EDO - Okubo district Shinjuku

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/07/okubo-district-shinjuku.html

Okubo district Shinjuku

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
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Ookubo, Ōkubo 大久保 Okubo district, Shinjuku
東京都新宿区大久保一丁目から大久保三丁目 Shinjuku ward, from the first to the third sub-district,
百人町 Hyakunincho district

ookubo 大窪 "great sunken place", "great hollow"




. Hyakuninchoo　百人町 Hyakunincho district .
Hyakunin (hundred-man) brigade of shooters
During the Edo period, the villages of 柏木 Kashiwagi and 大久保 Okubo were agricultural districts on either side of Hyakunin-cho where samurai warrior residences were located.

Ookubomura 大久保村 Okubo village
In 1713, the village came under the jurisdiction of the Edo Bakufu government.
In the South was the Shimo-Yashiki estate of 一橋the Hitotsubashi family.

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- quote
Shin-Ōkubo 新大久保
is a neighborhood within Tokyo's Shinjuku ward known for its extensive Korean community. It is built around Shin-Ōkubo Station and is accessible on the Yamanote Line. Shin-Ōkubo is home to both Korean residents in Japan as well as Korean immigrants, and has seen an upsurge in popularity due to Hallyu pop-culture. In recent years Nepali people have settled in the area and have opened up Nepali restaurants.
Shin Sang-yoon, the director of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan, stated that Koreans began coming to Shin-Ōkubo around 1983 because at that time it was one of the most inexpensive areas of Tokyo. By July 2013 several nationalistic anti-Korean demonstrations done by Japanese have occurred in Shin-Ōkubo.
- source : wikipedia


新大久保コリアンタウン Shin-Okubo Koreatown


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- quote -
新大久保 Shin-Ōkubo, literally New Okubo.
... this area wasn't Edo.
West of Edo Castle was all suburbs. The first shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, strategically relocated many of his 旗本 hatamoto direct retainers out here. He gave some of them extraordinarily large fiefs for their rank and charged them with the defense of the roads coming into his capital. Very much a Sengoku Period general, he rightly assumed that attacks from the sea in the east would be unlikely, but a land based attack from the west could prove a threat. One of the main entrances to the city was the Yotsuya Ōkido 四谷大木戸 Yotsuya Checkpoint on the Kōshū Kaidō 甲州街道 Kōshū Highway which was in this area. This area, by the way, was known not as Edo, but as 武蔵国豊多摩郡 Musashi no Kuni Toyotama-gun Toyotama District, Musashi Province in those days.This place name,
while seemingly auspicious on the surface, is generally believed to have quite humble roots. You see, a river called the 蟹川 Kanigawa used to flow through the area between Kabukichō 1-2 chōme 1st & 2nd blocks of Kabukichō and Shinjuku 6-7 chōme 6th & 7th blocks of Shinjuku. By their very nature, rivers tend to be in geographic depressions, which made this area good for farming, but prone to flooding. This part of Toyotama seems to have been no different. At the area dividing Nishi-Ōkubo West Ōkubo and Higashi-Ōkubo East Ōkubo, there was a particularly noticeable drop in elevation, an 大きな窪地 ōki na kubochi, if you will. If the story is to be believed, the locals called it an 大窪地 ōkubochi which was eventually reduced to ōkubo.
- source : japanthis -


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Ookubo eki 大久保駅 Okubo station / Shin-Okubo station
is a railway station on the Chūō-Sōbu Line in Shinjuku.
1-17-1 Hyakuninchō, Shinjuku, Tokyo



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. Shrine Kaichu Inari Jinja 皆中稲荷神社 .
Once upon a time there was a region called Okubo 大窪 in the Musashi plain.
Descendants from the Ise Shrine called Oshi 御師 settled there and soon built a shrine (around 1533).


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Nishimuki Tenjinsha 西向天神社
東京都新宿区新宿6-21-1
This shrine had been built by Saint Togano Myoe 栂尾明恵上人 in 1228. Since the main hall faces West, it is called
"West-facing Tenjin Shrine".
It was the protector shrine of 東大久保村鎮守 Higashi Okubo village.

. Myoe Shonin 明恵上人 (1173 - 1232) .

Once the third Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu came here for hunting with hawks. He gave a golden natsume 棗 tea caddy to the head priest with the request to rebuilt the shrine.
The shrine is therefore also known as
Natsume Jinja 棗神社


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The name Ōkubo-ke 大久保家 Ōkubo Family, Okubo clan
is a distinctly samurai name of rather high pedigree. They were a branch of the Utsunomiya-shi 宇都宮氏 Utsunomiya Clan which could trace their lineage back to the 900's. The founders of this new branch were among the most loyal retainers of 松平弘忠 Matsudaira Hirotada. In case you don't recognize that name, he was the father of the first Edo shogun, 徳川家康 Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Later, the Ōkubo clan served Ieyasu well. In fact, the second family head, a certain 大久保忠世 Ōkubo Tadayo, served in nearly all Ieyasu's military campaigns and even commanded his corps of bodyguards. After Ieyasu had secured the title of shogun, he elevated Tadayo to daimyō status gave him Odawara-han 小田原藩 Odawara Domain. This meant the Odawara clan controlled the 箱根関所 Hakone Sekisho Hakone Check Point as well as 箱根山 Hakone Yama Mt. Hakone, a region famous in Japanese mythology and renowned for its natural hot springs, beautiful lakes and coastal areas.
Odawara, Mt. Hakone, and the Ōkubo clan have nothing to do with this suburb of Edo.
- japanthis


. Okubo Hikozaemon 大久保彦左衛門 - Ōkubo Tadataka 大久保忠教 .
(1560 – 1639)

. Okubo Nagayasu 大久保長安 .

