12/20/2017

Kaga districts

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo 江戸の名所 .
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Kagachoo 加賀町 Kaga-Cho, Kagacho, Kaga districts in Edo
Ichigaya 市谷 / 市ヶ谷 / 市ケ谷


There are three districts with the Kaga name, one in the Ginza and one in Ichigaya.
東京都中央区銀座七丁目 Ginza / 東京都新宿区市ヶ谷 Ichigaya

There are two theories about this name:
One is named after a 加賀平右衛門 Kaga Heiemon, the 町名主 headman of this district.

The other is being named after the domain name of Kaga (now Ishikawa prefecture)
This refers to Kaga Cho in Ichigaya.

Itabashi, 板橋区 Kaga 加賀

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銀座加賀町 Ginza Kaga cho

This was first located in 東京府東京市京橋区 and existed until 1930.
Then it became a part of 京橋区銀座西 Kyobashi ward, Ginza Nishi
Now it is part of 東京都中央区銀座七丁目 Chuo ward, Ginza



When Tokugawa Ieyasu first came to Edo, the area of Ginza was still sea and had been filled up when building the castle of Edo, especially the palace at Nishi no Maru. The whole beach front had been reclaimed and became suitable for housing. One of the new districts was called KAGA.
This was the name of the person who was involved in the development of the area,
加賀平右衛門 Kaga Heiemon,
who later became the 町名主 headman of this district.


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市谷加賀町 Ichigaya Kaga cho
東京都新宿区 Shinjuku
- former - 東京府東京市牛込区市ヶ谷加賀町
市ヶ谷加賀町一丁目 / 市ヶ谷加賀町二丁目 with two sub-districts



This district is named after the Lord of the Kaga domain, Maeda Mitsutaka 前田光高 (1616 - 1645).
His estate was in this area.
By way of his mother, he was the nephew of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu.
As Iemitsu was heirless for some time, Mitsutaka was considered a potential heir. He would then have become the fourth Tokugawa shogun.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


- quote
The towns of Edo that were established then were named after feudal domains; with names such as
Surugacho, Owaricho, Kagacho, and Inabacho.
They bore the names of the domains that the daimyos in charge of rebuilding the towns were from.
- source : nihombashi-tokyo.com/history...

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Itabashi Kaga
板橋区 加賀 一丁目 - 二丁目 first and second sub-district



The shimoyashiki 下屋敷 suburban residence of the Kaga Domain was located here.
Part of this estate is now 加賀公園 Kaga Koen Park.
1 Chome-8 Kaga, Itabashi City, Tokyo




. Itabashi ku 板橋区 Itabashi ward .

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. Kaga han 加賀藩 Kaga Domain and the Maeda clan .
Ishikawa - 石川県

. Kaga ryoori 加賀料理 Kaga ryori- dishes from Kaga .

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. Ichigaya 市谷 / 市ヶ谷 / 市ケ谷 "Market Valley" district .

Ichigaya Sanaizaka 市谷左内坂町 Ichigaya Sanaizaka cho
in Sanaicho 左内町 - Ichigaya-sanaicho district

Located to the West of Edo castle and to the West of Kaga cho.



The area is named after 島田左内 Shimada Sanai, who lived at the top of the very steep slope as a village headman in the early Edo period around 1620. At that time the village was called
坂町 Sakacho "village on the slope".
A person like Sanai who developed barren land around Edo castle was called
kusawake nanushi 草分け名主 pioneer headman.
The home of the Shimada family was there until the end of the Edo period.
One of the more famous members of the Shimada family was the head on the 8th generation,
島田友直 Shimada Tomonao
He is better known as 酒上熟寐 Sakenoue no Jukune (1724-1784) and was a famous teacher of 狂歌 Kyoka comic "crazy verses".
The characters of his name 酒上 Sakenoue (he liked 酒 Sake a lot), are a pun with
坂の上 Sakanoue "on top of the slope".
Jukune 熟寐 "drunken slumber"

At Sanaizaka there are now the remains of 市谷左内坂定火消屋敷跡
one of the 10 special estates of the fire brigade of Ichigaya. The entrance to the estate was called
Sanai mon 左内門 Sanai gate.

左内坂 Sanaizaka now


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. 目黒行人坂の大火 Meguro Gyoninzaka (Meiwa no taika fire) .
and a legend about a Tanuki with burned testicles


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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売 - Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳 Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .


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- - - - - #edokagacho #kaga #maeda - - - -
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12/16/2017

Horie district

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Horiechoo, Horie choo 堀江町 Horie Cho district
Kobunachoo 小舟町 Kobunacho, Kobuna Cho district ("small boat")


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



When Tokugawa Ieyasu came to Edo, there a lot of fishermen in this are, one of them was
Horie Rokuroo 堀江六郎 Horie Rokuro.
Ieyasu allowed him to use his name for the area and provide fish and seafood for the fast-growing city.

It is a narrow long district, next to 小舟町 Kobunacho, sandwiched between two waterways.
In the East is 東堀留川 Higashi-Horidomegawa , in the West 伊勢町川 Isechogawa. (These waterways do not exist any more.)
. 伊勢町 Isecho, Ise district .
with Shiokashi 塩河岸 "Salt river bank" and Komekashi 米河岸 "Rice river bank".

Because of this good access by boat, there were many storehouses. They stored
木材 lumber, 米 rice, 塩 salt, 乾物 dried food items, 、鰹節 Bonito flakes, 海草 seaweed, 線香 incense, 麻 hemp, 下駄 geta clogs.
kasaumbrellas, minostraw raincoats.


