shuppansha publishing

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. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .
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shuppansha 出版社 publishing company, book publisher

There are various articles about books, publishing and famous publishers in the Edopedia.
This page will be updated regularly.



Edo no honyasan 江戸の本屋さん Book stores in Edo
今田洋三 Imada Yozo

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. akahon 赤本　red book .

bukan 武鑑 regional records of Samurai history
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Edo annai 江戸案内 guidebook of Edo

Edo machi kan, Edomachikan 江戸町鑑 records of districts in Edo
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

. Edo Meisho Zue 江戸名所図会, “Guide to famous Edo sites” .
Edo Meisho Hanagoyomi 江戸名所花暦 Flower Calendar of Famous Places in Edo

Eijudō 永寿堂 Eijudo publishing house
founded by Nishimurya Yohachi 西村屋与八
family name Hibino 日比野; in operation from ca. 1751 to 1860, in Edo, Nihonbashi Bakurochō 日本橋馬喰町

. ezooshi 絵草子 illustrated book or magazine .
「絵草子屋」 ezooshiya store
Ezoushi - Also written 絵双紙.
otogizooshi 御伽草子 popular tales
ukiyo zooshi 浮世草子 Ukiyo-zoshi - books about the floating world

. kashihonya, kashihon'ya 貸本屋 booklender, booklender
furuhonya, furu-honya 古本屋 selling old books .

. kawaraban　瓦版 Edo newspaper, handbill, broadside .
news broadsheet, lit. "tile-block printing" / yomiuri 読売、lit. "to read and sell"
Japanese newspapers (新聞 "shinbun")

mitate banzuke 見立番付 ranking of famous people or things

Shinpan mitate tsukemono zukushi Composite Make-Believe Objects by Ayasono

. kibyooshi 黄表紙 Kibyoshi, "yellow book covers" .

kokkeibon 滑稽本 humorous story books

. saiken　細見 "guide book" / Yoshiwara saiken 吉原細見 .
shibai saiken 芝居細見 guide book for theaters and actors
horizontal format (yokobon 横本), vertical format (tatebon 竪本)

. seihonshi 製本師　bookbinder - Buchbinder
seihonya 製本屋　- seihon gyoosha 製本業者 .
seihon ginooshi 製本技能士
seihon 製本 bookbinding - seihonjo 製本所 bookbinding factory, bookbindery, Buchbinderei
wasoobon, wasoohon 和装本 Japanese book making / wahon 和本 Japanese Book

. shunga 春画 "spring pictures" erotic pictures .

. Teikin Oorai, Teikin ōrai 庭訓往来 textbooks .
Kakimori Bunko 柿衛文庫 .

. Tsuruya Kiemon 鶴屋喜右衛門 Publisher 仙鶴堂 Senkakudo, Edo .

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Tsutaya Juuzaguroo, Tsutaya Jūzaburō 蔦屋重三郎 Tsutaya Jusaburo (1750 - 1797)
see below

. ukiyo-e shi　浮世絵師　Ukiyo-e producer .
ukiyo-e, lit. pictures of the floating world. Paintings and woodblock prints.
planned by the publisher hanmoto 版元 and produced in collaboration with the painter/designer eshi 絵師, carver horishi 彫師 and printer surishi 摺師.

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CLICK for more Japanese books !

出版文化と江戸の教養

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- - - - - common sizes of books

masugata-bon 枡形本　square book
mutsuhan-bon 六半本　sixth-size books
yokonaga-bon 横長本　"wider-than-high” books
yatsuhan-bon 八半本"eighth-sized” books
yotsuhan-bon 四半本　quarter-size books
and
大判　oversized books　

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Tsutaya Juuzaburoo, Tsutaya Jūzaburō 蔦屋重三郎 Tsutaya Jusaburo (1750 - 1797)

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. . . the founder and head of the Tsutaya publishing house in Edo, Japan, and produced illustrated books and ukiyo-e woodblock prints of many of the period's most famous artists. Tsutaya's is the best-remembered name of all ukiyo-e publishers. He is also known as Tsuta-Jū and Jūzaburō I.



Tsutaya set up his shop in 1774 and began by publishing guides to the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters.

- MORE in the wikipedia -



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the Book in Japan:
A Cultural History from the Beginnings to the Nineteenth Century
by Peter F. Kornicki (Author)

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- quote -
Printing and Publishing
Pre-Modern Printing
- - - - - Tokugawa Period
..... Roughly 300 titles were produced in the 1590s-1630s using moveable type, .....
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The earliest publishing houses emerged in Kyoto around 1600; simply called hon'ya (bookstores) they engaged in both printing/publishing and retail, and numbered over a hundred by the 1630s.
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Over the course of the entire Edo period, an estimated 3,757 publishing/bookstore operations were established in Japan, 1,530 of which went out of business before the end of the period.
- - - - - Process
Publishers would often initiate projects, deciding on themes and hiring illustrators or print designers. The illustrators would then submit their designs to the publisher, who would then take over much of the remainder of the process.
- hangiya (板木屋, block-carver)
- copyist or hanshitagaki (版下書)
- nishiki-e and surimono　摺物
- the verb 上梓 (jôshi), meaning "to print" or "to publish."
- woodblocks, known as zôhan (蔵版)
- - - - - Paper
- hemp (mashi 麻紙) - kôzo (楮) - Bamboo paper (tôshi 唐紙 or gasenshi 画箋紙)
- - - - - Pigments
- hide-glue called nikawa
Sumi - the same black ink used for painting and calligraphy was used for printing blacks and greys.
White pigments made from seashell (gofun) or lead oxide (enpaku)
Dayflower blue (tsuyukusa) - a light blue hue which reacts easily to moisture, turning yellow.
Prussian blue - the first chemical/artificial pigment developed in the world (i.e. deriving directly from neither vegetable or mineral sources); first used in Japan in 1829; a deep, rich blue that does not fade or discolor.
Beni (safflower red), used to produce various shades of red, pink, orange, and yellow.
Purples obtained by mixing dayflower blue with safflower red, or by other means.

