 職人町 district with craftsmen in Edo .

Now the 龍谷大学 Ryukoku University is located in this district.

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Another district where carpenters lived was



Umibedaikuchmachi 海辺大工町 Umibe Daikumachi carpenter district on the coast
Umibe Daikucho, Umibe Daiku-Cho , Umibe Daiku-machi
along the river 小名木川 Onagigawa.


Umibe is a district in 江東区 Koto Ward, next to Fukagawa.

River Onagigawa joins the Sumidagawa with the bridge 高橋 Takahashi as main access. Another bridge was 万年橋 Mannenbashi and then
the Shin-Takahashi　新高橋 New Takahashi Bridge. The bridge Takahashi (High Bridge) was build much higher than other bridges to avoid being swept away by flooding of the rivers.

After reclaiming the land the settlement along the river Onagigawa became w river port and was named Umibe Daikumachi in 1713.



Many carpenters skilled in building ships and boats came to live here, hence the name.
funadaiku 船大工 shipbuilder carpenter



The bottom of a wooden boat was often burned to make it more resistant to rotting.


source : adachi-hanga.com/ukiyo-e
歌川国芳 Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Detail from 東都三ツ股の図 Toto Mitsumata no Zu
View of Mitsumata in the Eastern Capital




. River Onagigawa 小名木川 .
and The Gyotoku Salt Fields 行徳塩田 Gyotoku enden

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- - - - - . Bashō-An 芭蕉庵 Basho-An in Fukagawa　深川 .
- Matsuo Basho　松尾芭蕉　－ Haiku Poet


source :　homepage3.nifty.com/onihei-zue
Basho-An was near the Mannenbashi 万年橋　"Ten Thousand Year Bridge".

萬年橋 Mannenbashi bridge - Hiroshige


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source :　刃物　フルカワ
職人絵図　江戸時代　大工　(釿・ノミ・鋸・下げ振りなどが見える)


Craftsmen going out to work were called dejoku, deshoku 出職.
They went to the home of a client to work. The three most important deshoku for construction works 普請三職 were
大工 carpenter, shakan 左官 wall plasterer and tobi 鳶 construction workers.

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The carpenters left home early in the morning to make use of the daylight. Work usually started around 7:00 in the morning
They carried a box with their tools, an important status symbol of each carpenter.
He always kept the box at home over night. If a fire broke out in the neighbourhood he could throw his tool box into the drainage canal before the house (どぶ). So even if he lost his home and place to sleep, he still had his tools and could start all anew the next day.


source and more :　たそがれ日記

doogubako 道具箱 Dogubako, tool box of a carpenter

At 10:00 there was a short break of about 30 minutes.
13:00 was time for a one-hour lunch break.
At 14:00, another short break of about 30 minutes. Including a smoke and a snack.
At 17:00 work was over and the carpenter could go home. On the way he might go to a bath house and be home at 19:00 for dinner.
Bedtime was early, at 20:00.
(There was no electric light in Edo . . . nights were dark, dark, dark.)
If he had to start earlier or work overtime to get a job done, he was payed extra money.

Because of bad weather he usually could not work for about 60 days in a year, leaving him without income for 2 months. His wife had to make ends meet.
He still had enough pocket money to have a drink of Sake at night and get some sweets for the children.

There was a humorous saying in Edo:

大工殺すにゃ刃物はいらぬ、雨の十日も降ればよい.
To kill a carpenter you do not need a sharp blade.
Just let it rain for 10 days.

Before doing some work the craftsman had to haggle about the price for a bit of work with his client, temadori 手間取.

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Kiba　木場


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- quote -
Kiba - Lumberyards and Carpenters
Eitai-bashi (Eitai bridge) is the longest bridge in Edo, and one of the largest in the country. Though not nearly as famous as nearby Nihonbashi, it is probably a more important bridge for the citizens of Edo. The huge, semicircular arch is one of just three bridges spanning the lower reaches of the Sumida river, and linking central Edo with the residential and manufacturing districts on the eastern shore of the river. Although both Nihonbashi and Ryogoku-bashi are more well known, Eitai-bashi is nevertheless an important transportation link from central Edo to the busy lumberyards of Kiba.

Kiba is a low-lying district on the very edge of Edo bay, on the east bank of the Sumida river. It is a very blue-collar neighborhood, and most of the residents live in nagaya (row houses). Many of the people who live here are day laborers and construction workers, who toil in the vast lumberyards that give this district its name.

The word "kiba" literally means "place for wood". The area gets its name because it is the neighborhood designated by the Shogun for all lumber yards. Although many construction companies have offices in the central part of the city, they are prohibited from keeping a large stockpile of wood anywhere near the city center. Instead, they have to keep almost all of their wood stored in Kiba. This is a precaution taken to help prevent serious fires.

When Edo was first built, the main kiba, or lumber yards, were located on the west bank of the Sumida river, in places like Tsukiji and Hamacho. This was the most convenient location, since the wood could be transported there easily by river, and most of the construction work being done in the city was in the downtown areas around Nihonbashi, Kyobashi and Kanda. As the city began to spread out, construction companies set up smaller lumber yards in each part of the city. However, as the people of Edo discovered, this was an invitation to disaster. Fire has always been a serious problem for citizens of Edo. Nearly every building in the city is made of wood, and the houses are packed tightly together, especially in the shitamachi (downtown) areas of the city. If a fire gets started, it usually spreads very fast, and it may destroy many, many buildings before anyone can put it out.

In the crowded, narrow streets of the city, it is often hard to escape from a fire, and many people die every year from even small fires. There is even an old saying among city residents, that "fires and fistfights are the flowers of Edo". Both types of altercations flare up very easily in the crowded downtown neighborhoods. However, when they were planning and building their city, the early Shoguns never imagined that fires could cause as much damage as the Great Meireki Fire did in 1657.

The Great Meireki Fire was the worst catastrophe ever to strike the city, and even today, more than a century later, the city still bears scars from the disaster. Almost half a million people died in the flames, and over half of the city was burned to the ground. After the catastrophe was over, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the fifth Shogun, passed a series of laws and made several changes to the design of the city to help make sure that future fires could not spread so quickly or cause as much damage. One reason why the flames to spread rapidly was that there were many large lumber yards located in the downtown area. Once a big lumber yard catches fire, it is just about impossible to put out, and the flames jump so high that the firemen cannot stop them from spreading to other buildings nearby.

After the Great Meireki Fire, all carpenters and builders were ordered to move their lumber yards to the other side of the river, away from the heavily populated downtown area. The new neighborhood was given the name "Kiba". A number of other changes were made as well, such as widening the roads to create firebreaks, and organising local fire brigades. The job of a fireman is usually held by low-ranking samurai. It is a very dangerous and demanding job, but the firemen of Edo are highly respected, and many local communities look to current or former members of the fire brigade to become their local leaders and peace officers.



Kiba is a very low, swampy area that sometimes gets flooded at extremely high tides and during storms. Although this makes it a rather uncomfortable place to live, it is an ideal place for lumber yards. First of all, it was easy to build a vast network of canals in the area where the lumber yards were located. These canals have a dual purpose -- their main function is as transportation routes, to make it easier to bring wood to and from the lumber yards. In addition, the canals prevent fires from spreading from lumber yard to lumber yard. Although the high tides and floods can sometimes cause damage to the wood (especially if the wood remains under water for too long), it also has a positive effect. Termites cannot build their nests in swampy ground, and the occasional floods destroy any termite nests that have been established in the woodpiles, so the lumber yards of Kiba are almost immune to termite damage.