Edo Meisho Zue 江戸名所図会

There were also many craftsmen and dealers for uchiwa 団扇 hand fans (the air-conditioning for summer in Edo).
So Horie was soon identified with the hand fans.

Two districts in the middle of Horie were also called
Terefurechoo 照降町 (てれふれ) Terefurecho, Terefure Cho
(district where it rains (fure) and shines (tere))
The Japanese is also given as (てりふりちょう ) Terifuricho.
since they made umbrellas, raincoats and hand fans, useful items for any weather and the roads were always busy with customers.

The haiku poet Takarai Kikaku 宝井其角 and Hattori Ransetsu 服部嵐雪 also lived in the back quarters of てれふれ町足駄屋 a Geta shop in Terefure Cho.

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entrance to the Terefure district.


雁渡り 照降町自身番書役日誌 (てりふりちょう ) Terifuri-Cho
by 今井絵美子 Imai Emiko



And many more volumes with detective stories from Terifuri district in Edo.

. Hasegawa Heizô 長谷川平蔵 Hasegawwa Heizo .
Terifuri was a district where the famous police officer was active.


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. teri-furi ningyoo, terifuri 照り降り人形 "weather forecasting dolls" .


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Kobunachoo 小舟町 Kobunacho, Kobuna Cho district ("small boat")

The district had three sub-districts, 一丁目 till 三丁目.
At the time of the urban demarcations applied in 1603, this area was known as. Shimofunecho. However, in 1720, its name was changed to Kobunacho to distinguish it from 大舟町 Obunacho, which lay to the west.
(Ofunacho was eventually re-named to 本舟町 Hon-Funacho "the Real Funacho".)
It was a district with fishermen and shipping agents.
Traces of the old capital of Edo still linger in Kobuna-cho, Nihonbashi.
It was connected via the waterways to the bridges Edobashi and Nihonbashi.


小伝馬町→小舟町天王 Tenno Festival Float from Kobunacho - Kodenmacho
Around 1711 there was an epidemy in Kobunacho and they might have borowed the float from the Tenno Shrine for the festifal 天王おまつり.
It seems the festival float was carried around parts along Nihonbashi and Uogashi, where the fish mongers lived and sometimes called
sanjuri Tenno 十三里天王 Tenno of 30 ri distance
(1 里 RI is about 3.9 km).

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- quote -
Looking after the giant lantern dedicated to Sensoji Temple in Asakusa is one way of carrying on tradition. Sensoji Temple has a giant lantern at Kaminarimon Gate and at Hozomon Gate, but the giant lantern hung at Hozomon Gate dedicated by Nihonbashi Kobunacho has a longer history.
It is said that religious followers from around the waters by the fish market at Nihonbashi dedicated it in 1657 as a sign of their faith. By the way, the dedicating of the giant lantern at Kaminarimon Gate was started by the “god of management” Konosuke Matsushita; founder of the leading Japanese home appliance manufacturer Panasonic, and the company continues to look after it to this day.
The giant lantern is 3.9 meters in height. It is also 2.7 meters in circumference so it takes two fully-grown adults to encircle it hand-in-hand. A new one will be dedicated this year for the first time in eleven years. It will cost five to six million yen as Kyoto is the only place where a lantern this size can be made. It will be unveiled at a festival at Yakumo Shrine in September with help from the townspeople, companies, and those who have a fondness for Nihonbashi Kobunacho. It is then scheduled to be dedicated to Sensoji Temple on October 5.
...
Nihonbashi Kobunacho in the 1950’s, it was still quite reminiscent of the “bonito riverbank” during the Edo period. As its name suggests, the area was lined with dried bonito*1 wholesalers and in the daytime, you could see mats everywhere with bonito on them being dried under the sun. When aged bonito is scraped with a brush, you could see powder flying everywhere, spreading the smell of dried bonito.
Nihonbashi Kobunacho is where Zenjiro Yasuda, founder of one of Japan’s megabanks, Mizuho Financial Group, started his dried bonito wholesaling / money changing business.
There is a legend stating that he started it when he found a golden Ebisu (god of fishing and fortune) statue. The Kobunacho Branch of Mizuho Bank currently stands where Zenjiro set up his business and its staff helps us out every year during festivities such as a kagami-biraki ceremony in January. The placing of importance on connections with the area not only by its residence but also by companies based here is another fine tradition of Nihonbashi.
- source : nihombashi-tokyo.com/history - Teruyuki Hirano

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source : nihombashi.keizai.biz...

小舟町で「江戸の暮らしと日本橋未来絵図」展
Exhibition about the life in Edo and the future of Nihonbashi
as seen from Kobunacho



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Specialities of Kobunacho were
katsuobushi 鰹節 bonito flakes and dried salted fish.


東京日本橋の鰹節専門店にんべん Ninben Company



. Ninben にんべん, Takatsu Ihei 高津伊兵衛 (1679 - ) .


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Murata Harumi 村田春海 (1746 - 1812)
was born in Kobunacho.



He was the second son of a fish dealer in Kobunacho.
He was a scholar of 国学 Kokugaku (National Learning) and also a poet, disciple of Kamo no Mabuchi and Hattori Chuei, Udono Shinei and Minagawa Kien.
When his older brother died, he took over the family fish business and spent his money lavishly.
Eventually all his money was spent and the family business ruined.
He still used his knowledge of Kokugaku to work with Katō Chikage and Matsudaira Sadanobu.
His most important books:
Wagaku taigai 和学大概 Great study about Japanese literature
Gojūon bengo 五十音弁護 Study about 50 wrong readings


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


. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売 - Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳 Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .


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- - - - - #horie #terefure #kobunacho #kobuna - - - -
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11/10/2017

Himonya district

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo 江戸の名所 .
- for 荏原郡 Ebara, see below -
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Himonya 碑文谷 Himonya district

This is a very old district, dating back to the Muromachi period, when it was called
Himonoyoya 檜物屋 District of woodworkers with Japanese cypress
Now part of 目黒区 Meguro Ward.
Its name is a kind of pun with the sound and meaning of himon (hibun) 碑文 meaning "inscription on a stone".



Many woodworkers lived there.
. himonoshi 檜物師 "artisan making things from Hinoki cypress wood" .
also called magemonoshi 曲物師 craftsmen of bentwood products
kurimono 刳物 "bent things"
Himonoshi craftsmen also lived in
Himonochoo 檜物町 / 檜物丁 Himono Cho District in Edo
close to Nihonbashi - 東京都中央区八重洲一丁目 / 1 Chome Yaesu, Chūō ward


. hinoki 檜 or 桧 Japanese cypress .
Chamaecyparis obtusa


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碑文谷八幡宮 Himonya Hachimangu
目黒区碑文谷三丁目7番3号 / 3 Chome-7-3 Himonya, Meguro



The Shrine dates back to the Kamakura period and has thus a long history. Hatakeyama Shigetada 畠山重忠 (1164 - 1205), a vassal of Minamoto no Yoritomo, came to this shrine to pray for victory in war.
A vassal of Hatakeyama, 榛沢六郎 Hanzawa Rokuro, built a sanctuary for Inari 稲荷社 with a himon seki 碑文石 stone inscription of the name of Himonya 碑文谷.
The stone is 75 cm high, 45 cm wide and 10 cm thick. It was made in the Muromachi period.



In the middle is the Sanscrit letter for 大日如来 Dainichi Nyorai, on the left 勢至菩薩 Seishi Bosatsu and on the right 観音菩薩 Kannon Bosatsu.

Some say the name of Himonya derives from the 碑文 Himon (Hibun) inscription of this stone.

The original 社殿 Shaden Hall was erected in 1674 and rebuilt in 1872. In 1877 it was again refurbished.
The shrine also has a famous 神楽殿 Kagura-Den for Kagura dance performances.
With the separation of Buddhism and Shintoism, part of it became the temple 円融寺 Enyu-Ji (former 法華寺 Hokke-Ji).
The compound is famous for a long row of cherry trees from the first to the second Torii gate.

Sakura matsuri 桜まつり Cherry Blossom Festival during the season.
The main Shrine festival is in Mid-September.

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目黒の筍 bamboo shoots from Meguro
They were grown in the 碑文谷村 Himonya village since 1772.
After visiting the famous Meguro Fudo Temple, people would come here to buy the vegetables.



. Edo Yasai 江戸伝統野菜 Traditional vegetables from Edo .


. Meguro Fudo Temple 目黒不動尊 .
天台宗 泰叡山 瀧泉寺


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. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .

wara no ryuu 藁の龍 dragon from straw
碑文谷八幡宮 Himonya Hachimangu

Sometimes at the Torii gate of the shrine appeared a large straw rope. looking like a dragon with its tail on the ground.
It is said to be a huge serpent from Mount Fuji coming to protect the Shrine from fire.
In times of drought, people came here for rain rituals.



A Torii gate with a straw rope of a dragon/ snake at shrine
Okusawa Jinja 奥澤神社
東京都世田谷区奥沢五丁目22番1号 / 5 Chome-22-1 Okusawa, Setagaya
The shrine is related to Himonya Shrine.

Okusawa shrine is a quiet emerald in a simple neighborhood, only a few stops from Meguro station on the Yamanote Line. Built during the Edo Period, a huge snake made of straw lies guarding its entrance, wrapped heavily around the stone torii gate. Walk under this, and past the burly protective shisa lion-dogs, and the world behind you falls away.
... To the left behind Okusawa shrine is a little hollow. A tree stands tall, surrounded by low benches. A bamboo fountain bleeds water into another basin, which flows in turn into a shallow moat that runs around the main shrine. Here is another altar – the Cave of the Dragon – which is said to provide the snake at the entrance with its serpentine spine.
Other small figures are hidden in the plants, all in the name of different spirits and gods.
- source : voyapon.com/tokyo-okusawa-shrine -

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Himonya Nio 碑文谷仁王
The Korean statue carver 安阿弥 Annami made the Nio Statues of the temple 妙光山法華寺 Myokozan Hokke-Ji in the old village of
Bushu, Ebara district, Himonya village 武州荏原郡碑文谷村.
In 1772 Annami became ill when he was about 25 years old and prayed for healing in the hall for many days. On the last day of his vow - indeed - his illness was healed.