- reference source : wiki.samurai-archives.com/index -
(very extensive reference !)

The Private World of Surimono

Japanese Prints from the Virginia Shawan Drosten and Patrick Kenadjian Collection
Yale University Press, 2020
Sadako Ohki with Adam Haliburto

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Japanese books
Books in Japan (和本, wahon or 和装本, wasouhon) have a long history, which begins in the late 8th century AD. The majority of books were hand-copied until the Edo period (1603–1867), when woodblock printing became comparatively affordable and widespread. Movable-type printing had been used from the late 16th century, but for various aesthetic and practical reasons woodblock printing and hand-copied remained dominant until much later. Japanese equivalents for "book" include 本 (hon) and 書籍 (shoseki). The former term indicates only bound books, and does not include scrolls. The latter is used for printed matter only. The most general term is 書物 (shomotsu), which means all written or printed matter that has been collected into a single unit, regardless of construction.
1 Book composition
1.1 Binding methods
1.1.1 Pre-binding books
1.1.2 Bound books
2 Printing history
2.1 Nara Period
2.2 Heian and Kamakura Periods
2.3 Muromachi Period
2.4 The early-modern printing revolution
2.5 Meiji Period and beyond
- reference : wikipedia -

江戸時代の出版
- reference : wikipedia -

. besutoseraa ベストセラー bestseller authors - list .

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. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - - - - #shuppansha #publishinginedo #tsutaya #bestseller #surimono - - - -
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Tokugawa Ieyasu

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .
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Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 . (1543 - 1616)
born as 松平竹千代 Matsudaira Takechiyo, Iyeyasu,
Naifu Dono ナイフどの / 内府（ないふ）
Taijukoo, 大樹公（徳川家康） Taiju Ko ("The Big Tree", name for a great general)


source : dur.ac.uk/mlac/japanese/tokugawa

Tokugawa Ieyasu is the founder of the Edo Shogunate, he was the first shogun and posthumously became some kind of protecting deity with his own shrine in the Nikko Mountains, north of Tokyo (an auspicious place to protect his city according to Chinese Feng-Shui Geomantic lore).
日光の東照宮 Nikko no Tosho-Gu

Here is the famous story to shed light on the temperament of the three rivaling warlords of their time:
When confronted with a nightingale in a cage, which would not sing, each had his own approach to this situation:

-- Nobunaga --
If the bird does not sing, kill it!
-- Hideyoshi --
If the bird does not sing, I will make it sing!
--- Ieyasu ---
If the bird does not sing, I will wait until it sings!

As you might imagine from the above episode, Ieyasu outlived and out-waited his opponents and then took over power, like a ripe apple falling into his hands.

Tokugawa Ieyasu was obsessed with food and medicine to prolong his life. But he also liked to try new things, like the "tempora", tempura introduced by the Portugese missionaries.

. Ieyasu and 日光の東照宮 Nikko no Tosho-Gu .



. Shinkun Iga-Goe 神君伊賀越え "The Heavenly Lord retreats via Iga" .
and Chaya Shirōjirō 茶屋四郎次郎 Chaya Shirojiro
Chaya Shirōjirō Kiyonobu 茶屋四郎次郎清信 (1545-1596) helped Ieyasu during his hasty retreat from Sakai (Osaka) via Iga to Mikawa (Aichi).
Shirojiro later got permission for the shuinsen 朱印船 "red seal Ships" .

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- - - Tokugawa Ieyasu in the WIKIPEDIA !

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shikami 顰 "Grimacing Face"

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Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) attacked the army of Takeda Shingen in the Battle of Mikatagahara against the advice of his vassals and suffered a great defeat.
It is believed that Ieyasu, who narrowly escaped to his castle, had a portrait of himself in fear made to remember that he must always listen to the comments of his vassals, as a lesson learned in this battle.



The statue in this photo is based on the portrait in this story.
- source : samuraistyle.jp facebook


- - - - - and on Jeans !
a combination of the Fudo Myo-O favored by Takeda Shingen and his enemy Tokugawa Ieyasu

信玄の守護神 武田不動尊像と家康の顰（しかみ）像



. Denim Jeans and Fudo Myo-O 不動明王 .

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Tōshōkō Goikun 東照公 御遺訓 Teaching of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Toshoko Go-Ikun

written on January 17, 1603 while he received the title of Shogun in February of the same year

人の一生は重き荷を負うて　遠き道を行くが如し　
急ぐべからず不自由を　常と思えば　不足なし
心に望みおこらば　困窮し足る時を思い出すべし
堪忍は無事長久の基
怒りを敵と思え
勝つことばかり知りて　負くるを知らざれば　害その身に至る
己を責めて　人を責むるな
及ばざるは　過ぎたるに　勝れり

Your life is like carrying full of burdens, traveling a long road,
do not hurry nor complain for lack of freedom.
When you have hope in mind, remember the poor times.
Patience is the foundation of peaceful long life.
Consider your anger as your enemy.
If you know of only victories and of no losses, the harm is within you.
Blame yourself but not others.
In so doing, eventually you will win in your life.
Tr. Yoshio Kusaba

Persuade thyself that imperfection and inconvenience are the natural lot of mortals, and there will be no room for discontent, neither for despair.
Let thy step be slow and steady, that thou stumble not.
Patience means restraining one's inclinations.
- reference source : MORE Tokugawa Ieyasu Quotes -

- reference : 東照公 御遺訓 -


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. Mikawa choo 三河町 Mikawa district, Kanda Chiyoda ward - Tokyo .
The name refers to the Mikawa region (now Aichi prefecture), where Tokugawa Ieyasu was born.
When he came to Edo in 1590, he had his 下級武士 junior Samurai retainers settle in this district.
It is one of the old districts in Edo.
In the Meiji period it got the name of 神田区三河町 Kanda Mikawa cho.
In 1953, the first sub-district became 鎌倉町 Kamakura machi, the second to fourth sub-district were merged to
神田司町 Kanda Tsukasa machi and the old name was lost.