Wood is brought to Kiba from mountain forests far to the north and west of the city. Lumberjacks working in the forests cut down the tall, straight and hard-wooded trees such as sugi (cedar) and hinoki (cypress). These are the best types of wood for building houses, since the wood is straight, strong and very resistant to water. The logs are then cut into large, semifinished beams, which are tied together like a raft and transported downriver to Edo.

When the huge wooden beams reach Kiba, they are sold to individual lumber merchants or construction companies. The lumber merchants take the huge beams to their own lumber yard where carpenters saw them up into smaller boards and beams, storing them in the lumber yards until they are ready to use.

Most of the lumber merchants have close ties to the construction guilds in downtown Edo. Builders are among the more respected of craftsmen, and master builders can become very wealthy. However, for every master architect and builder, there are usually many lesser craftsmen, apprentices and day laborers who do the dirty work, like carrying heavy beams or bundles of shingles to and from a building site, or tearing down old buildings that are being replaced. The more skilled carpenters tend to live in middle-class areas in Nihonbashi, Kyobashi or Asakusa, while many lower-level workers live in the blue-collar districts near Kiba, where they queue up each day looking for temporary jobs on a construction site.
- source : edomatsu -


. Construction work - Introduction .
Organizing all the artisans to build a home in Edo !


. Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水 (1883 - 1957) .


Kiba no Yugure 木場の夕暮れ Timber Yard, Evening


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. carpenter tools with Daruma .



koshibukuro だるまの腰袋 waist bag
kugibukuro 釘袋 nail bag

. kugi 釘 nail, Nagel - Introduction .

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Daiku Rokusa 大工六三　Rokusa the Carpenter
?Daiku Rokuzo, Daiku Rokuzō



Utagawa Kunisada
A portrait of Ichikawa Ichizo III as Rokusaburo the carpenter,
made for the forthcoming performances of Komamukae Tanomino Tsukkomi (a version of Mijikayo ukina no chirashigaki) at the Morita theatre in 1858.
- source : fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/gallery -

- quote -
OSONO ROKUSA
Sanzesô Nishiki Bunshô / Oku Dôsha Musume Sugegasa
The courtesan Osono, who belongs to the Fukushimaya house in Fukagawa, is ailing because of over-anxiety concerning her lover Komurasaki Rokusaburô (commonly called Rokusa). He has been dismissed from service as samurai because he lost a family treasure, a valuable poem card (shikishi) that had been entrusted to his keeping. .....
Osono's brother Chôan, a doctor who is more a charlatan than a skilled doctor, knows that Rokusa is a hopeless rônin. ...
... Osono, who is readying herself for departure, is met by Rokusa who has come back to kill her. Osono gives him a letter she had written to explain everything. Rokusa understands the circumstances and they go off together.
Trivia
The story of Osono and Rokusa is based on two real events which happened in Ôsaka in 1749: the 18th day of the 3rd lunar month of the 2nd year of the Kan'en era , the courtesan Osono (from the Minami pleasure district) and the carpenter Rokusa committed a double suicide. The same day, a courtesan from the Kita Shinchi pleasures district, who had killed her elder brother and was sentenced to death, was executed. The story of Osono and Rokusa is a fusion of these two real events.
In Sakurada Jisuke III's version, the actions and characters are shifted to Edo.
- source : kabuki21.com -


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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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ishidooro 石燈篭 Ishidoro, stone lantern

元禄年中に寺を普請した棟梁が奉納した燈篭を江戸へ運ぼうとしたら、夜関係者が発熱し狂気のように皆燈篭のことを口走った。ゆえに江戸へは運ばず寺に返した。精霊が宿っているのだろう。

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kitsune 狐 fox

王子村稲荷は関八州の稲荷明神の棟梁で、毎年12月晦日に関八州の狐が社前に集まり火を灯す。その燃え方を見て周辺の人は作柄を占う。


................................................................................. Ehime 愛媛県
Joohen 城辺町 Johen

Wakamiya Jinja no ki 若宮神社の木
若宮神社には300年以上経った並木があったが、3年前に集会場を建てるので切り倒してしまった。その木を斬った棟梁は間もなく入院して亡くなり、他の樵も皆亡くなってしまった。

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大洲市 Ozu

yamaneko, yamainu 山猫，山犬
銃の名手左衛門が、山猫の住む「入らずの森」を開拓した。山猫は手出しができずにいたが、ある日娘が一夜の宿を求めて来て、左衛門は共に暮らした。ある日山犬に襲われた飛脚が「山猫の棟梁が左衛門のところに行っていなければ」と言うのを聞く。それが左衛門の耳にも入り、ついには正体を現した古猫をしとめる。


................................................................................. Hiroshima 広島県

funadamasama 船魂様 Funadama Sama
船魂様は女の神様で、女がひとりで乗船することを嫌う。ひとりで乗るときにはデコ（人形）を持って乗るとよいと言われている。船霊様として帆柱の下に収められるのはサイコロ２個と一文銭１２枚、女のデコを１個である。サイコロは大工の棟梁が柳の木から新しく作ったもので、２と２の目が向かい合うように並べる。



................................................................................. Ishikawa 石川県
河内町 Kawachi

tengu 天狗
棟上げの時、天狗除けや魔除けのために、棟梁が屋根の上に六角の糸巻きの枠を立て、それに鯖をつるす。その後、鯖は川に流してしまうという。



................................................................................. Kagoshima 鹿児島県
大島郡 Oshima district

fuiguchi フイグチ
部落に住む大工の棟梁同士が喧嘩した際、ひとりの棟梁がフイグチをする性格であった。もうひとりの棟梁はそれを見抜いていてモドシグチを行った。するとクチを入れた棟梁は眠ったまま死んでしまった。


................................................................................. Kyoto 京都府
亀岡市 Kameoka

shironamazu 白鯰 White Namazu catfish
亀山城の別棟が少し歪んでいたので、棟梁が責任を取って堀に身を投げた。棟梁は白鯰となり、堀の主となった。水の浅くなった月の夜半、白鯰が頭を水面に出して城を見つめるという。


................................................................................. Miyagi 宮城県
栗駒町 Kurikoma

nyuudoo boozu 入道坊主 Nyudo Bozu
棟梁が着工式に呼ばれ、お祝いの魚を藁づとに包んで帰る途中、人気のない道で火にあたる八尺ばかりの入道坊主に会った。持っていた手斧をふりまわしながら通り過ぎたが、いつのまにか入道坊主は消えた。ムジナの仕業だという。


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柴田町 Shibata

amida no kakejiku 阿弥陀の掛軸
山の上集落の近江家は、旅の僧をもてなして阿弥陀様の書かれた掛軸をもらった。あるとき、近江家に普請に入った大工の頭領が、掛軸を盗んで逃げた。家を出た途端大雨が降り出し、狐狸が邪魔をした。雷が鳴り、橋が流れそうになる。命からがら家に帰ったが、掛軸はピカピカと光っていた。翌朝、棟梁はポックリ死んでしまった。掛軸は古道具屋に売り払われたが、今度は大きなネズミが出て道具屋が眠れない。祈祷師に拝んでもらうと元の家に返せという。こうして掛軸は返ってきた。



................................................................................. Osaka 大阪府

kaeruishi, kaeru ishi かえる石
大阪城のかえる石付近に行くと休みたくなる。その石に腰をかけたものは恍惚とし、そのうち屋形が浮かび出て女中が手招く。それで投身するものが絶えないという。淀君の怨霊、人柱に立った大工の棟梁とその女房の伝説、城普請の棟梁のだまし討ちなどの説がある。

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- reference -

- source : nichibun yokai database -
大工 101 legends to explore (00) /// 棟梁


絵巻に描かれた（鎌倉時代の）普請場の様子
- source : unko-mitsuhashi.blog -

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. Japanese Architecture - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. - Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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Ikegami Honmonji

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Ikegami Honmonji 池上本門寺　Ikegami Honmon-Ji　 　
Chooeizan 長栄山 Choeizan
東京都大田区池上1-1-1 / 1-1-1, Ikegami, Ōta-ku, Tokyo
a temple of the Nichiren sect south of Tokyo, erected where Nichiren is said to have died.



