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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo 江戸の名所 .
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Kanda 神田 Kanda district
神田 "field for the gods" :
The land was under the directive of Ise Jingu Shrine to grow rice for the Shrine offerings.
Kanda has a lot of sub-districts, one of the most famous modern is
Jinbōchō 神保町 Jinbocho - the largest bookstore district in Japan.
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Kanda (神田) is a district in 千代田 Chiyoda ward, Tokyo.
It encompasses about thirty neighborhoods. Kanda was a ward prior to 1947, when the 35 wards of Tokyo were reorganized into 23.
It is home to the Kanda Myojin (Shinto) shrine, devoted to Taira no Masakado, who led a rebellion against the central government during the Heian period. In the Edo period, the shrine's festival was one of the three most famous in the city.
Kanda is also the home of the Tokyo Resurrection Cathedral which was built by Nicholas of Japan and is the main Cathedral of the Japanese Orthodox Church.
A popular Japanese television series, Zenigata Heiji,
features a fictitious police patrolman (the title character) whose beat is Kanda. Near the end of every show, Heiji fells the bastardly villain by throwing a coin at him.
- Neighborhoods in Kanda (a long list to check)
The Kanda River (神田川 Kandagawa)
stretches 24.6 km from Inokashira Park in Mitaka to the Sumida River under the Ryōgoku Bridge at the boundary of Taitō, Chūō, and Sumida. Its entire length lies within Tokyo, Japan. It drains an area of 105.0 km².
The government of Japan classifies it as a Class I river. ...
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !
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Kanda 神田
During the Tokugawa shogunate, the Kanda district used to lie at the heart of Edo and constituted the "uptown"
(as opposed to "shitamachi" areas like Asakusa), where nobles and rich businessmen lived, close to the Imperial palace.
It is now a mixed of business district, universities, shrines, pachinko parlours and adult shops. The area around Kanda station itself is of little interest to short-term visitors. Most of the sights are located around 御茶ノ水 Ochanomizu station, in northern Kanda.
The Kanda Matsuri,
Tokyo's second biggest traditional festival (after the Sanja Matsuri in Asakusa) takes place early May at the Kanda Myōjin. During the Edo era, it was one of the few "matsuri" allowed to enter the grounds of Edo Castle. ...
Ochanomizu 御茶ノ水 (literally "tea water")
is the name of a station in the northern part of the Kanda neighbourhood. Ochanomizu is not in itself an official district nor a postal address.
The area covers the districts of Kanda-Surugadai (神田駿河台) and Soto-Kanda (外神田).
The place was named after the river from which water was extracted to make the shōgun's tea during the Edo period.
Jimbochō 神保町 (Jinbocho)
is Tokyo's bookshop district. Like Ochanomizu it is only a station name, serving western Kanda. It is an academic neighbourhood with lots of schools and two universities (Meiji Daigaku and Nihon Daigaku) reaching as far as Ochanomizu station. The area therefore abounds with students. Jimbochō's bookshops offer everything from rare, antique books to hentai manga. Most of the shops are concentrated along the Yasukuni-dōri Avenue and are small and privately owned.
Sanseidō is the only big bookshop spreading a several floors. It is located at crossing of Yasukuni-dōri and Meiji-dōri Avenues. You will find plenty of English books (and some French and German ones too) at the 5th floor.
- source : wa-pedia.com/japan-guide -
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Kanda - The Estate of Lord Matsudaira 松平屋敷
A short distance from Nihonbashi, just to the north of the high-class shopping districts occupied by the leading merchants, Mitsui Echigo-ya, Ise-ya and Maru-ya, the land rises suddenly from the flat, low-lying districts of the shita-machi (downtown) area to a green, tree-studded plateau. This is the Kanda district, which marks the southwest fringe of the Yama-no-te, the hilly half of the city, where most wealthy samurai have their estates.