碑文谷 法華寺 
(江戸名所図会 Edo Meisho Zue)

On the left side is the inscription 八まん Hachiman - short for 碑文谷八幡宮 Himonya Hachimangu.
Hokke-Ji was built in the Heian period by 天台宗 the Tendai sect. During the Kamakura period it belonged to the 日蓮宗 Nichiren sect and in the middle of the Edo period it came back to the Tendai sect. At the end of the Edo period it was re-named 円融寺 Enryu-Ji.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -


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Ebara 荏原郡 district / 武州荏原 Bushu, Ebara

This was a farming region, mostly for egoma 荏胡麻 a kind of perilla.
Perilla frutescens Britton var. japonica Hara
It smells quite different from shiso 紫蘇 Perilla.
The seeds are often used to make egoma oil 荏胡麻油.
The leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Since it grows like a weed, it was very useful for farmers of old times to get over a period of famine.
egoma no hara . . . ehara . . . Ebara.
In 1927, the village 荏原町 Ebara Machi was founded.
Ebaramachi station is in 5-2-1 Nakanobu, Shinagawa, Tokyo.
The parts of Ebara now are located in Shinagawa, Ota, Meguro and Setagaya ward.
中延駅 Nakanobu station / 旗の台駅 Hatanodai station



1.品川町 2.大井村 3.大崎村 4.目黒村 5.碑衾村 6.平塚村 7.大森村 8.入新井村 9.調布村 10.池上村 11.馬込村 12.羽田村 13.蒲田村 Kamata village 14.六郷村 15.矢口村 16.駒沢村 17.世田ヶ谷村 18.玉川村 19.松沢村
(青:品川区 blue: Shinawaga / 紫:目黒区 purple : Meguro / 桃:大田区 peach pink : Ota / 赤:世田谷区 red : Setagaya)
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. Shrine Ebara jinja 荏原神社 .
Shinagawa, Kita-Shinagawa

. Kamata 蒲田 "bulrush district" - Ota ward .


This ancient district is already mentioned in the Heian period.

Sakimori Uta 防人歌 Song of a Soldier

橘の美袁利の里に父を置きて道の長道は行きかてのかも
tachibana no miwori no sato ni chichi o okite
michi no nagate ha yukikate no ka mo

In Tachibana
In the village of Miwori
I left my father;
This long, long road
Is hard to travel, indeed.


Hasebe no Tarimaro 小長谷部笠麻呂 Ohasebe no Kasamaro
He was a Sakimori in the Heian period. He traveled in 755 to 信濃( Shinano (Nagano) and 筑紫 Tsukushi
- source : wakapoetry.net/tag/sakimori-uta... -

. The Legacy of Sakimori - the frontier guard conscripts .

. Musashi no Kuni 武蔵国 Musashi Province /Bushuu 武州 Bushu .


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. Meguro ku 目黒区 Meguro ward .


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

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売 - Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳 Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .


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- - - - - #himonya #hibun - - - -
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11/02/2017

Kameido district

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Kameido choo 亀戸町 Kemeido, Kame-Ido "Turtle Well"
Kōtō 江東区 Kōtō-ku, Koto, "East of River" - there are 45 districts in Koto, one of them is Kameido.



The water of the old 亀戸村 Kemeido village in Edo was very good, and the place with its many wells 井戸 used to be called 亀ヶ井, then written 亀井戸 and finally shortened to 亀戸.

Near the Tenjin Shrine in Kameido 亀戸天神宮 there is a Heart Pond, which is famous for its turtles and plum blossoms, but also the wisteria later in the year.


Garyoobai 臥龍梅 Plum tree - 広重 Hiroshige

- reference : kameido garyobai plum -

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Azuma no Mori renri no azusa 吾嬬の森連理の梓
The Conjoined Camphor Trees by the Azuma-no mori Shrine



Utagawa Hiroshige

Today there is the Shrine 吾嬬神社 Azuma Jinja where 日本武尊 Yamato Takeru
and his wife, 弟橘姫 Princess Ototachibana Hime , are venerated.
Former 吾嬬権現社 Azuma Gongen no Yashiro
In the compound is a huge kusunoki 樟 camphor tree with bifurcated stem.

Yamato Takeru went to war in the the North of Japan. He lost his wife Oto Tachibana-Hime during a storm when she sacrificed herself to appease the anger of the sea god.
The small sanctuary was built there and two 供養箸 ritual chopsticks placed in the ground.
Legend knows that these two chopsticks grew into the camphor tree.

. Prince Yamato Takeru 日本武尊 .
There are other Shrines with the Name Azuma in their honor.

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- quote -
Kameido Ume Yashiki 亀戸梅屋舗 The Plum Mansion in Kameido
Utagawa Hiroshige I
Ume Yashiki in Kameido 亀戸梅屋舗
was the most famous spot for ume (plum blossom) in the suburbs of Edo.
It is famous for the "Garyubai" which resembles a dragon lying down in a coiled position (臥竜梅 : "ga" means lying down, "ryu" means dragon and "bai" is another rendering of ume - Wolong plum).
It is said that "umeboshi" (pickled ume) from Garyubai were sold in the garden.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

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. Honjo 本所 Honjo district .
On the fringe of these vast stretches of farmland, in the green and pleasant districts neighboring Honjo, are many famous sightseeing spots that are popular with samurai and townspeople alike. Immediately to the east of the main residential area, a five or ten minute boat ride down Tatekawa canal, is the Kameido Tenjin shrine.
This shrine is dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, the god of knowledge, and many students come here to pray before taking their exams. However, that is not the main attraction of the temple. On the banks of a large reflecting pond in front of the temple are hundreds of wisteria vines, which have been carefully tended over hundreds of years, growing on trellises that hang over the still green water of the pond. In late May, when the wisteria are in full bloom, the entire area is a sea of purple blossoms. The long, dangling wisteria blooms reflected in the greenish water make a very picturesque topic for artists; some of the most famous ukiyoe prints depict the gardens at Kameido Tenjin.
Incidentally, Kameido literally means "turtle well". As the name suggests, the pond at Kameido Tenjin is filled with hundreds of turtles, though the temple has been around for so long that no one is sure whether the temple was named after the turtles in this pond, or whether the pond was built to match the name of the temple.