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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

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kaibutsu 怪物 monster HOO 封（ほう）Ho Yokai


source : tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives

When Ieyasu was still in 駿河 Suruga in the year 1609 on the fourth day of the fourth month, there appeared a strange being, a thick child, in the morning in the garden of 駿府城 Sunpu Castle. It had no fingers at his hands, pointing his arms toward heaven.
Ieyasu advised his men to chase it away to a place where humans would not see it any more, in a far away mountain forest.
Some people say this was a HOO 封（ほう）Ho Yokai and if you eat its flesh, it was a special elixir 仙薬 and you would become super-strong and fearless.


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Ise odori 伊勢踊 the Dance of Ise

This dance became quite popular after 1624. Farmers would just take off and go dancing around Japan, leaving for the Ise shrine.
Legend knows that bad things happened after such a bout of Ise Odori Dance, for example an uprising in Osaka and the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

The okage-mairi pilgrimage to Ise was accompanied by ecstatic dances, such as Ise-odori, okage-odori and ee-ja-nai-ka (ain't it hunky-dory) that disrupted daily life
- reference -

. hatsu Ise odori 初伊勢踊 first Ise dance .
and . Hatsu Ise 初伊勢 First visit to the Ise Shrine 　
as season words for the New Year

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Taroo inari 太郎稲荷 the Deity Taro Inari

Tachibana Sakon no Shogen 立花左近将監 with his soldiers was on his way to Korea, but ended up in 江戸の浅草観音 Edo, near the Asakusa Kannon for about 8 years.
Then one night an old man with white hair appeared in his dream and gave him an amulet, 白木の三方に祇園守. The old man was the deity 太郎稲荷 Taro Inari.
On the next day there came a messenger of Ieyasu telling him that he could go back to his homeland.

. Legends about the Asakusa 浅草 district in Edo .
太郎稲荷神社 Shrine Taro Inari Jinja and Tachibana Sakon

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Tooshooguu 東照宮の神勅 Tosho-Gu no chinshoku

Once there lived a farmer called 半七 Hanshichi in 三河国の小笠原家領内 the district of Ogasawara in Mikawa no Kuni. Many years ago he had been selling oil in the district. He had a divine message from the Tosho-Gu (Tokugawa Ieyasu), changed his name to Genseki 玄碩 and became a doctor. He prepared medicine according to the needs of each individual patient and healed many. Later when he walked around in Ise, where he had another revelation from heaven, telling him that since his own heart was pure he could heal patients so well.


source : aki-yoshida.co.jp/

Habu Genseki 土生玄碩 （1762 - 1848)
..... the Shogun's personal physician and a man celebrated for his skill in treating diseases of the eye,
and Philipp Franz von Siebold (1796-1868), a German doctor, . . . physician at the Dutch East India Company Dejima Factory. . . .
His belongings became wet dampened during a storm, and when laid out on the deck for drying, discovery was made by a Nagasaki Magistrate official of banned maps of Japan drawn by Tadataka Ino, and a Haori jacket with a hollyhock crest of the Tokugawa family, etc. During the intensive investigation that followed, Kageyasu Takahashi of the Nagasaki Magistrate, who had given the maps to Siebold, was sentenced for capital punishment.
Genseki Habu, the Shogunate doctor responsible for the Shogunate Haori, was deprived of his post, and Siebold was exiled for life out of Japan.
- source : Rio Imamura -

- - - - - the ophthalmologist Habu Genseki
- reference -

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Gunma 群馬県　 日光 Nikko

. Nikkoozan Tookooboo 日光山東光坊 - Tengu Tokobo. Toko-Bo from Mount Nikko .
Tokugawa in his incarnation as a Tengu !


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Kanagawa 神奈川県 大和市 Yamato

Fukuda village 福田村 was under the direct governance of the Tokugawa clan.

yamanba 山姥 the old mountain hag
Once there lived an old mountain hag in the village, almost like a demon (oni 鬼). People feared her and once when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, they invited her for a party, gave her poisoned Sake and killed her.
But now she became a vengefull soul and appeared almost every night as a flickering monster light (鬼火) on the road and soon nobody passed this mountain path any more.
When Tokugawa Ieyasu came to this region, he wrote a Waka poem to appease her soul and all was good.

さがみなる 福田の里の やまんばは
いつのいつまで 夫を待つらむ

In Sagami at the village Fukuda this old woman
waiting for her husband for ever and ever



The "old mountain hag" was Ito, 小林大玄の妻（イト） the wife of Kobayashi Daigen (a doctor and mountain priest)
of a special group of nine people to develop the area of Fukuda, 福田開拓九人衆 . He had wandered off to see more of Japan and his wife was left all alone in Yamato in great dispair.
She was later appeased at the temple 建長寺 Kencho-Ji in Kamakura
この‘山姥’とは . . .
- reference source : blog.ap.teacup.com/hazuki69 -




Yamato, Fukuda district, temple 蓮慶寺 Renkei-Ji
The statue 木造優婆尊尼座像 represents Ito from the Yamanba legend. Now she is venerated as a deity to help bring up healthy children.
- reference source : blogs.yahoo.co.jp/pokochino6324 -


The story of Kobayashi Ito 小林糸
who liked to drink Sake quite a lot and waited for her husband.