. Nichiren, Saint Nichiren 日蓮 .
(1222 – 1282)

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NICHIREN SHŌNIN AND HONMONJI TEMPLE
- source : honmonji.jp/foreign -

- HP of the temple 池上本門寺
- reference source : honmonji.jp -



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- quote
Ikegami Honmonji
When people talk about "Edo", they usually are referring to the sprawling city that surrounds the castle built by the Shogun. However, not everyone has precisely the same view of what the geographical boundaries of Edo are. There isn't any clear border that divides "Edo" from some other city or province, such as the border between Musashi province and Sagami province, for example. Some people would say that the city's Southern and Western borders are the large gates at Takanawa and Yotsuya. However, the city already sprawls well beyond these two landmarks. The average person usually thinks of "Edo" as a much wider area, extending into the suburbs and farming villages that surround the city, and supply it with much of its food.
For most city residents,
at least, the little town of Ikegami probably represents the furthest southern limit of what they call "Edo". Ikegami is much like any other small farming town in the area, with a few large shops and other buildings lining the main road, clusters of wooden farmhouses with thatched roofs, and extensive fields of rice and vegetables stretching down to the banks of the Tama river. However, one thing about Ikegami distinguishes it from the other villages in the area, and give it an importance in the minds of people not only in Edo, but throughout the country. On top of the steep, flat-topped hill which looms over the town sits a vast temple complex known as Ikegami Honmonji. This is the main temple of one of Edo's strongest Buddhist orders, the so-called Hokke, or "Lotus" sect. The main temple and the multitude of smaller temples, shrines and monesteries dominate the entire town.
The Lotus sect
is an branch of Buddhism which is found only in Japan. The sect was founded by the monk Nichiren back in 1260, and after Nichiren passed away, the site where he was buried became the headquarters of the Lotus sect. For centuries, Ikegami has been the center of religious worship, and a place of pilgrimage for all people who belong to the sect.
- snip -
Nichiren was a poor but very intelligent young man, and at a very early age he became a Buddhist monk. In those days, monesteries were important centers of learning, as well as centers of political power. However, many of the main Buddhist sects had become corrupted by their power, and no longer spend much time on real prayer, meditation and religious devotion. According to tradition, Nichiren spent long years wondering what to do about the corruption. Then, one day he had a revelation which changed his entire life. Thereafter, he decided to try to lead others back to a purer form of religion.
- snip -
Unfortunately, Nichiren was also worn out from his years in exile, and his health began to fail. His followers persuaded him to go to a famous onsen (hot springs) in the northern Kanto area in order to recuperate, but after crossing the Tama river he became so weak and ill that he could not continue. His followers found a place or him to stay at a small temple in Ikegami. Back then, the area was wild and remote. As the name "Ikegami" suggests, the hill on which the temple was built was almost entirely surrounded by marshes and ponds bordering the Tama river. Nichiren died a few weeks later, on October 13, 1282. His followers cremated his body beside the temple, and from that day forward the place where Nichiren died became a holy site for members of the Lotus sect
The road leading into Ikegami
branches off from the Tokaido just a short distance from the river. If you look down the main road you can see the center of town, and a huge stone staircase leading up the hill to the temple complex. Ikegami has grown into a thriving town, since it not only is a center of farming in this area, but also receives hundreds of pilgrims, visiting the temples. On top of the hill, the huge buildings of Ikegami Honmonji soar above even the tall cedar trees that cover the hill. In addition to the many grand buildings and structures on top of the hill, hundreds of smaller temples crowd about its base. The site has become a popular place for the people of Edo to visit, especially those who belong to the Lotus sect.
The main road ends at the base of the hill, and a steep staircase made of large stone blocks lead to the summit of the hill-- 96 steps in all. The broad staircase is thronged with people, passing pilgrims, local villagers making a daily visit to the temple, clusters of street merchants selling religious charms, snacks and other goods, as well as a number of itinerant priests asking the pilgrims for coins.
Climbing up the stairs is exhausting,
but now that we have reached the top, you can take some time to catch your breath. If you look to the south, you can have a great view of the Tama river valley. The Tama basin plays an important role for Edo. This relatively narrow yet fertile plain is filled with rice fields which provide food for the people in the city. It is a truly beautiful sight -- a carpet of lush green that shimmers brightly as the sun reflects off water in the rice paddies. Actually, the majority of the city's food supply comes from farms in the broad plains along the Ara, Edo and Tone rivers, or is brought in by ship from from Naniwa (Osaka). However, those areas are owned by other Daimyo. The land in the Tama basin, on the other hand, is owned directly by the Shogun. The rice grown here, therefore, provides an important supplement to the Shogun's tax revenues.
Although coins are used
for many daily business transactions, rice is still the standard basis of currency and wealth in Edo. All of the Shogun's retainers and samurai are paid salaries based on rice. The standard unit of currency is known as a koku (about 5 bushels of rice). Since rice is the basis of wealth, and the key to maintianing strong finances, Shogun Yoshimune ordered much of the swampy land in the Tama valley to be reclaimed, building dikes and making the land suitable for rice cultivation. For this, and other measures, he earned the nickname kome kubo or "the Rice Shogun".
Well, if you're done enjoying the view, we can move on into the temple itself. As is the case with most Buddhist temples, the entrance to the main temple grounds is guarded by an enormous wooden gate that serves as both an entryway and a watchtower. These gates are not only for decoration. Back in the days when the entire country was at war, temples were often used as fortresses and strong points in the battles. Some of the monks even got involved in the fighting themselves. Therefore, the gates of many temples are as strong and solid as the gates of a castle.
Inside the gate
is a broad, gravel-covered plaza. On either side of the gate are statues of the "Thunder Gods", who guard the entrance and keep evil forces out of the temple grounds.At the opposite end of the plaza is the enormous main hall of the temple. This is used for large gatherings of monks, and it is also the building that the pilgrims visit to make their offerings. Along both sides of the plaza are smaller chapels and shrines to specific gods or saints. Each shrine, as well as the main hall of the temple, has a large offering box in front of the door or building. People throw coins into the box and then clap their hands twice, before saying a prayer. Most people pray for good luck, health or good fortune. There is also a water fountain, where visitors to the temple wash their hands and feet, and rinse out their mouth, to purify themselves before going into the main temple. In front of the temple steps is a huge bronze censer, where monks and visitors burn incense. A column of smoke rises from the enormous bronze vessel, and a wonderful fragrance fills the air.