When Edo was first built, there was a very large hill in this area known as Kanda-yama. It was the highest point in the entire area, rising above even the neighboring hill where Edo Castle now sits. Tokugawa Ieyasu had his men level this hill, and use the excavated earth to fill in the marshes along the shores of the bay. That is how the downtown area was reclaimed from the sea. Today, all that is left of Kanda hill is a low, flat-topped plateau that overlooks downtown Edo. Since it is located close to Edo Castle and also close to the center of town, many of the leading officials in the Shogun's government have their homes in Kanda. One of these officials is my master, Lord Matsudaira, who is a member of the six-man committee which directly advises the Shogun.
Matsudaira is a very noble family name, since all members of the Matsudaira clan are closely related to the Shogun. In order to ensure that there are no serious squabbles over the succession to the position of shogun, everyone who is more than two generations removed from the current shogun must give up the name Tokugawa and choose another name. Many of the people who had to choose a new family name -- particularly those that were closely related to the first shogun (Ieyasu) or the third shogun (Iemitsu) -- took the name Matsudaira. Although they no longer are considered members of the Shogun's "family", the Matsudairas all maintain close links to the central government, and many of them hold top positions in the bakufu (military government), or in the government of Edo.
Lord Matsudaira's estate is in the center of a neighborhood known as "uchi-Kanda" (inner Kanda). About fifty years after Kanda hill was leveled to build downtown Edo, workmen dug a canal through the middle of the plateau to carry water from the rivers to the northwest of the city into the Sumida river. This was part of the elaborate water system that now supplies Edo with drinking water. The canal was named "Kanda-gawa" (the Kanda river) and since it split the plateau in half, the part closest to Edo castle acquired the name "uchi" (inner) Kanda and the part on the opposite side of the river took the name "soto" (outer) Kanda.
Distribution of Daimyo Yashiki around Edo castle
The Matsudaira estate, like most of the manors maintained by influential samurai, is entirely surrounded by a high wall, whitewashed on the outside and surmounted by an overhanging tiled roof. The roof serves two purposes -- it helps reduce the impact of rain on the packed-earth-and-plaster walls, and it makes it harder for an intruder to climb over the wall. The front gate to the residence is also very solid and imposing. A guardhouse is located right near the gate, and the quarters of the Daimyo's personal guard are right nearby. All high-ranking samurai are allowed to maintain their own private corps of guards at their residences, though there are strict rules on how many men a certain daimyo can employ and how many are allowed to travel with him through the city streets when he goes out.
The wall, the guardhouse and the private bodyguard are all relics of the old days, when leading warlords did not yet trust one another. During the period of civil war, a daimyo's residence was like a small fortress, and the defensive measures were often put to use. Competing daimyo frequently tried to raid one another's manors in Kyoto or one of the other major towns. The rules on the size of each "private army" in Edo were designed to ensure that the daimyo felt safe at home, but would not have enough men to organize an effective revolt against the Shogun. Nowadays, though, the rules are largely ceremonial, and the number of men in the private bodyguard are simply a mark of a person's rank and status.
Once inside the imposing wall, the Matsudaira estate looks like a park. There are acres of beautiful, carefully tended gardens filled with flowers and dotted by ponds and streams. The estates of the major samurai are meticulously maintained by gardeners and servants, and in some cases, these beautifully landscaped gardens almost seem like a paradise. Most of the land inside the estate is actually taken up by these gardens.
Matsudaira yashiki (Matsudaira's manor) is an ornate, sprawling building with many wings leading off in different directions, yet it looks small compared to the vast sprawl of the estate. The building is located next to a small pond, which provides a fine view from the main building. Originally, though, it also had a more practical function, as a line of defence against attack, and a source of water in case the manor came under seige.
The building has dozens of rooms, walkways and semi-detached apartments, since it is home to not only the entire Matsudaira family, but all their servants and retainers as well. The complex can be divided into several sections on the basis of their function. At the center, and facing the front gates, are the rooms where the daimyo meets visitors and conducts business. The household staff lives in small rooms on the wings that lead off from these large, central meeting halls.