- source : c-yanagibashi/index -

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Nagano 長野県

hakuba no tatari 白馬の祟り the curse of the White Horse
Once there was a dappled gray horse with four white spots, called ソウゼン Sozen.
When the horse turned 8 years, its hair became all white and it seemed cursed. The warlord who had fought with a minister of Ieyasu was defeated and lost his life, together with the white horse, in battle.
Since then a white horse was feared in the village. To appease its soul a stone memorial was put up and regular rituals held there.


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Shizuoka 静岡県　
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Shizuoka, 安倍川 River Abekawa



Abekawa Mochi 安倍川餅 rice cakes from Abekawa river, sprinkled with white sugar (a rarity in the Edo period) and with kinako 黄粉 soy bean flour
Once eaten by Tokugawa Ieyasu, after he had retired as Shogun. The local producers told him the yellow kinako was really gold powder.

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Shizuoka, Ryoogoochi 両河内村 Ryogochi Mura in Yoshiwara district, Shimizu 清水市吉原地区

Yoshiwaraji 善原寺 Yoshiwara-Ji
925 Yoshiwara, Shimizu Ward, Shizuoka

Yakushi san 薬師さん - 吉原の薬師堂 Yoshiwara no Yakushi-Do
This temple is famous for its Yakushi Nyorai, healing eye disease.
And in the Yoshiwara district are various tales about Ieyasu.

. Yakushidoo 吉原の薬師堂 Yoshiwara no Yakushi-Do .
大平の薬師様 Yakushi Sama in Ohira village. Ieyasu has his eyes healed.
吉原 Yoshiwara Town in Eastern Shizuoka.

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地元の善原寺には家康の娘・萬姫の眼病平癒の信仰譚も伝わる。家康が萬姫のために大平の薬師如来に参詣しようとしたが、日が暮れたので、ここ吉原にとどまって住職に祈祷を依頼したというものである。
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吉原や平山の家康伝説 Legends about Yoshiwara and Ieyasu at Hirayama
ところで吉原地区には徳川家康にまつわる伝説が多い。曵尾 (hikyoo) という地名は、家康が「比興な奴」(hikyoo) といったことから生まれたという話である。
また、鉄砲の上手な人がいて、家康の狩の勢子をしたという。ほかにも家康が身を清めて祈願したという清水があった庄司沢や権現様などの地名が残る。
もっとも家康伝説は吉原地区のみではない。静岡市の平山地区や瀬名地区にもいくつかある。たとえば、平山には家康が狩に来たという話がある。
また、歩けなくなるまで歩いた範囲の土地を与えるといった家康の言葉を信じて、そのとおりに首尾よく広い土地を得た地元民の話もある。これは瀬名地区の話だが、トルストイの民話に似ている。
平山地区では駿府城の石垣に組む石は長尾川から運び出したといわれている。家康伝説は、この事実と関連があるのかとも考えられる。
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吉原の薬師堂にまつわる多くの疑問 About the Yakushi Hall in Yoshiwara
だが吉原地区の場合にはやや異質である。平山や瀬名のような単純な家康伝説ではないのだ。
善原寺のかたわらに建つ薬師堂の本尊・薬師如来は、全国的に広がる薬師信仰とどう重なるのか、あるいは萬姫(家康にこのような名の娘がいたという史料はない)の眼病治癒の伝説も、眼の仏としてこれまた日本の広い範囲に分布する薬師信仰とどう結びつくのか。
そして何よりも、これらが家康の薬師如来説や申し子説と関わりはないのか、など疑問は尽きないのである。
善原寺の山門をくぐると階段があり、これを登り詰めたところに薬師堂が建つ。いわば山門から一直線の位置に薬師堂があるのだ。そして寺の本堂は階段の右手にあたる位置にある。見方によっては、山門と薬師堂とが一体の伽藍配置なのである。
ふつう、山門の後方には本堂があるというのが、我々が歴史で得た寺の建物配置についての知識である。四天王寺式とか法隆寺式というのがそれである。
ところがその本堂にあたる位置に薬師堂が建っている。これはどう考えるべきなのだろう。
薬師堂の偏額には「瑠璃界」と書かれている。朝鮮通信使の筆という。瑠璃界とは薬師如来の住む浄土である。
そういえば、善原寺は清水市興津の臨済宗清見寺の未である。その清見寺には江戸時代、朝鮮通信使がしばしば立ち寄っている。ここには戦国時代に人質の身だった家康が住んでいた。そして、寛文縁起と樽系図は家康に忠誠を誓った書という一面を持っているのである。
私にはこれら一連の疑問に答える能力はまったくない。速断が許されるべき問題ではない。だからこれからの課題として残しておくことにしよう。
- reference : diycc.info/taki -

. Yakushipedia ABC-Index 薬師如来 Yakushi Nyorai Bhaisajyaguru .

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ten yori kuru to iu mono 天より来ると云ふ者 Someone coming from Heaven
In the garden of 駿府城 Sunpu Castle
something strange appeared, with four fingers on each limb, worn and torn robes and eating only green frogs.
When asked where it has come from, it said "From Heaven!"
The servants wanted to kill it, but Ieyasu told them to bring it outside and let it go.


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Tokyo 東京都

sennin no moji 仙人の文字 letters of Saint Torakichi
In the year 1580 Ieyasu went hunting. He found four letters on the back of a feather of a crane he had shot down. When he showed them to 虎吉 Saint Torakichi, he told them they were four letters of a spell he used to chant constantly.

. Sendoo Torakichi 仙童寅吉 Sendo Torakichi .
Torakichi, the Tengu apprentice

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Tokyo, 渋谷区 Setagaya

Oman enoki おまん榎 hackberry tree of Lady O-Man
The wife of Ieyasu, O-Man no Kata おまんの方 （お万の方）, once suffered from a toothache. The priest from temple 千寿院 Senju-In took a branch from the enoki 榎 Chinese hackberry tree and made a toothpick out of it. When she put that toothpick in her mouth, she was cured very fast.
The tree is now one of the 千駄ヶ谷の七不思議 seven wonders of Sandagaya .