亀戸天神社 Shrine Kameido Tenjinsha






The Bullfinch from shrine Kameido Tenjin - uso kae 鷽替え 亀戸

. Usokae shinji : Bullfinch-exchanging ritual .

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Helen Hyde

. Wisteria at Kameido 亀戸の藤.

kono fuji wa hayaku sakitari Kameido no
fuji sakamaku wa tooka mari nochi

these wisteria
have bloomed early...
the blossoming of
those at Kameido will be
more than ten days later


Tanka by Masaoka Shiki
Tr. Janine Beichman

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. Kobayashi Issa .

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

water flowing over
the word "heart"...
plum blossoms


More literally, "water also is flowing/ over the word heart..." The mo ("also") suggests that the water is flowing over other things as well, not mentioned. In one text, the poem has the headnote, "Offering at Tenshin Shrine."

This suggests to Robin D. Gill that the character for "heart" may be carved on a stone that is somehow positioned so that water flows over it. The water might be the purifying well water with which people who enter the shrine wash their hands and mouths, flowing into a drain channel containing the carved "heart," or perhaps a stream is flowing through the area, over an engraved stone. Either way, Issa juxtaposes flowing water, the word "heart," and plum blossoms. The deep connection between these three elements of the poem is only hinted at.
Tr. and Comment : David Lanoue

Near the Tenshin Shrine in Kameido (Edo) 「亀戸天神宮」there is a Heart Pond, which is famous for its plum blossoms, but also the wisteria (fuji) later in the year. The shrine is also called: Kameido Tenman Gu.




亀戸天神境内 - 広重 Hiroshige

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. Edo dentoo yasai 江戸伝統野菜 Traditional vegetables of Edo .



Kameido Daikon 亀戸大根 large radish from Kameido
The Kameido daikon, despite its name, is not to be found anywhere in Kameido.
Initially grown as the local radish of the Kameido area during the Bunkyu era, its production was moved out of town more than a century ago. Its pale color and small, carrot-like shape earned it such endearing names as okame daikon and otafuku daikon, both of which refer to a traditional mask of a white-faced woman having a prominent forehead, puffed cheeks, and a small nose. Sown in the fall and harvested in early spring, it quickly came to be widely cultivated as a precious winter vegetable. But with the wave of urbanization set off by the opening of a local train station in 1904, farmlands soon disappeared from Kameido.
The Kameido daikon found a new home in Takasago, Katsushika Ward, eight kilometers to the northwest.

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Kameido Jiken 亀戸事件 Kameido Incident
- quote -
The Kameido incident took place in 1923 in the aftermath of the Great Kantō earthquake.
On September 1, 1923, the Great Kantō earthquake struck Tokyo and Yokohama and martial law was imposed in the aftermath of the earthquake.
On the evening of September 3, the Kameido police in Tokyo began arresting known social activists, suspecting that they would "spread disorder or forment revolution amid the confusion". During the mass arrests, police arrested union leader Hirasawa Keishichi, and Nakatsuji Uhachi, a member of the Pure Laborers' Union. The Special Higher Police arrest seven members of the Nankatsu Labor Association. Army troops detained an eighth member of the association, Sato Kinji.
Between late at night on September 3 and September 5,
troops of the 13th Cavalry Regiment on emergency duty in Kameido shot and decapitated Hirasawa and nine others. They disposed of the bodies, together with those of Korean and Chinese massacre victims, along the banks of the Arakawa drainage canal. The police issued an official notice on October 14, claiming that troops had shot the men because they were agitating prisoners. The following year, the Liberal Lawyers' Association and union leaders worked to bring the facts to light and establish responsibility, with partial success. Police claimed to have cremated the remains of the victims. With no remains to bury, a memorial service was held in February 1924.
- List of Victims of the Kameido Incident
- source : wikipedia -

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. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .

In 1727 around the New Year,
there was a hikari mono 光物 strange light coming from the forest of the Shrine 香取明神社 Katori Myojinsha, located East of 亀戸天神社 Kameiod Tenjinsha.
And soon later, with a loud screeching sound, 神木の松の木 the sacred pine tree fell down. In its branches was a white 御幣 ritual wand.
Soon there was a rumor that this was 常陸国の安馬大明神 the Deity from a Shrine in Hitachi province, who had come for a visit.


In 1785 from the 3rd day till the 9th day of the 6th lunar month
there was a rain ritual and 歌会 poetry reading performed at Kameido Tenjin. While the ritual lasted, it was raining, but after that it stopped to rain.
So on the next day, only the first part of a poem was read and rain started.
On the 11th day the second part of the poem was read and the rain stopped.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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

亀戸の湯屋のけむりや初天神
Kameido no yuya no kemuri ya hatsu tenjin

smoke of
the public bath in Kameido -
first Tenjin ceremony

Tr. Gabi Greve

加藤松薫 Kato Shoku

. Sugawara Michizane 菅原道真 .
Hatsu Tenjin 初天神 First visit to a Tenjin Shrine
- - kigo for the New Year - -

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. Kōtō 江東区 Koto ward, "East River" .