Ikegami Hommonji also has a five-storied pagoda.
Though there are many temples in Edo, only a few have pagodas, and the one at Ikegami Hommonji is one of the most magnificent. It originally served as a watchtower for the Hokke monks, who were able to scan the Tama valley for any signs that their enemies and persecutors were approaching. Nowadays, though, it is just another decoration in this rich and elaborate temple complex. Although there are many other large temples in Edo, the beautiful rural surroundings and delightful scenery of Ikegami Hommonji make it perhaps the most pleasant and refreshing place to go for a quiet moment of reflection and prayer.
- source : Edomatsu

. Kawase Hasui 川瀬巴水 (1883 - 1957) .


池上本門寺の塔 Pagoda of Honmonji Temple at Ikegami



粉雪の降る参道　Honmonji Temple in Snow at Ikegami

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- quote -
Ikegami-Honmon-ji Temple - Eshiki 会式 （えしき）

Eshiki refers to a Buddhist ceremony held in temples of the Nichiren Buddhism around October 13, the anniversary of The Venerable Nichiren's in commemoration of his virtue.
The Eshiki in Ikegami-Honmon-ji Temple is especially lavish, with many worshippers visiting as it was built in the place where The Venerable Nichiren spent the last days in his life.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Museum -

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fukubato, fuku hato omamori 福鳩お守り amulet with auspicious dove
This amulet is only sold from the first day of the New Year until Setsubun in February.



Once in summer there was a long period without rain in the Ikegami area and the farmers were worried about their fields and the crops. Then suddenly they saw a dove flying from Honmon-Ji to a rock and picking at it. When they dug below the rock suddenly clear water begun to flow - a new well was born. They could bring water to the fields and drink again. To show their gratefulness the temple begun to offer an amulet with this the auspicious dove.


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



薔薇の雨本門寺裏へ坂をなす
bara no ame honmonji ura saka o nasu

rain on the roses -
the slope in the back
of Honmon-Ji
Tr. Gabi Greve

. Fujita Sooshi 藤田湘子 Fujita Soshi (1926 - 2005) .


. WKD : bara 薔薇 rose .
- - kigo for various seasons - -

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本門寺坂下に詰むお万灯
Honmonji sakashita ni tsumu o-mantoo

temple Honmon-Ji -
down at the slope gathering
of light offerings

高澤良一 Takazawa Ryoichi



mantoo, mandoo 万燈 Manto light offerings for Saint Nichiren

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. 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 - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends - Introduction .


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Funabashi and Gyotoku

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Funabashi and Gyootoku, Gyōtoku 船橋 と 行徳 Gyotoku

. Funasshi ふなっしー Mascot from Funabashi, Chiba .


江戸名所図会, 船橋

- quote -
Funabashi city is located in northwestern Chiba Prefecture and makes up one part of the Shimōsa Plateau. Funabashi is crossed by the Tone River, and the small Ebi River is located entirely within city limits. Funabashi formerly had wide, shallow beaches, but much of the coast has been industrialized and transformed by reclaimed land.

The name "Funabashi" is mentioned in the Kamakura period chronicle Azuma Kagami. However, the name itself is even more ancient, dating from before the Nara period and the Yamatotakeru mythology. Archaeologists have found stone tools from the Japanese Paleolithic period and shell middens from the Jomon period in the area, indicating continuous inhabitation for thousands of years. A number of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in the area claim to have been founded in the Nara period or Heian period. During the Muromachi periods, the area was controlled by the Chiba clan. During the Sengoku period, the Chiba clan fought the Satomi clan to the south, and the Late Hojo clan to the west. After the defeat of the Chiba clan, the area came within the control of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the area prospered as a post town on the river crossing of the Tone River, and was largely retained as tenryo 天領 under the direct control of the Shogunate and administered through a number of hatamoto. The area was also a favored hunting grounds for the Shogun. During the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration, Funabashi was the location of a minor skirmish between Tokugawa loyalists under Enomoto Takeaki and the pro-Imperial forces of Okayama Domain and Satsuma Domain, during which most of the town burned down.

After the abolition of the han system, the area eventually became part of Chiba Prefecture. Funabashi Town was one of several towns and villages created on April 1, 1889 under Inba District. The area developed rapidly due to its proximity to Tokyo and the presence of numerous military facilities in the area. On April 1, 1937, Funabashi was elevated to city status through merger with neighboring Katsushika Town and Yasakae, Hoden and Tsukada Villages. The new city was host to numerous military installations in World War II, and was bombed in the air raids on Japan in 1945.

The city developed rapidly in the postwar period, with the development of industries, public housing developments and port facilities. With the annexation of neighboring Ninomiya Town in 1953, the population exceeded 100,000. The population exceeded 300,000 in 1969 and 500,000 in 1982. Funabashi was designated a core city on April 1, 2005 with increased local autonomy from the central government. The population exceeded 600,000 in 2006.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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source : otonanonurie

船橋駅　天道念仏踊り之図 Tendo Nenbutsu Odori
Funabashi Station

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- quote
The Gyotoku Salt Fields 行徳塩田 Gyotoku enden
... Gyotoku, a settlement on the shore of Edo bay about 15 kilometers east of the city. To get there, we have to take a boat ride through the canals of Edo. As I have mentioned in the past, rivers and canals criss-cross most of downtown Edo, and one of the fastest ways to get from place to place is by boat. There are many piers and boat landings in the downtown part of the city, but today we are going to a pier that is used only by a special ferry boat operated by the city officials -- the water taxi to Gyotoku. Gyotoku is a very important site in this region, since it is the home of the Gyotoku salt works.

Gyotoku kashi (Gyotoku wharf), located in the Nihonbashi district, is the starting point for a busy water taxi service . There are always boats preparing to land or depart, since there is a steady stream of townspeople travelling to and from the working-class suburbs east of the Sumida River. The wharf is named Gyotoku kashi after the town of Gyotoku, which is the last stop on the route. The watashi-bune (ferry-boats) follow one of several regular routes through the canals of Edo, but Gyotoku -- at the eastern end of Edo Bay -- is the final destination for all of them.

When Edo was first built, the flat marshy land on the east bank of the Sumida River was almost uninhabited. This low-lying land to the east of Edo was a marshy delta, formed by several large rivers that empty into Edo Bay. Even the isolated areas of solid ground in this area flooded easily during heavy rains, and there were few reliable sources of fresh water along the shore of the bay -- only when you went up-river beyond the high tide line could you get fresh water from the rivers. The marshes were a barrier that blocked traffic east from Edo. To get to the rich rice lands of Shimosa province you had to make a long detour to the north, along the Chiba Kaido, or else travel across Edo Bay by boat, rounding the marshes to the south and then swinging north again, up the coast to the towns of Gyotoku and Funabashi, which serve as the gateway to Shimosa province.

When Tokugawa Ieyasu first arrived in Edo, one of his first priorities was to find a way to build transportation links across the marshes east of the Sumida River. To secure the necessary food and goods needed for the city of Edo to grow, it was essential to transport the rich harvest of rice and vegetables from the provinces to the North and east of Edo to markets in the downtown area. The city also needed salt from Gyotoku, which is the only town in the area suited for salt production. Therefore, in around 1602 Ieyasu ordered his men to begin building canals through the marshlands to connect all of the major river systems in the eastern Kanto region. The network of canals and rivers now extends across a wide area to the north and east of Edo

One main canal, known as the 小名木川 Onagigawa (Onagi river), runs due east from the Sumida River near Nihonbashi to Gyotoku. This was one of the first canals to be built, though today, many other channels have been built, and the marshlands are crisscrossed by a checkerboard of canals. Once the canals were completed, transportation through the area became even smoother than travel by land. More and more people moved into the area as fresh water was made available, and today the area is a bustling neighborhood of blue-collar homes and small businesses.