To one side of the central halls are the kitchens and storerooms. These are usually located close to the quarters where household staff sleep. These two parts of the house tend to be the busiest. There are people bustling to and fro all day. The guards, as well as visitors to the manor, never go into the private apartments at the rear of the manor; therefore, the main halls and the servants quarters are where most people in the household spend their time. The kitchens are often huge halls detatched from the main buildings. A daimyo's manor needs to have a big kitchen. Since there can be well over a hundred people living on the estate of a high-ranking daimyo, it is a full-time job for several cooks and assistants just to keep everyone in the household fed. Behind the large building at the the front of the manor, and attached to it by long corridors or covered walkways, is the main residence. There are several wings, each occupied by one of the daimyo's wives or one of his elder children. Their private rooms, as well as the quarters of their personal servants, are clustered together. The rooms are arranged with communal living space, kitchens and guest rooms in the front, and the women's quarters furthest back.
Also located near the back of the manor complex are the washrooms and toilets. These are usually at opposite ends of a corridor in the rear of the building. The baths are a very important part of a daimyo's manor. The Japanese love to soak in a hot o-furo (bathtub) at the end of a long day. Nothing else is quite so relaxing in the evening as a nice, hot bath.
Although some of the central buildings are quite impressive, with high, soaring roofs of ceramic tile, most of the manor has only one story, perhaps with a loft for storage or for the servants to use as sleeping quarters. This is largely a practical matter. Although two and three-story buildings are quite common in the downtown area, the upper rooms of large buildings can be unbearably hot in the summer. One-story structures with wide doorways and breezeways are much more comfortable during the long, hot summer months.
There are few furnishings inside the manor. The main meeting rooms are covered with tatami (straw mats), and there is hardly any furniture apart from cushions to sit on (zabuton) and perhaps a small table or a wooden armrest for the daimyo to lean on. When guests eat in these halls, portable wooden table-trays are brought in with the food already on the table. After the guests finish eating, the tables are taken away, along with all the dishes.
In the private apartments, there are a few more furnishings. The women, in particular, may have a number of small tables or stands to put trinkets and jewelry. The daimyo's wives and daughters will probably have small tables in their bedrooms, a large chest or a rack for hanging kimono and a vanity table where they can put on their makeup.
In the evening, the servants will bring in a few lanterns. These are wooden or metal stands with a small oil lamp on top, and a large paper shade on top to block any wind that might blow out the lamp. The only other piece of furniture that is commonly found in people's homes are folding screens, made of wood frames covered by paper. These screens are used mainly for decoration, and they are usually painted with beautiful scenes in vivid colors. The screens are also used to provide a measure of privacy. There are many people in the manor, and particularly in the summer time, all of the sliding doors (shoji are left open to provide a breeze. Therefore, when people are changing clothes or sleeping, they set the folding screens around their bed to provide some privacy.
- source : Edomatsu
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. Daimyoo yashiki 大名屋敷 Daimyo Yashiki Residence .
There were three types in Edo :
shimo yashiki 下屋敷 / naka yashiki 中屋敷 / kami yashiki 上屋敷
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- - - Kanda subdistricts featured in the Edopedia 神田 :
Daikuchoo 神田大工町 Kanda Daikucho, carpenter district
Iwamotochō 神田岩本町 Kanda Iwamotocho
Kamakurachoo 神田鎌倉町 Kanda Kamakuracho
Kajichoo, Kajimachi 神田鍛冶町 Kanda Kajicho
Kijibashi 神田雉子橋 Kanda Kiji-Bashi Bridge
Konyachō 神田紺屋町 Kanda Konyacho
Renjakuchoo, Renjaku machi 神田連雀町 Kanda Renjaku-Cho
Shirakabechoo 神田白壁町 Kanda Shirakabe-Cho
Surugadai 神田駿河台 Kanda Surugadai
. Shrine 神田明神 Kanda Myojin .
at Soto-Kanda (across the river), between the Ochanomizu and Akihabara Stations.