Senjuuin 仙寿院（せんじゅいん、法霊山仙寿院東漸寺）
- source : wikipedia -

. Edo Nana Fushigi 江戸七不思議 The Seven Wonders of Edo　.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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"Tiger Daruma" 寅童子の化身、徳川家康 with reference to Ieyasu
Ieyasu was born in the year of the tiger, on the day of the tiger and in the hour of the tiger.

- - - - - Read the story here in my blog :
. Hooraiji 鳳来寺 Horai-Ji, Aichi .


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

Ieyasu Ki 家康忌 Ieyasu Memorial Day
元和2年4月17日（1616年6月1日）June 1

Nikkoo Tooshooguu sai
日光東照宮祭 (にっこうとうしょうぐうさい)
Festival at Toshogu in Nikko
Nikkoo sai 日光祭（にっこうさい）Nikko festival
Tooshooguu sai 東照宮祭（とうしょうぐうさい）Toshogu festisval
yoinarisai 宵成祭（よいなりさい）"coming on the night before"
togyosai 渡御祭（とぎょさい）"honorable parade of the main deity"
May 17, 18

. WKD : Tokugawa Ieyasu .



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家康忌老歯さながら城の石
百合山羽公

久能山に雲こそかかれ家康忌
鳥羽しのぶ

家康の魂ひやゝかに杉木立
正岡子規 Masaoka Shiki

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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Ezo Ainu Culture

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .
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Ezo, Emishi 蝦夷　エゾ　Ainu Culture アイヌの文化　Yezo, Yeso, Jezo


Photo by Herbert George Ponting (1870-1935)


. Matsumae in Hokkaido 松前 .
Matsumae, one of the oldest port towns in Hokkaido, used to be busy during the summer months in the Edo period for fishing.
The name Matsumae at that time was almost identical with the old name of Ezo / Hokkaido.

. Kitamaebune 北前船 North-bound trade ships .
Matsumaebune 松前船 Matsumae trade ships to Hokkaido


. Ainu Ryori アイヌ料理 Ainu Food - Introduction .
Their traditional cuisine consists of the flesh of bear, fox, wolf, badger, ox or horse, as well as fish, fowl, millet, vegetables, herbs, and roots.
Archaeological finds
Ainu museum in Asahikawa, Hokkaido
Ainu Religion
Chiri Yukie Chiri 知里幸恵 (1903 - 1922)

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... Ainu Daruma ... アイヌだるま



. Ainu Folk Art and Craft .
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Daruma from Enju Wood エンジュ達磨 / enju 槐 Japanese pagoda tree
Itazu Kunio 板津邦夫, a famous woodcarver, born 1931.
Ainu Kokeshi　こけし


collecting
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- quote -
Nibutani-attus 二風谷アツトウシ
A tradition of 紗流川流域 the Saru River basin region since ancient times. It was used in trade with other regions as a product of the Saru River basin during the Edo period.
Nibutani-attus is still made today with the same tools that were used to make it over a hundred years ago.
- source : densan kougeihin -



source : jtcw.jp/2015...
Nibutani ita 二風谷イタ Nibutani carved wooden tray

- quote -
What is Nibutani carved wooden tray ?
Nibutani Ita is a carved wooden tray produced in Biratori-cho, Saru County, Hokkaido.
The origin of the town name, Biratori-cho, is an Ainu word for a cliff, Pirautouru. The characteristic of Nibutani Ita are its patterns. A spiral pattern called Mourenoka, a thorn-shaped pattern called Aiushinoka and an eye-shaped pattern called Shikunoka (all three words are Ainu) are combined to express a beautiful Ainu design. Furthermore, Nibutani Ita always has carved scale-shapes called Ramuramunoka which fill the space between the other patterns. The tray was used daily in the days of the Ainu and it is valued as a delicate craft by modern craftsmen today.
- History
Although Nibutani Ita is assumed to be a tray because of its shape, a song in the folklore of Ainu, Uepekere, mentions Nibutani Ita as a plate on which food was served directly. Blades were a must item for Ainu life and to be able to use the blades skillfully gave men status. For this reason, an Ainu man would put all his energy into making a carved wooden item for a woman who he fancied when they reached marriageable age. With this background, the Ainu-carved wooden items, including Nibutani Ita, have long been used as expensive gifts, presents for exchange or commercial items.
During the Ansei era (1854 – 1859) at the end of the Edo period (1603 – 1868), it was recorded that Nibutani Ita was among the gifts to the Bakufu (government) of the Matsumae Domain. In 1873, Nibutani Ita was exhibited at the EXPO in Vienna. Nibutani Ita was designated as a traditional national craft for the first time in Hokkaido in March 2013.
- General Production Process ...
Biratori Ainu Bunka Joho Center
- source : kogeijapan.com/locale/en... -





Nibutani Ainu Museum 二風谷アイヌ資料館
Nibutani or Niptani (Ainu: ニプタニ), is a district in the town of Biratori in Hokkaido.
With over 80% of the residents being Ainu, it makes it the city with the largest population of its residents being Ainu in all of Hokkaido. It is the site of the Nibutani Dam, and the hometown of Shigeru Kayano. Nibutani is also the site of two Ainu museums "Kayano Shigeru Nibutani Ainu museum" and the "Nibutani Ainu Culture Museum", as well as the Nibutani Family Land.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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Ishū Retsuzō 夷酋列像 Ishu Retsuzo - - Ishuretsuzo


- source : hokkaido-np.co.jp/ishuretsuzo-


- quote　－C.B. Liddell
The frayed edges of modern Japan
In the Edo Period (1603-1868) and the years that followed, Japan made strenuous efforts to bring together its patchwork of feudal regions into a strongly centralized state with a unified culture. Accordingly, the nation now is one of the most homogenous in the world. But there are a couple of places where this strongly mono-cultural model begins to fray.