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

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売 - Introduction .

. Japanese Architecture - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .


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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - - - - #kameido #tenjin #tenmangu #wisteria #azuma #azumanomori #屋敷yashiki - - - -
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10/20/2017

Sashigaya Koishikawa

[ . BACK to DARUMA MUSEUM TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo 江戸の名所 .
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Sashigaya 指ヶ谷 / さしがや in Koishikawa
- 指ヶ谷町 Sashigaya-choo


Koishikawa 小石川, District within Bunkyo, Tokyo. - see below
Otsuka 大塚, District within Bunkyo, Tokyo. - see below
Sekiguchi 関口, District within Bunkyo, Tokyo. - see below

- quote -
Scenography and the city form
Tokyo is based upon an ortography of seven hills and five corresponding valleys, the intersection of which necessitated specific responses in spatial planning and gave the city its physical form.
The seven hills include the highlands of Ueno, Hongo, Koishikawa-Mejiro, Ushigome, Yotsuya-Kojimachi, Akasaka-Azabu, and Shiba-Shirogane.
The valleys of Sendai-Shinobazu, Sashigaya, Hirakawa, Tameike, and Furukawa weave in-between the highlands, giving the city a bi-fold distinction.
- source : architokyo.wordpress.com/empty-centre-symbolism... -

The old name of Sashigaya was lost in 1966 and is now incorporated as
白山 Hakusan with 5 sub-districts. The Hakusan Shrine is in the 5th district.



Once the 3rd Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu was hunting with hawks in the hills of this area, a wilderness of sorts. When the hawk was set free, it flew away in great speed. Iemitsu tried hard to follow it and saw it disappear in a valley. He stretched out (sashi) his finger and called "this valley, this valley" (ya).
Hence the name of the valley was born "finger-pointing valley".
And soon after, around 1634, farmers settled in the valley. In 1747 the growing village was put under the jurisdiction of the Machi Bugyo Magistrate.




. Enjoji 圓乗寺 / 円乗寺 Enjo-Ji - Bunkyo Hakusan .

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「段彩陰影図 / 小石川2」  
中央で二つの谷筋が合流している付近が指谷で、岬状に突き出す台地の先に白山神社が祀られています。なお、オレンジ線は区境ですが、大半が文京区です。

白山下交差点  
正面が小石川台に上る蓮華寺坂、右手手前が白山坂、左手手前が浄心寺坂でいずれも本郷台に上ります。江戸時代には五差路でしたが、明治末に旧白山通りが開通し、六差路になりました。  

浄心寺坂  → 「
江戸名所図会 / 丸山浄心寺」にも描かれており、坂の中腹にある浄心寺からのネーミングです。坂下の左手には千川屋敷がありました。右手には八百屋お七の墓所のある円城寺が現存しています。
- reference source : blog.goo.ne.jp/kawawalk... -


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a square manhole
- detailed walk and photos from modern Sashigaya and Hakusan-doori 白山通り
- reference source : ankyoneko.exblog.jp... -

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Koishikawa 小石川 Koishikawa district
Bunkyo ward 文京区

In the Muromachi period, this district was known as 小石河 Koishkawa. There were many small rivers (kawa) with small stones (koishi). There was later even a river named Koishikawa. 
It used to be a ward of its own, 小石川区 Koishikawa ku, until 1947.



The sub-districts are
大塚一丁目 - 六丁目 Otsuka - see below
音羽一丁目・二丁目 Otowa
春日一丁目・二丁目 Kasuga
小石川一丁目 - 五丁目 Koishikawa
. 後楽一丁目・二丁目 Kōraku, Koraku .
. 小日向一丁目 - 四丁目 Kohinata .
. 水道一丁目・二丁目 Suido, Suidō .
関口一丁目 - 三丁目 Sekiguchi - see below
. 千石一丁目 - 四丁目 Sengoku .
白山一丁目 - 五丁目 Hakusan - see below
目白台一丁目 - 三丁目 Mejirodai - see below



Katsushika Hokusai 礫川雪ノ旦/小石川雪ノ旦
snow at the tea house in Koishikawa

Koishikawa (小石川) is a locality within Bunkyo, Tokyo.
It is located nearby with the same name are two well regarded gardens: the Koishikawa Botanical Garden (related to Tokyo University) in Hakusan, and the Koishikawa Korakuen Garden in Korakuen.
Koishikawa Garden
The construction was started in 1629 by Tokugawa Yorifusa, the daimyo (feudal lord) of Mito domain, and was completed by his successor, Tokugawa Mitsukuni.
Mitsukuni named this garden "Kōraku-en"
(Kōraku means "enjoying afterwards") after a Chinese teaching of "a governor should worry before people and enjoy after people". The garden shows strong Chinese character in its design, as it was influenced by the West Lake of Hangzhou.
.
The Koishikawa Botanical Gardens (小石川植物園 Koishikawa Shokubutsuen, 40 acres, 16 hectares)
are botanical gardens with arboretum operated by the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Science.
They are located at 3-7-1 Hakusan, Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan, and open daily except Mondays; an admission fee is charged.
The gardens date to 1684, when the 5th Tokugawa shōgun, Tsunayoshi, established the Koishikawa Medicinal Herb Garden. In 1877, after the Meiji Restoration, they became a part of the university and the birthplace of Japanese botanical research. Today research activities are focused on the evolution, phylogenetic systematics, and physiology of higher plants.
... The 小石川養生所 Koishikawa Yojosho, an early Japanese hospital, was established within the herb gardens by the eighth shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune in 1722.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Koishikawa Denzu-In, Dentsu-in, Dentsuin 小石川伝通院 Temple .