and
Taira no Masakado 平将門 (? – 940)
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- - - - - More to explore :
Higashi-Kanda 東神田 Higashi Kanda
Nishi-Kanda 西神田 Nishi Kanda
Soto-Kanda - 外神田 Soto Kanda - 秋葉原 Akihabara
Uchi-Kanda 内神田 Uchi Kanda
Aioichō 神田相生町 Kanda Aioicho
Awajichō 神田淡路町 Kanda Awajicho
Hanaokachō 神田花岡町 Kanda Hanaokacho
Higashikonyachō 神田東紺屋町 Kanda Higashikonyacho
Higashimatsushitachō 神田東松下 Kanda Higashimatsushitacho
Hirakawachō 神田平河町 Kanda Hirakawacho
Izumichō 神田和泉町 Kanda Izumicho
Kitanorimonochō 神田北乗物町 Kanda Kitanorimonocho
Matsunagachō 神田松永町 Kanda Matsunagacho
Mikurachō 神田美倉町 Kanda Mikuracho
Misakichō 三崎町 Misakicho (borders Nishi-Kanda)
Mitoshirochō 神田美土代町 Kanda Mitoshirocho
Neribeichō 神田練塀町 Kanda Neribeicho
Nishifukudachō 神田西福田町 Kanda Nishifukudacho
Nishikichō 神田錦町 Kanda Nishikicho
Ogawamachi 神田小川町 Kanda Ogawamachi
Sakumachō 神田佐久間町 Kanda sakumacho
Sakumagashi 神田佐久間河岸 Kanda Sakumagashi
Sarugakuchō 猿楽町 Sarugakucho (borders Surugadai)
Sudachō 神田須田町 Kanda Sudacho
..... - reference source : KANDA SUDACHO archive-japanasitis -
Tachō 神田多町 Kanda Tacho
Tomiyamachō 神田富山町 Kanda Tomiyamacho
Tsukasamachi 神田司町 Kanda Tsukasamachi
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. Japanese Legends - 伝説 民話 昔話 – ABC-List .
Kanda Myoojin 神田明神 Kanda Myojin and Taira no Masakado 平将門
Madakado was a very strong man and could fight seven people all alone. When Tawara Tōda 俵藤太 "Rice-bag Tōda" finally cut off his head, the head still kept pursuing him, and finally came to rest in Kanda. It did not die for seven days and kept the eyes rolling, watching people.
Finally Masakado's head mound was erected and the Shrine Kanda Myojin built to appease his soul.
Masakado became the protector of 弓矢の守護神 warriors fighting with bow and arrow.
Kubizuka 将門塚 Head Mound of Masakado and the Toad
When Mitsui Bussan tried to build an office 三井物産ビル, they wanted to buy the land with the 将門塚 Head Mound Kubizuka of Masakado. But they were afraid of the curse of Masakado 将門の祟り and bought a different plot.
When 若王子信行 Wakaoji Nobuyuki (1933 - 1989) was kidnapped in the Philippines in 1986, the company 三井物産 Mitsui Bussan prayed for his safe return.
They made an offering of a huge gamagaeru ガマガエル toad to the 将門塚 Masakado Mound.
(-gaeru, kaeru is a pun with 帰る to come home safely.)
. Taira no Masakado 平将門 / 平將門 Legends .
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. Yanagimori Jinja 柳森神社 Shrine .
千代田区神田須田町2-25 Chiyoda, Kanda, Sudacho
venerating
o-Tanuki san おたぬきさん the honorable Tanuki badger
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- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -
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. Japanese Architecture - Interior Design - The Japanese Home .
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo 江戸の名所 .
. Doing Business in Edo - 商売 - Introduction .
. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .
. senryu, senryū 川柳 Senryu poems in Edo .
. densetsu 伝説 Japanese Legends - Introduction .
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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]- - - - - #kandadistrict #kanda #tairamasakado #masakado - - - -
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Posted By Gabi Greve to Edo - the EDOPEDIA - on 10/06/2015 09:14:00 am
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