One is Okinawa, where there is a somewhat different identity, and the other is Hokkaido, where there are still some traces of the indigenous Ainu people and their culture. While recognizing these different ethnic areas could be problematic — leading to separatism, for example — completely ignoring them is not an option, so it is only fitting that efforts to acknowledge them is made. The exhibition “Ishuretsuzo, the Image of Ezo: Tracing Persons, Things and the World” at the National Museum of Japanese History — and from Feb. 25 at the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka — should be viewed in these terms.



Significantly, the exhibition focuses on the Ainu not as a separate and independent culture but rather as symbiotic allies and auxiliaries of the Japanese. The curation was built around the Ishuretsuzo, a series of portraits of Ainu chieftains, painted by Hakyo Kakizaki (1764-1826), a samurai retainer of the Matsumae clan, who occupied the southern part of Hokkaido to defend the border.

Originally there were 12 portraits, painted in 1790, depicting high-ranking Ainu allies of the clan, with one of the portraits being of a woman, noticeable by her lack of a long beard and her tattooed lips.

These surprisingly skillful works were painted in the aftermath of the Menashi-Kunashir War of 1789, when Ainu attacks on Japanese tradesmen and colonists in the northeastern part of the island led to retaliation by the Matsumae clan and their Ainu allies. The whereabouts of the paintings was unknown, until 1984 when 11 of the works were rediscovered at the Besancon Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in eastern France.

These 11 paintings are supplemented by garments and objects, some of which have also been depicted in the pictures, as well as old maps and other artworks showing scenes from Ezo, as Hokkaido was then known. The most impressive item on display is an expansive folding screen from 1741, showing in great detail the town of Matsumae, the headquarters of the eponymous clan. Among the small figures that can be discerned are a group of Ainu visiting the town.


夷酋列像 - Ishuretsuzo

It seems clear from looking at this screen, Kakizaki’s works and the details of the Menashi-Kunashir War, that the Japanese and Ainu were in frequent contact and occupied different economic positions, not separate and exclusive spaces. The Ainu tended to focus on hunting and fur-trapping — the exhibition includes a very large sea otter rug — while the Japanese were traders and farmers.

This was a period when Japan was closed to the rest of the world, except for a strictly controlled stream of trade through Nagasaki. But Ezo’s distance from the capital and its frontier conditions appears to have had a liberalizing effect on trade, with Hokkaido serving as something of a back door to Japan.

This is reflected in Kakizaki’s paintings, which show the Ainu chieftains wearing an outlandish mixture of Chinese, Japanese and even European garments. It is almost as if Ezo was a colder version of Tatooine, the anarchic trading planet in the “Star Wars” movies, with the more powerful Ainu chieftains being particularly colorful characters.

Although tensions occasionally flared up, as in the Menashi-Kunashir War, the mutual benefits for Japanese and Ainu meant that there was good reason for them to get along together.

It is possible to see Kakizaki’s paintings as examples of ethnographic art and depictions of the alien “other.” Attention could be drawn to the evident fascination with which he depicted the hairiness of his subjects and their swaggering and eclectic sense of fashion.

But a more fair-minded appraisal would be to draw attention to the painter’s general realism — his lack of ethnic exaggeration and exoticism. These are works by someone who seems to have been truly familiar with the Ainu people, and it shows. Although Kakizaki’s paintings represent a Japanocentric view of the Ainu, it is one that is nevertheless genuine, sensitive and artistically sympathetic.



'Ishuretsuzo: Shimochi, Ainu Chieftain of Akkeshi, by Hakyo Kakizaki (1790)


'Ishuretsuzo: Tsukinoe, Ainu Chieftain of Kunashiri' by Hakyo Kakizaki (1790)
- source : Japan Times



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- quote -
Kunashiri Menashi no tatakai クナシリ・メナシの戦い Menashi-Kunashir Rebellion
Menashi-Kunashir Battle was a battle in 1789 between Ainu and Japanese on the Shiretoko Peninsula in northeastern Hokkaidō. It began in May, 1789 when Ainu attacked Japanese on Kunashir Island and parts of the Menashi District as well as at sea. More than 70 Japanese were killed. The Japanese executed 37 Ainu identified as conspirators and arrested many others. Reasons for the revolt are not entirely clear, but they are believed to include a suspicion of poisoned saké being given to Ainu in a loyalty ceremony, and other objectionable behavior by Japanese traders.

The battle is the subject of Majin no Umi, a children's novel by Maekawa Yasuo that received the Japanese Association of Writers for Children Prize in 1970.

A similar large-scale Ainu revolt against Japanese influence in Yezo was Shakushain's Revolt from c. 1669-1672.
- source : wikipedia -

Shakushain no tatakai シャクシャインの戦い Shakushain's Revolt
an Ainu rebellion against Japanese authority on Hokkaidō between 1669 and 1672. It was led by Ainu chieftain Shakushain against the Matsumae clan, . . .
- source : wikipedia -

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

簗崩れこれより蝦夷は鬼の国
yana kuzure kore yori Ezo wa oni no kuni

a broken weir -
from here on its Ezo
land of the Demons

田村正義 Tamura Masayoshi (1938 - )

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雪囲ひ終へて薪積む蝦夷古刹
yukigakoi oete maki tsumi Ezo kosatsu

finishing the snow protection
it is time for collecting firewood
at an old temple in Ezo

Saitoo Setsuko 斎藤節子 Saito Setsuko

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奥蝦夷に建ちし末寺やお取越
石田雨圃子

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Ezomatsu 蝦夷松 / えぞ松 Pine from Ezo, (Picea jezoensis）

えぞ松の雪こぼし出づ春の鹿
瀬戸みさゑ
蝦夷松に幣やゆづり葉年用意
飯田弥伊子
蝦夷松の幹立ち塞ぎ蝶飛べず
岡田日郎
蝦夷松の秋風高き旅路かな
水田むつみ

風渡る蝦夷松の下車組む
工藤蘇虹

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. Japanese Architecture - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

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

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - - - - #ezoainu #ainuezo #matsumae #hokkaido #nibutani - - - -
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tsujigiri killings

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .
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tsujigiri 辻斬り "to cut someone down at a crossroad"
"to try out one's new sword on a chance wayfarer"

. samurai, buke　侍、 武家 Samurai - Introduction .