. Koishikawa 小石川養生所 Koishikawa Yojosho Hospital .

. Matsuo Basho in Koishikawa 松尾芭蕉 小石川 .


The Bashoan Retreat on Tsubakiyama near the Aqueduct in the Sekiguchi
Basho's hut, Tsubaki Hill at Sekiguchi aqueduct
Bassein on Mount Tsubakiyama near the aqueduct in the Sekiguchi
関口上水端芭蕉庵椿山

Utagawa Hiroshige

Sekiguchi was the place where a water gate called Oarai 大洗堰 "Ōarai-no-seki"
at the Kanda aqueduct was and supplied precious water to the people of Edo.
In 1677 when 藤堂家 the Todō Family conducted repair work of Ōarai-no-seki,
it is believed that Matsuo Bashō assisted in the work and later lived in
Ryūin-an which is annex to Suijin Shrine and Bashō-an was built after his death.
The place around here is famous also for camellias.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Museum -

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- - - - - Hakusan 白山 Hakusan district
A part of Old Edo with the atmosphere of Shitamachi. The name "White Mountain", refers to the Shrine located in this district.


小石川白山権現社 Koishikawa Hakusan Gongen Sha
東京都文京区白山五丁目31番26号 / 5 Chome-31-26 Hakusan, Bunkyō-ku, Tōkyō
『江戸名所図会』Edo Meisho Zue

This shrine was under the patronage of the Edo Bakufu government. The second Shogun Hidetada moved the Shrine from 本郷一丁目 Hongo first district to its present location near the 御薬園 Go-Yakuen Garden for medicinal herbs, part of the Koishikawa Botanical Gardens.

Hakusan Jinja 白山神社 Hakusan Gongen 白山権現社

. 東京十社 Tokyo Jissha - ten important shrines of Tokyo .
. Hakusan shrines 白山神社 in Japan - Introduction .

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- Hiroshige 広重

白山傾城か窪 Hakusan Keijogakubo
Hakusan-jinya Shrine, which is also the origin of the area name, was an enshrinement of Kaga Hakusan's Hakusan-jinja Shrine and the village shrine for Koishikawa. The shrine flourished as the major shrine for worship of Hakusan in Edo. T
he Hakusan-jinja Shrine was relocated to its present position when 5代将軍綱吉 the 5th Shogun Tsunayoshi was the head of the Tatebayashi Clan, and the Koishikawa Goten (a stately mansion at Koishikawa, also known as Hakusan Goten) was constructed at the site of the ruins. The mansion drew water from the Sen-kawa River and was surrounded by a moat and was said to have been a very picturesque site.
After the death of Tsunayoshi, the residence was abandoned, and in 貞享年間 the Jokyo Era (1684-88), the 小石川薬園 Koishikawa Yakuen (a garden for medicinal herbs) was established on the site. At present the site is The University of Tokyo affiliated 小石川植物園 Koishikawa Botanical Gardens.
The Nakasendo Highway branch off of the Nikko Highway at 駒込追分 Komagome-Oiwake passed through Hakusan, and the area was commonly called 鶏声ヶ窪(傾城ヶ窪) Kaiseigakubo. It is said this is because the sound of a bird crying was heard every morning in 下総古河藩下屋敷 the Shimosa Koga Clan villa, and when the location the bird cry was heard from was dug up, 金の鶏 a golden rooster was found.
- source : ndl.go.jp/landmarks... -

. kinkei 金鶏と伝説 Legends about the golden rooster .

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the tomb of 八百屋お七 Yaoya Oshichi, O-Shichi



. Yaoya no O-Shichi Greengrocer's Daughter Oshichi .
and the Big Fire in Tenna' or 'Oshichi-fire'.

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- quote -
Yukio Ozaki 尾崎行雄 Ozaki Yukio
(December 24, 1859 – October 6, 1954) was a liberal Japanese politician, born in modern-day Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Ozaki served in the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet for 63 years (1890–1953). He is still revered in Japan as the "God of constitutional politics" and the "father of the Japanese Constitution."
..... Yukio and his brother Yukitaka went to the United States in 1888 but Ozaki could not endure the temperature extremes and could not sleep in the heat of New York City and Washington, D.C. He sailed back to Japan via England and was then elected to his first term in the Japanese Imperial Diet. .....
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

When he returned to Japan, he took up residence in Sashigaya in Tokyo's Koishikawa district

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Mejirodai 目白台 Mejirodai district
Bunkyo, Mejirodai 一丁目 - 三丁目 first to third sub-district



The name refers to the Mejiro Fudo with white eyes. It used to be in the temple 長谷寺 Hasedera, which burned down. The White-eyed Fudo was then relocated.
A white horse was born in the Shoguns stable at that time as an auspicious sign.

The area is an old residential neighborhood and a school zone.

. Mejiro Fudo 目白不動 Fudo with white eyes .
目白不動「金乗院」 豊島区高田2-12-39

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Ootsuka 大塚 Otsuka "big mound"
It used to be a farming region in Koishikawa village.
The name refers to an area of flat fields, in the middle of them was a large mound, a 古墳 Kofun.
Takizawa Bakin 滝沢馬琴 (1767 - 1848) in his book about the 南総里見八犬伝 Nansō Satomi Hakkenden, the The Chronicles of the Eight Dog Heroes of the Satomi Clan of Nanso, mentions Otsuka no sato 大塚の里

The first houses of Edo city dwellers were built around 1630. In 1717 it came under the jurisdiction of the 町奉行 Machibugyo.