When the boat is full of passengers, the captain uses his long bamboo pole to push off from shore. The watashi-bune are generally driven by two boat pilots using long poles of bamboo. There is also a broad rudder on the stern of the boat, which can be used to propel the craft in places where the water is too deep for the poles to reach bottom.

The boat travels down the canal from Nihonbashi to the Sumida River. When we reach the river the pilots slow down as they try to maneuver their way through the crowd of boat traffic. The Sumida river is Edo's main thoroughfare, carrying even more traffic than the Tokaido or any of the other main roads. The city is quite crowded and many of the streets are narrow, so it is hard to transport goods through the streets. Horse carts would be a nuisance to pedestrians, so they are hardly ever used in the downtown area. Instead, all goods are carried by boat to the nearest wharf, and then transported to their destination on the backs of nimpu (porters). The Sumida river is always thronged with boat traffic, and it is amazing to watch the boat pilots skillfully guiding their craft in and out of traffic. It seems amazing that there are so few collisions.

The boat sails past the huge, arching span of Eitaibashi (Eitai Bridge). This towering bridge links the port districts of Nihonbashi, Minato and Tsukiji with the blue-collar neighborhood of Fukagawa. It is supported by several dozen huge columns, each carved from the trunk of a single huge hinoki (cypress) tree. The wood is highly resistant to water and rot, and it may last for as much as a hundred years before the bridge needs to be repaired. On the opposite shore of the Sumida river, just a short distance upriver from the bridge, is a broad waterway branching off from the main river channel. This is the Onagigawa (Onagi River　小名木川).

The Onagigawa runs due east from the Sumida River, near Nihonbashi, to the Ara River, just a short distance from Gyotoku. The shoguns built this canal shortly after they moved to Edo, in order to provide quick and easy transportation between Edo and the rich provinces to the east. In addition to the constant stream of ferry boats, there are also many takase-bune (large cargo boats), which use the canal to carry loads of rice, vegetables and other agricultural products from the rich farms in Shimosa, Kazusa and Kotsuke Provinces.

The Onagigawa cuts a wide path through the marshy lowlands to the east of Edo. There are many explanations for how the canal got its name. The characters O - NA - GI ("small", "name", "tree") do not make much sense unless they were a person's name -- perhaps this was the name of the person who oversaw construction of the canal. Another likely explanation is that the name was originally Unagi-gawa (eel river). The river is, in fact, filled with eels, and many unagi fishermen can be seen along the river, fishing for these delicacies. Perhaps the pronunciation changed over time, and people forgot the original source of the name.

. Sarue 猿江町 Sarue - "Monkey Inlet" along the Onagigawa .

As our boat glides down this busy waterway, it passes through a series of small farming villages separated by occasional broad stretches of reeds and marshes. Before Edo was settled, this area of rivers and marshes was virtually uninhabited, but now it has become a thriving center of vegetable farming. Because of the rich soil, and the strong demand for vegetables from city dwellers, farmers in the towns along the Onagigawa have become quite prosperous. In fact, many varieties of vegetables take their names from farming communities in this area, such as Sunamura melons and Kasai leeks.

However, as your boat moves further and further east, the small farming villages become fewer and more widely scattered, and the swamps and marshes broader and more filled with wildlife. The broad East-West canal continues onward through the marshes. Though there are few signs of habitation along the banks of the canal, boat traffic remains heavy. Your own boat continues to glide along the flat surface of the canal. The sun is rising higher into the sky, and the two boat pilots are sweating heavily as they propel the craft with their long poles. They seem to be poling more energetically now, since you have almost reached your destination.

At last, the sparkling waters of Edo Bay come into view, and you can see the small but busy village of Gyotoku strung out along the shoreline. Clouds of steam rise from the low buildings along the canal, and on the flat land beside the bay, the sun sparkles off the salt fields, where salt is being produced for sale in Edo. Salt is a very important commercial commodity in most countries, and in Edo, the situation is no different. Salt is very important in the daily live of Edo's citizens for many reasons.



Salt is an important part of the diet. Japanese food tends to be rather plain, especially the staple meals of the lower classes, which consist mainly of rice and perhaps a small amount of fish or vegetables. To spice up their diet, the people are very fond of shoyu (soy sauce) and miso. Both of these are made mostly from soybeans and salt. Salt is also needed to preserve fish. Naturally, most people in Edo prefer their fish to be as fresh as possible. However, many of the fishing villages that supply Edo with food may take several days or even weeks to ship their produce to the markets in the city. If the fish is not sold right away, it has to be preserved in salt or else it will get rotten. A very large amount of salt is used to preserve fish -- many times more than the amount needed just for a healthy diet. For this reason, many fishing villages produce salt locally, at least on a small scale

In addition, people in Japan use salt in many rituals, as a symbol of purification. Priests throw salt on new building sites to purify them, and throw salt on the temple grounds for the same reason. When a person dies, the relatives throw salt outside the door of the house to keep evil spirits away. Merchants often put little piles of salt just outside their door to keep away bad luck. This is especially common at the beginning of the New Year. Finally, sumo wrestlers throw salt into the ring before they start wrestling, in order to purify the ring for the start of the match.

The demand for salt is so great that the price is quite high in Edo. Merchants ship large loads of salt all the way from Western Japan. The best places to make salt are places with a long, flat beach that is fairly hard-packed, and which gets fairly large changes in the water level from high tide to low tide. There are many places like this along the Seto Inland Sea, in Western Japan, and these are the main centers of salt production. In the Edo area, though, Gyotoku is about the only good location in the area which has a beach that is wide enough and sandy enough to be suitable for producing salt.

We have arrived at low tide and the sun is quite hot. This is a good time to see the salt workers in action, since it is an ideal time for drying the salt. People are busily walking to-and-fro, carrying buckets on poles on their shoulders. There is a steady and constant traffic of people from the edge of the sea to the flat, hard-packed square fields that are laid out in a checkerboard across the wide, flat beach.

The salt workers fill their buckets with sea water from a small channel that has been dug to bring the water a little ways up the beach, even at low tide. They then carry the buckets to the drying fields, where they pour the water into the field until a shallow layer covers the flat ground. The sea water is left to evaporate, and when all the water is gone, it leaves a crust salt. The workers will continue to add water a bit at a time and let it evaporate, continuing the process for as long as a week.

After a few days of adding water again and again, then waiting for it to evaporate, there will be a thick crust of salt coating the field. This salt crust can then be raked up into piles and collected. the piles of salt are then stored in little storehouses until other workers can come by to collect it. The dried salt is then carried to the boiling houses further up the beach.

A cluster of boiling houses is located not far from the salt fields; this is where the salt is processed and purified. Workers carry bundles of raw salt into the buildings, where it is carefully wrapped in very finely-woven silk cloth and then placed in a tub of water. The salt dissolves in the water, but the sand, dirt and grit that was mixed with the salt remains trapped inside the cloth. Finally, the supersaturated salt water is poured into huge boiling vats. Fires built underneath the vats boil off all the water, and when the water is all gone, the salt that is left in the bottom of the vats is clean and pure enough to eat.
- source : Edomatsu


行徳塩田
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. enden　塩田 salt fields - Introduction .

. Umibedaikuchmachi 海辺大工町 Umibe Daikumachi carpenter district on the coast .
along the river 小名木川 Onagigawa

. Chiba Kaido 千葉街道 Chiba Highway .
passing Funabashi

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Gyotoku Kaido 行徳街道 Gyotoku Highway
From 市川市 Ichikawa city in 千葉県 Chiba to 浦安市 Urayasu town.
Now National Highway Nr. 6.