CLICK for more books !

Tsujigiri killings are a well-loved subject of the Samurai Jidaigeki literature and films.

tameshigiri　試し切り "trying out a new sword"
usually done on the bodies of executed people

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- quote
Tsujigiri (辻斬り or 辻斬 tsuji-giri, literally 'crossroads killing')
is a Japanese term for a practice when a samurai, after receiving a new katana or developing a new fighting style or weapon, tests its effectiveness by attacking a human opponent, usually a random defenseless passer-by, in many cases during nighttime. The practitioners themselves are also referred to as tsujigiri.

In the medieval era, the term referred to traditional duels between bushi, but in the Sengoku period (1467-1600), widespread anarchy caused it to degrade into indiscriminate murder, permitted by the unchecked power of the bushi. Shortly after order was restored, the Edo government prohibited the practice in 1602. Offenders would receive capital punishment. The only known incident where a very large number of people were indiscriminately killed in the Edo period was the 1696 Yoshihara spree killing (吉原百人斬), where a wealthy lord named Yoshihara had a psychotic fit and murdered dozens of prostitutes with a katana. He was treated by authorities as a spree killer and sentenced to death. Later, a kabuki play was made about the incident.
The practice of tsujigiri has been cited in the philosophical debate over moral relativism, notably by Mary Midgley in her 1989 work Can't We Make Moral Judgements?.

Kiri-sute gomen 斬捨御免 or 切捨御免,
literally, "authorization to cut and leave" - the body of the victim
is an old Japanese expression dating back to the feudal era right to strike (right of samurai to kill commoners for perceived affronts). Samurai had the right to strike with sword at anyone of a lower class who compromised their honour.
- - - - - Conditions
Because the right was defined as a part of self defense, the strike had to follow immediately after the offense, meaning that the striker could not attack someone for a past grievance. Also, due to the right being self-defense, it was not permissible to deliver a further coup de grâce. Moreover, the samurai who exercised the right had to prove the correctness of his action in court by producing a witness. Punishment for the incorrect exercise of this right was severe. An offender could be beheaded without being allowed to perform seppuku and have his house abolished, meaning that none of his sons could succeed the title. Due to the seriousness of the punishment, many performed seppuku to pre-empt the verdict. A samurai visiting a different feudal province had to be extremely careful, especially if it was in Edo, the seat of the Shogun. Wrongful executions of commoners from different feudal provinces were seen as an offense against a feudal state. It was thus advisable for samurai visiting different provinces to be accompanied by a servant, so as to provide witness.

- - - - - Right of defense
Because of the somewhat arbitrary nature of this right, anyone who was at the receiving end had the right to defend themselves by wakizashi (short sword). This situation was most common in the case of a higher samurai exercising the right against a lower ranked samurai as samurai would always carry wakizashi.
The expression is still sometimes used in modern-day as "I apologize in advance for this one" for the subtle humor in offering what amounts to an unsympathetic apology.
An instance of Kiri sute gomen is described in the story of the Hōgyū Jizō statue. A boy, whose father was killed by Kirisute gomen, made 100 stone statues in later life, in Kumamoto.
- source : wikipedia


tameshigiri (試し斬り, 試し切り, 試斬, 試切)
is the Japanese art of target test cutting. The kanji literally mean "test cut" (kun'yomi: ためし ぎり tameshi giri). This practice was popularized in the Edo period (17th century) for testing the quality of Japanese swords. It continues to the present day, but has evolved into a martial art which focuses on demonstrating the practitioner's skill with a sword.



. . . . . there were a wide variety of cuts used on cadavers and occasionally convicted criminals, from tabi-gata (ankle cut) to O-kesa (diagonal cut from shoulder to opposite hip). The names of the types of cuts on cadavers show exactly where on the body the cut was made.
- source : wikipedia

Ō-Edo Shitai-kō 大江戸死体考 “Reflections on the Corpses of Edo”

- reference : - PMJS tsujigiri discussion


. seppuku 切腹 -- harakiri 腹切り ritual suicide .

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Shinto in History: Ways of the Kami
By John Breen, Mark Teeuwen
On his deathbed Tokugawa Ieyasu had the sword 三池光世 Miike Mitsuyo “tested” on a prisoner, only to declare the sword to be the seat of a kami he himself is going to become after his death.
- reference : books.google.co.jp -

Miike Mitsuyo
The Tokugawa shogunate founder Ieyasu had such an unswerving belief in the spiritual power of this sword that on his death bed he officially transferred his spirit to it, vowing to ensure the eternal prosperity of the shogunate. As a gesture to indicate the Tokugawa family’s position of ultimate control, he ordered the tip of the sword, when displayed, to be pointed toward the region of the Toyotomi clan, which had threatened his hegemony. The sword was the symbol of Ieyasu’s role as protector of the country and became treasured as the main object of worship in the deification of Ieyasu as Tosho Shinkun, the Great God of the Shrines of Eastern Japan.
- source : Yoko Haruhara -


. katana, nihonto 日本刀 The Japanese Sword .