. Otowa Gokokuji 音羽護国寺 Otowa Gokoku-Ji
文京区大塚5-40-1 / Bunkyo ward, Otsuka 5-40-1

. kofun 古墳 burial mounds in Tokyo .

. Temple 普門山 Fumonzan 天寿院 Tenju-In 大慈寺 Daiji-Ji .

There is also a district called
Minami Otsuka 南大塚 "South Otsuka".
It is North of Otsuka in 豊島区 Toshima ward.

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Sekiguchi 関口 Sekiguchi district
Bunkyo, 関口一丁目 - 三丁目, first to third sub-district



The name dates back to the
seki 堰 weir
of the place where the 神田上水 Kanda Josui canal crossed the river 江戸川 Edogawa (神田川 Kandagawa.
During the Kamakura, the 宿坂の関 Shukuzaka no Seki barriere gate may also have contributed to the name.
The weir was lost in 1933.

. the many waterways of Edo .
. Tamagawa Josui - Edo's Water Supply .

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Tsubakiyama Hachimangu 椿山八幡宮

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The famous hotel 椿山荘 Chinzanso
2 Chome-10-8 Sekiguchi, Bunkyō,



- quote -
Welcome to Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, a luxury garden oasis in the heart of Tokyo.
Our gardens were formally established in 1861, in what we called the Meiji era, but it is said this area was already appreciated as beautiful camellia hills with a long history dating back some 700 years. You can relax in your room overlooking our vast Japanese garden.
- source : hotel-chinzanso-tokyo... -

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The novelist Satō Haruo 佐藤春夫 Sato Haruo (1892 - 1964) had his residence in the third sub-district.
Haruo-ki 春夫忌 Haruo Memorial Day - May 6

- quote -
a Japanese novelist and poet active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan.
His works are known for their explorations of melancholy. He won the 4th Yomiuri Prize.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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At 江戸の関口 a place named Sekiguchi in Koishikawa, Suijin 水神の社 the Deity of Water was venerated in a shrine.
In the river in front of it, there grew a lot of makomo まこも wild rice.
Once the arrow maker 宮こ弥兵衛 Miyako Yahei passed there and sawa a bright light. It was a huge toad, its back almost as wide as a tatami mat.
He became quite afraid and run home. He became ill and had to stay in bed for seven days.

. makomo 真菰 / まこも wild rice. .

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. Japanese Legends - 伝説 民話 昔話 – ABC-List .

. Denzuuin 伝通院 Denzu-In, Denzuin, Dentsu-In .
文京区小石川3-14-6 / 3 Chome-14-6 Koishikawa, Bunkyō
- with many legends !

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hebi 蛇 serpent
In the year 1826, a 14-year ofld child named 高橋千吉 Takahashi Senkichi lived at the 小石川三百坂 Koishikawa Sanbyakusaka slope.
He observed 15 snakes who had cuddled up together, with an old shining coin in their middle. Senkichi stretched his arm and got the coin. Other people told him to throw it away, but Senkichi insisted he had done no harm to anybody. So the others told him that his grandmother had once taken a jewel out of a group of serpents and hoped to become rich for the rest of her life.

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小石川諏訪町 Koishikawa Suwa town
The home of a rich merchant caught fire many times, but nobody was found who had done this.
A mountain priest performed purifying rituals and suddenly a girl began to cry "I am so afraid, so afraid!" and suddenly disappeared with her mother.
Next morning they found the dead bodies of the two in the nearby moat.
They must have been the arsonists.

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Sookeiji 宗慶寺 Temple Sokei-Ji

ryuujo 竜女 Ryujo, dragon woman
Sookeiji 宗慶寺 Temple Sokei-Ji
Bunkyō-ku, Koishikawa, 4 Chome−15−17



Shookei 聖冏 Yuurenja Ryooyo 酉蓮社了誉 Shokei Yurenja Ryoyo (1341 - 1420)
a traveling monk of the Pure Land Sect.

When Saint Ryoyo stayed at the temple Sokei-Ji, there appeared a "dragon woman".
Ryoyo received the blessings and 菩薩戒 a Bosatsu ordination from her.
She had come from the 極楽井 Gokuraku well.








江戸名所図会 Edo Meisho Zue

- quote -
Gokurakusui 極楽水 “Paradise Water" is a name of a well in the Koishikawa district of the Bunkyō Ward.
It was part of Sōkeiji Temple and was known to have delicious water. The well has dried up and is perservd only as a landmark.
- Tokyo: Memory, Imagination, and the City
- source : Barbara E. Thornbury, ‎Evelyn Schulz -

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shari 舎利 relics of Buddha
Once their lived a 同心 police officer who could shoot with bow and arrow. His name was 長蔵 Chozo. His mother had once received special manju 饅頭 buns from her mistress and kept them as a memento. A few days later they had changed into some red and white pebbles (小石 koishi). Inside was something red - this must have been the relics of Buddha.

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- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -

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. Bunkyō 文京区 Bunkyo ward, "Literature Capital" .

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

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売 - Introduction .

. Legends and Tales from Japan 伝説 - Introduction .


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