- quoting the wikipedia
Ichikawa City (市川市, Ichikawa-shi)
The city has a concentration of the wide-area traffic network that connects the center of Tokyo with many areas of Chiba Prefecture. Major rail routes and roads pass through the city.
The area around present-day Ichikawa has been inhabited since the Japanese Paleolithic period.
... During the Nara period, Ichikawa was the provincial capital of Shimōsa Province and is mentioned in the Man'yōshū. During the Heian period, this area was the center of the rebellion by Taira Masakado. During the Sengoku period, it was the site of a major battles (Battle of Kōnodai) between the Satomi clan and the Later Hōjō clan. ...

Urayasu (浦安市, Urayasu-shi)
Urayasu is best known as the home of the Tokyo Disney Resort, which opened in April 1983,
... The area around Urayasu was tenryo territory within Shimōsa Province controlled directly by the Tokugawa shogunate during the Edo period. Urayasu served as an important fishing village for the Edo capital. Until the industrialization of the city it was a major center of production of nori, an edible seaweed, hamaguri, the common orient clam, and asari, the Japanese cockle. All three are important elements of the traditional Japanese diet.

- map from Ichikawa city -

. Kaido 街道 Highways of Japan .

- quote -
Imai-no-Watashiba Ferry 今井の津頭

The Imai river boat was used to cross Edo River until 1912 (the first year of Taishō) until Imai Bridge was built. - source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

- quote -
The remains of the ferry at Imai was the eastern gate of Edo in Edo period, and it was the physical distribution base in Edogawa river.
It was on the east bank near the Imaibashi Bridge. Ieyasu Tokugawa, the founder of Edo Bakufu landed near the ferry at Imai and passed through Gongenmichi Road to go hawking at Togane after he moved to Edo after the Seige of Odawara by Hideyoshi Toyotomi.
And it is said that the Second Shogun, Hidetada Tokugawa and the lord of Ootaki, Honda's also used this ferry.
Moreover, the ferry was described on the essay 'Azumaji no Tsuto (the trips in East Japan)' by the renga poet Socho in late Muromachi period so it had existed there at that time. In Edo period, only residents near Imai could use this ferry. Anyway, it was a very beautiful spot that Mt. Fuji could be seen and thousands of ships passed through Edogawa River to bring thousands of products from Tohoku (north east Japan) and Kita Kanto (northern Kanto) region.
In the Meiji era, some steam boats appeared on the river, so Edogawa River was much crowded with people and boats. The remains of the ferry at Imai tells how prosperous water transportation in Edo period was before cars and trains would develop.
- source : travel.smileandhappiness.net/imainowatashi -
Imaibashi 今井橋 Imaibridge, Imai Bridge

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Rakugo Nakishio 落語「泣き塩」"Weeping Salt"

yakishio and nakishio 焼き塩 boiling salt and crying salt


行徳塩、製造工程の最終工程「焼き塩風景」　

泣き塩」の舞台を歩く - 古今亭志ん朝 Kokontei Shincho
- source : ginjo.fc2web.com/219nakisio -

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

船橋のふわふわ動く胡蝶哉
Funabashi no fuwafuwa ugoku kochoo kana

the lake butterfly
at Funabashi moves
ever so softly . . .


船橋や花藻もよらず瀬を早み
Funabashi ya hanamo mo yorazu se o hayami


. Masaoka Shiki 正岡子規 .

. WKD : "lake butterfly", kochoo 胡蝶（こちょう） .
- - kigo for spring - -

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行徳の水辺したしき草じらみ
Gyotoku no mizube shitashiki kusajirami

村沢夏風


船橋に夏の日低くなりて没る 山口波津女
船橋に立つ日憧れ卒業す 高林蘇城
船橋に駄馬騒ぎ出す霰かな 会津八一
船橋の船に洩る水温みけり 繞石句集落椿
船橋を少年去らず五月の航 大井雅人

摘草や船橋ゆるゝ風の中 野村喜舟

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. 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 .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends - Introduction .


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Sukeroku

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Persons and People of Edo - Introduction .
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Sukeroku 助六

. The famous 18 big spenders of Edo 十八大通 .

Ooguchiya Jihei 大口屋治兵衛 Oguchiya Jihei
was one of them.
It is said he was the real original for the main character of the famous kabuki play SUKEROKU 助六.
He had a special hairstyle and wore special cloths. Even his clogs (geta) were made of especially expensive wood.


Sukeroku Kabuki

These rich merchants supported the Kabuki actors and theater, even learning shamisen and dance themselves and sometimes took part in the orchestra behind hidden windows.
Since they practiced many forms of art themselves, the artists they sponsored were also of high quality.

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. Kabuki in Edo 江戸の歌舞伎 .

The play "Sukeroku" was staged for the first time in the 3rd lunar month of 1713 in Edo at the Yamamuraza.



Sukeroku Yukari no Edo-zakura　助六由縁江戸桜

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Sukeroku is among the most popular and famous of kabuki plays. Closely associated with the Ichikawa Danjûrô line of actors, it is counted among the Kabuki Jûhachiban.

The story centers on Sukeroku, a samurai and otokodate, a prominent patron of the Yoshiwara, and especially of Agemaki, the top courtesan of the Miura-ya teahouse. Drawing upon elements of the classic Soga Monogatari, Sukeroku is later revealed to be Soga Gorô in disguise, working to seek out his father's killer and avenge his father's death.

The play is well-known for a number of iconic elements, including Sukeroku's purple headband, bullseye-pattern umbrella, and distinctive kumadori (face makeup) pattern. After the hero of Shibaraku, Sukeroku might be among the most recognizable characters in kabuki.



- - - - - Persons
Sukeroku - a samurai, frequent patron of the Yoshiwara, especially of Agemaki of the Miura-ya, and a street tough, who often starts fights on the streets of the pleasure quarters. Secretly Soga Gorô
Agemaki - the top courtesan of the Miura-ya, famous and popular throughout the district; she is known to be especially close to Sukeroku, but Ikyû has his eyes on her as well
Ikyû - an older, bearded samurai who seeks to steal Agemaki away from Sukeroku
Manko - Sukeroku's mother, disguised as a samurai
Shinbei - Sukeroku's brother, secretly Soga Jûrô
Kanpera Monbei - retainer to Ikyû



- - - - - Plot Summary
The play opens with a drunken Agemaki being escorted in by a small entourage. They sit her down on a bench and give her some medicine to help sober her up, along with a letter that has just arrived from Sukeroku's mother, Manko. Manko writes that Sukeroku is supposed to be busy working on avenging his father's murder, and should not be dallying in the Yoshiwara, seeing courtesans and engaging in street brawls; she asks Agemaki to break things off with Sukeroku and to encourage him to get back to his task. But Agemaki says she cannot do this, as she loves Sukeroku too dearly.

An attendant appears and tells Agemaki that the samurai Ikyû is on his way to see her. He enters with a small entourage, as does the courtesan Shiratama. It becomes clear that Ikyû has already seen Agemaki a number of times in the past, and that he is a high-paying and well-known Yoshiwara patron. However, Agemaki dislikes him, and when he begins saying nasty things about Sukeroku, she berates him and exits, despite Shiratama's efforts to calm her down.