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"Trying Out One's New Sword," by Mary Midgley
- - - - - Summary
Midgley argues that not only is moral isolationism – the view that one ought to respect other cultures but not judge them – incorrect, it is logically incoherent. She does so by presenting four self-contained arguments: that judgment is logically antecedent to respect, that outsiders can judge foreign cultures, if on a provisional basis, that moral isolationism leads to a complete inability to make moral judgments of any kind, and that cultures are not, as moral isolationism holds, subject to isolating barriers.
. . . . . First, she argued that
"there is a contradiction between the claim that we cannot understand these rules, and the claim we must respect them." (Midgely) This only means that we, ourselves, can understand people in other cultures. In the following paragraphs, Midgely was able to illustrate some relevant examples to explain the importance of analyzing other culture’s morals in order to form educated judgments about them. She gives an example of ancient Chinese samurai warriors whom before going off to battle would test the sharpness of their swords on innocent strangers. (Midgely)
. . . . . "The Japanese custom tsujigiri involves an owner of a sword and a traveler; the situation is that this owner will have to try out his/her sword to any traveler. This is to check if the blade is really that sharp and that the sword can really kill someone in just a single blow."
source : npapadakis.wordpress.com

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Kajiwara Heizô Homare no Ishikiri　梶原平三誉石切
石切梶原　ー Kabuki
first presented as a Joruri puppet theater　三浦大助紅梅靮 in 1730 at the 大阪竹本座　Takemoto-za in Osaka.
The title "Kajiwara Heizô Homare no Ishikiri" was used for the first time in June 1892, in Nagoya at the Suehiroza.



Ôba Saburô and his bombastic villainous brother Matano Gorô, who are both Heike warriors, are at a shrine in Kamakura celebrating their recent victory over the enemy general, Yoritomo, when Kajiwara Heizô, who also fought in the same battle, enters and joins them.

An elderly man and his daughter then appear and approach Ôba. Old Rokurôdayû wishes to sell a precious sword in his possession to help his daughter Kozue, and asks Ôba to buy it. Just as Ôba is about to go ahead, his brother objects and says that before anyone parts with 300 gold pieces he wants the sword examined. Kajiwara, who is known to be an outstanding swordsman, agrees to examine the sword. As he does so, he notices not only its excellence but sees something on the hilt that indicates the sword is a treasure of the enemy Genji, but he keeps that information silent. Kajiwara gives the sword his unqualified approval, and the sale is about to through again when Matano says that if it doesn't cut well it is more useless than a rusty fish knife, and insists that it is tested-by cutting two condemned prisoners in half.

The prison official reports that unfortunately there is only one prisoner currently under the death sentence, so Ôba says that he cannot buy the sword and readies himself to leave. Rokurôdayû, however, is desperate to sell the sword because he is secretly a Genji sympathizer and he needs the money to give to the Genji cause, so he offers himself as the second body, on the understanding they give the money to his daughter after his death. Matano is satisfied and plans to do the slicing himself, but Kajiwara intervenes and says he will test the sword. The condemned man is brought in and lain on top of Rokurôdayû. Kajiwara brings down the sword with precision, but only the criminal is killed. Rokurôdayû is still safely in one piece. Matano is disgusted that the sword has failed its reputation and leaves with Ôba. Kajiwara then reveals that he deliberately gauged the power of his stroke so that Rokurôdayû would not die. He, Kajiwara, recognizes the power and significance of the sword, and will buy it for himself, for he is also secretly a Genji sympathizer. And to prove the sword is in no way defective he brings it down on a stone water trough, cutting it clean in two. All three are delighted with the outcome and leave for Kajiwara's mansion to settle payment.
- reference : kabuki21.com/ishikiri -

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

In Kanagawa, Yokohama 横浜市, 泉区
To appease the souls of people who got killed in a hold-up (追剥ぎ oihagi) or Tsujigiri people built a 供養塔 stone memorial for prayers.
Later wild cats begun to dance around this stone.

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Hōgyū Jizō 放牛地蔵 Hogyu Jizo, Kumamoto
are Japanese stone statues; mostly of Ksitigarbha and other kinds of stone statues made by Buddhist monk Hōgyū (around 1672-1732) between 1722 and 1732 in Kumamoto, Japan. When Hōgyū was about 14, in 1686, his father was killed by a samurai. Later he made stone statues for the repose of the soul of his father.
In January 1686,
a blacksmith called Hichizaemon, a heavy drinker, threw a bamboo blower at his son. It accidentally hit the forehead of a samurai, Ohyano Genzaemon. Despite repeated apologies, Genzaemon immediately killed Hichizaemon with a sword, that being legal at the time by kiri sute gomen. Genzaemon, the son and his sister all wrote witness statements, and the Bugyō did not punish Genzaemon.
Out of grief,
the son entered the Buddhist priesthood for the repose of his father, and offered a prayer with a vow that he would make 100 stone statues. He made 107 stone statues between 1722 and 1732. He died in 1732. The 100th statue was in Ōjō-in Temple in Kumamoto, and it was the biggest statue (186 centimetres (73 in) high) among others standing on the big stone lotus.


CLICK for more photos !

- - - - - maybe
Hideo Nagata studied every statue of Hōgyū and stated that the Hogyu was not the boy whose father was killed. The statues might be connected with the circumstances of the time such as famine.
- source : wikipedia -



放牛さんとへふり地蔵
正田吉男／文　上原恵／絵　杉山静香／絵


. Jizō - Jizo Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 - ABC List .

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michikiri, michi-kiri 道切 / 道切り "Cutting off the Road"
tsujigiri 辻切り（つじぎり） cutting off a crossroad

At the part where the main road enters a village, Dososhin deities are enshrined, sacred 注連縄　shimenawa ropes (or sometimes snakes made of straw) and other amulets are hung and 草履　zori (or waraji) straw sandals are offered to the deities in order to prevent evil spirits and monsters (or Kappa in this story) from entering and drive them away.

. Kanjonawa rope 勧請縄 sacred rope above a road .

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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 .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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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

- quote
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.

- quote -
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 -

- quote -
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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