A shakuhachi plays, and Sukeroku enters on the hanamichi, swaggering jauntily and showily in wooden geta, performing a type of step, or walk, called tanzen roppô[3]. He has one arm tucked inside his kimono, his umbrella over his shoulder, a purple headband tied to one side, the ends dangling down the right side of his face. He stops at shichi-san, and performs a number of poses and gestures meant to display his bravado, style, and charm. In total, his walk down the hanamichi and dance at shichi-san, known as a deha, takes about fifteen minutes, and is one of the chief highlights of the play, an opportunity for the star actor to show off, and for the audience to enjoy watching the star perform these dramatic poses, prideful walk, and charming character.

Courtesans and others fawn over him as soon as he enters, many offering him kiseru (pipes) to smoke. Ikyû, looking abandoned, his side of the stage relatively empty, declares that he'd like a smoke too, but Sukeroku, now possessing quite a few pipes, says they're all in use. He then offers Ikyû one with his foot, but Ikyû resists losing his temper.

One of Ikyû's retainers, Kanpera Monbei, comes out of the teahouse annoyed, wondering where the girl who was supposed to be entertaining him in the bath has gone. Sukeroku trounces him, and a number of Ikyû's other followers, declaring himself the best in both fighting and in love, and challenging Ikyû, who refuses to be provoked, insisting Sukeroku unworthy of his sword. He and his retainers enter the teahouse, leaving Sukeroku onstage outside.

A saké-seller named Shimbei shows up, and Sukeroku tries to start a fight with him, but Shimbei reveals himself to be Sukeroku's brother in disguise. He tries to get Sukeroku to stop provoking fights, reminding him of their quest to avenge their father's death, and revealing (to the audience) that the two are in fact Soga Gorô and Jûrô in disguise. Sukeroku explains to his brother, however, that he engages in streetbrawls here in the Yoshiwara so that he can see people's swords, in order to determine who it is that possesses the sword which killed their father. Understanding now, Shimbei (Jûrô) joins in, and the two begin picking fights with passersby, Sukeroku showing his brother how.

Sukeroku forces passersby to crawl between his legs, in a famous example of improvisation, or sutezerifu in kabuki. While many plays include short sections where one or two lines might be improvised, this entire section is left open for improvisation, which often includes contemporary references. For example, in one performance in 2008, the characters performed, briefly, a gag "sonna no kankei nai ("it's got nothing to do with that!") popularized around 2007-08 by comedian Kojima Yoshio.

Agemaki then enters with a samurai whose face is hidden by a large hat. Sukeroku tries to provoke a fight with this samurai, but is shocked to discover it is his mother, in disguise, who then scolds the two brothers for their behavior. Sukeroku explains himself, however, and their mother, Manko, is overjoyed to discover her son's devotion to the task of vengeance for their father's death. It is revealed that Ikyû is in fact Iga Heinaizaemon, an enemy of the family, and their father's killer.

Ikyû enters, and Sukeroku quickly hides beneath Agemaki's robes as she sits on a bench. Ikyû quickly finds him, however, and berates him, beating him with his cane and otherwise insulting him. He suggests that perhaps Sukeroku should give up on Agemaki and his shenanigans and that he and his brother should join Ikyû, forming an alliance which might even be powerful enough to take over the country. He seeks to demonstrate his metaphor of the power of three standing together by chopping off one leg from an incense burner, which then falls over, but too late realizes that in doing so he has revealed his sword. Sukeroku now knows for sure that Ikyû is the man he has been searching for: his father's killer.

The play often ends here, but sometimes continues with a final scene in which Sukeroku kills Ikyû and then hides from the police in a vat of water. Ichikawa Danjûrô VIII (1823-54) was quite idolized in his time, and when he performed this play, bottles of water from the vat he stepped in would later be sold to adoring fans.



- - - - - History and Style
Though the plot of Sukeroku is largely fiction, some sources indicate that the characters, and plot, may have been inspired by reality. There may have been a Kyoto- or Osaka-based merchant named Sukeroku in the 1630s who was associated with a courtesan of the Kyoto Shimabara named Agemaki. Some accounts have it that Agemaki became a nun after her affair with Sukeroku, while others tell of a double suicide.

In any case, though the kabuki play as it is known today did not debut until 1713, the characters of Sukeroku and Agemaki appeared on the bunraku stage as early as 1678. Kamigata (Kansai) kabuki theatres soon afterward began to stage productions featuring the couple in love suicide stories, including Sennichi-dera Shinjû ("Love Suicide at Sennichi Temple") and Kyô Sukeroku Shinjû ("Kyoto Sukeroku Love Suicide").

The play as it is known today - the Edo Kabuki version associated with the Ichikawa family - was first developed by Ichikawa Danjûrô II, who witnessed performances of these Kamigata plays while touring in that part of the country, and who then brought it back to Edo, debuting his version in 1713, at the Yamamura-za, with Danjûrô, Tamazawa Rin'ya, Ikushima Shingorô and Yamanaka Heikurô I as Sukeroku, Agemaki, Shimbei the saké merchant, and Ikyû respectively.

Whereas in the Kamigata plays Sukeroku was often a merchant, Danjûrô made him a samurai, giving him a black kimono, red-yellow headband, and a pattern of black face makeup (today, chiefly red on a white foundation). Danjûrô, 26 years old at the time, performed the role in the distinctive aragoto fashion pioneered by his father. Danjûrô also added a number of characters who are now standard elements of the plot, including the fool Monbei, Sukeroku's brother Shinbei (secretly Soga Jûrô), their mother Manko, and the villain Ikyû, many of whom were based on real figures.
Shinbei and the Noodle Vendor served initially as onstage advertisements for specific neighborhood merchants, as was a common practice in kabuki at the time, Shinbei being a reference to the asagao senbei ("Morning Glory Rice Crackers") sold by Fujiya Seizaemon. The noodle vendor, similarly, was introduced by Danjûrô III and named Ichikawa-ya, after an actual local noodle vendor; when the real-life noodle shop changed its name to Fukuyama, Danjûrô VII changed the character's name to Fukuyama as well. Ikyû, meanwhile, was based on the gangster Fukami Jûzaemon, also known as "Bearded Jikyû," who had in 1713 or so, at the time Danjûrô II was first adapting the story, recently returned from exile and who was thus a topic of conversation.

The close ties between the theatre and the broader community extended beyond such onstage references to real merchants. The play would often be performed with the hanamichi lined with real, blooming cherry trees donated to the theatre by the teahouses of the Yoshiwara, and actors playing the lead roles would often pay a visit to the Yoshiwara and offer gifts to the teahouses, receiving in exchange umbrellas, kiseru, lanterns, and other objects for use onstage and for distribution or sale to audience members following the production. The actors' visit was a fairly major affair involving a procession of many actors, and involved various traditions or rituals performed as part of the visit and of the offering of gifts; courtesans and others directly associated with the teahouses would also attend the performances at the kabuki theatres, and performed various customs even as audience members.
When the actor playing Sukeroku addressed the audience as himself (the actor) in the role of the stage manager, the courtesans would clap along with him. This addressing of the audience, incidentally, is not unique to Sukeroku, but the play is distinctive in incorporating more improvisation, and more elements of the actor shedding the character and being himself, the actor, for certain parts of the performance.

In his second performance of the play, three years later, Danjûrô played Sukeroku in a somewhat gentler manner, incorporating elements of the Kamigata wagoto style in his performance. This was the first time that wagoto and aragoto elements were combined in the same character. Danjûrô also introduced at this time other elements which would later become quite standard, and even iconic. It was during this performance that he first wore a purple headband and carried as bullseye-patterned umbrella, today two of the most iconic props or costume elements in kabuki. Purple dye was among the most expensive of colors, and had previously been restricted almost exclusively to shogunal use. The connection to Soga Monogatari was added at this time as well.



Many variations on the play were later developed and performed throughout the Edo period, and down into more modern times. The famous onnagata Segawa Kikunojô appeared in the premiere of Onna Sukeroku ("Woman Sukeroku") at the Ichimura-za in 1764, a variation in which a female Sukeroku is not the man Soga Gorô in disguise, but rather Oiso no Tora, a courtesan who is the lover of one or the other of the two Soga brothers in many of the old stories. Three theatres were staging versions of the Sukeroku story at this time; such competitions would occur in later years as well, with each theatre using a different type, or school, of music, and different interpretations of the characters and story. As is the case with most kabuki plays, it would eventually settle into a single more-or-less standard form, though never becoming wholly static.

The following year (1765), the Morita-za debuted a dance drama version of the story which focused more heavily on Agemaki's kamuro (child attendants). The title "Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura" first appeared in 1782, for a performance at the Ichimura-za starring Ichimura Uzaemon IX.

Sukeroku is quite unique, as well, in its use of the katôbushi style of musical accompaniment. This style has been used for Sukeroku since 1749, when it replaced the itchû bushi style originally used for the play; other versions of the play, employing tokiwazu or kiyomoto musical styles, are still sometimes performed today, having been composed, respectively, in 1870 for Onoe Kikugorô V and in 1915 for Kikugorô VI.

While it is quite typical in kabuki for a combination of different styles of shamisen and chanting, such as kiyomoto and nagauta, to be used within a single play (often switching between styles numerous times within a single scene), Sukeroku is the only play in the current repertoire to make use of katôbushi music (which it employs alongside kiyomoto and nagauta). Due in large part to the unique traditions of the katôbushi style, which employs amateur performers alongside professionals, Sukeroku is the only play in which amateur performers appear on stage having been granted professional status just for the duration of the performance; it is also one of the only plays in which female musicians perform onstage, and the only play in which an actor onstage formally requests the musicians to play.
During the Edo period, katôbushi was especially popular in the Yoshiwara, even after its popularity in the theatre world waned. As part of the close ties between the theatres and the pleasure districts, katôbushi musicians from the Yoshiwara (i.e. not performers professionally associated with the kabuki theatres) were often invited to perform onstage in productions of Sukeroku. This was a great honor, and source of pleasure for the musicians offered this rare opportunity. Unlike in most plays, where the musicians perform behind a kuromisu screen in one corner or end of the stage, in Sukeroku, they are more fully and more centrally onstage, albeit still hidden behind a screen. This helps simulate, or recall, the idea of courtesans on display in the front windows of teahouses, allows these amateur musicians to more easily see Sukeroku's grand hanamichi entrance that is a highlight of the play, and grants them more fully the honor and pleasure of being "on stage" for the performance.


source :　d.hatena.ne.jp/Rejoice+Kobikicho...

The Ichikawa family secured its control over the play in 1832, and some histories trace the current version of the play back to this year, rather than to any earlier date. As the play is extremely popular, other families have developed their own versions, such as Sukeroku Kuruwa no Momoyogusa performed by the Onoe Kikugorô line of actors. However, only the Ichikawa family uses the title Sukeroku Yukari Edo Zakura, and various stylistic elements only appear in this version of the play.
- Reference
- source : wiki.samurai-archives.com


. Asagao Senbei 朝顔仙平 / 朝顔煎餅 / 朝顔せんべい .
and the text of senbei zukushi せんべい尽くし


. aragoto 荒事 and kumadori 隈取 - Kabuki .

iegei, ie-gei 家芸 family tradition of an art

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Utagawa Kunisada 歌川国貞 - Toyokuni III

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Kabuki : Hanakawado no Sukeroku 花川戸助六
in the play - SUKEROKU YUKARI NO EDO ZAKURA
- source : kabuki21.com/sukeroku -


The kabuki actor Kawarasaki Gonjuro I as Hanakawado Sukeroku. by Utagawa Kunisada

Hanakawado Sukeroku, Edo zakura (Hanakawado Sukeroku, Edo Cherry Blossom) /
Tosei mitate sanjurokkasen 當盛見立　三十六花撰 (Contemporary Kabuki Actors Likened to a Selection of Thirty-six Flowers)
- source : britishmuseum.org -


. Asakusa Hanakawadochoo　花川戸 Hanakawado machi .

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. shirazake 白酒 (しろざけ) sweet white rice wine .
shirazake uri 白酒売 vendor of white rice wine

A sip of this drink is said to ward off disease for the rest of the year. During the Edo period, vendors used to walk the streets as early as February 20. The appearance of a vendor in the famous Kabuki play "Sukeroku" is especially famous.


Woodblock Print by Kunisada

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. Joge-e 上下絵 Two-way pictures .

This print by Kuniyoshi (c. 1852) shows a Daruma and Tokusakari (a character from a famous Noh play). Viewed upside-down, the Daruma becomes a Gedo (an evil person) and Tokusakari becomes Ikyu (a character from the famous play “Sukeroku”).






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. Food from Edo / Tokyo .

Edomaezushi Edomae Sushi江戸前寿司 / 江戸前 すし / 江戸前鮨
Sushi with fresh fish from the Tokyo Bay
started in the Edo period as a cheap food in the yatai shops.
They all have a kanpyo maki, which many gourmets eat as the last bite.
The name is almost identical in Edo with "nori maki", wrapped in nori seaweed.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Sukeroku sushi 助六寿司
Sukeroku is the name of a hero of the Edo period and famous Kabuki play. His beloved was the courtesan "Agemaki", so this sushi contains a some agesushi (inari sushi) and some makisushi.
one of them always kampyo maki, with dried gourd shavings.



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CLICK for many more Sukeroku goods !

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- reference : 江戸　助六 -

- reference : Edo sukeroku -

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


. shichi go choo and Kabuki 七五調 Kabuki and the 5 - 7 pattern .

yozakura ya mata Sukeroku no kenkazata (5 7 5 haiku)

Yo-za-ku-ra-ya (5) Evening cherry blossoms
Ma-ta Su-ke-ro-ku no (7) And once again
Ke-n-ka-za-ta (5) Sukeroku fights

Kawajiri Seitan 川尻清潭

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. hagoita 羽子板 battledore, shuttlecock .


助六の流し目に合う羽子板市
Sukeroku no nagashime ni au hagoita ichi

the sidelong glance
of Sukeroku fits so well
at the battledore market

金井喜美枝　Kanai Kimie


角店の助六よかり羽子板市
高澤良一


羽子板の助六の眼の血ばしりぬ
鈴木鷹夫


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けふの空助六よりも奴凧
助六は凧となりても傘挿せる
後藤比奈夫

助六で絵馬を杵屋で餅を買ひ
土屋花峰

助六のうはさあれこれ草の餅
久保田万太郎 Kubota Mantaro

助六や父の名を継ぐ江戸桜
今泉貞鳳

助六を夜寒の狸おもへらく
泉鏡花

水氷る助六染の工場かな
会津八一

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source : facebook

. kumadori 隈取 stage make-up .

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. - Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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- - - - - #edosukeroku #sukerokuedo #aragoto #kumadori #kabuki #iegei #ie-gei #kumadori - - - -
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