Ōkubo Toshimichi 大久保利通 (1830 – 1878)

- - - More Okubo names in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Okubo 大久保


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- reference : nichibun yokai database -
tba

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- - - To join me on facebook, click the image !

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. Shinjuku　新宿区　Shinjuku Ward .

. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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- - - - - #okubo #okuboshinjuku - - - -
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GOKURAKU - Raigo the soul goes to heaven

https://gokurakuparadies.blogspot.com/2018/08/raigozu-amida-coming-at-death.html

raigozu Amida coming at death

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. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .
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raigoo, raigō 来迎 Raigo, the soul on the way to paradise
"Decent of Amida Buddha", "Amida Coming over the Mountain"

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Buddhist Art and Amida Raigo Triads
This topic may seem a bit difficult, but try to follow as best you can. It's about a certain type of Buddhist statue. Actually this type of statue does not appear alone, but as a set of three: in the center is a Buddha called Amida, and on either side sits an Bodhisattva-attendant, one named Seishi and one named Kannon.
This set is called an Amida Raigo Triad.

We will talk about what raigo means later, but before we begin, take a look at this Amida Raigo Triad from a temple called Joshoko-ji, in the mountains north of Kyoto.



- - - - - Paintings and Sculpture
- snip -

- - - - - Raigo and Sculpture
Buddhas are considered, like God, to be an Absolute existence and thus require no surrounding environment. Though Buddhas themselves need no enhancement, however, their followers, such as Buddhist angels or Bodhisattvas, sometimes are enriched with depictions of movement or surrounding atmosphere. Here too, however, we see the limitations of sculpture in depicting movement. On ancient Buddhist wall paintings, angels appear to be floating lightly through the heavens around the Buddha. But when these same kinds of angels were incorporated in sculpture and attached to the Buddha's halo, however, they lost their lightness and seemed to become more rigid. This is probably because of the innate differences between painting and sculpture.

The above may be one of the reasons that Japanese sculptors did not often try to incorporate surrounding environment into their sculptures. In the Heian Period, however, belief in the Pure Land spread, and people began to believe that after death they would be reborn in the Pure Land Paradise of Amida Buddha. As this belief spread, so too grew the desire to see expressions of the Pure Land in Buddhist sculpture. The result were images depicting Amida Buddha coming down from the far-off Pure Land Paradise to meet the souls of the dead and take them back with him to heaven. These images are called raigo, and usually had Amida in the center with an attendant on either side. This is the Amida Raigo Triad!

Scenes of this Amida Raigo Triad riding clouds, crossing mountains, and flying through the wind were easy to express through the medium of painting, but many difficulties arose when trying to express such scenes through sculpture, such as in the triad above. Why? Well, think about the nature of sculpture: it is impossible (or it was in those days) to create a sculpture that floats in mid-air. It is also difficult to express speed. To compensate, the sculptors of the Joshoko-ji triad tried to give the attendants a sense of tension and presence by depicting them leaning forward.

Towards the end of the Heian Period, perhaps reflecting changes in the society as a whole, artistic expression became more realistic, both in painting and sculpture. One area in which this can be seen is in the Raigo sculptures. The triad above from Joshoko-ji Temple is one of the earliest experiments in realism in a Raigo triad. Let's compare it with a painting of the same period.

- photo of Yushihachimanko Juhachika-in Temple
What are the differences in the way this Bodhisattva-attendant is portrayed in painting and in sculpture? In the painting, the central triad and their surrounding Bodhisattva ride upon clouds, and cross mountains rich with autumn color as they gradually make their descent. On the other hand, though the sculpture does not show the autumn mountains over which the triad is crossing, it does show all three figures on clouds, and the two attendants crouched on their knees are leaning forward, giving them the same sense of speed and presence within an environment that we see in the painting.
- source : Kyoto National Museum - Shiro Ito



. . . CLICK here for more Photos　 !

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source : sendai-c.ed.jp...

木造阿弥陀如来・二十五菩薩像及び地蔵菩薩立像 - Sendai
Amida, 25 Bosatsu and Jizo statue

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source : enpukuji.co/homotsu...
Temple 円福寺 Enpuku-Ji－Tokyo

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Temple 即成院 Sokujo-In - Kyoto

. . . CLICK here for more Photos of statues !


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raigoozuu 来迎図 Raigozu, illustrations of the way to paradise



- quote -
Amida (Amitabha) Coming over the Mountain
The popular, Kamakura Period painting theme of "Amida Coming over the Mountain," usually shows the central image of Amida facing forward with both hands held over his breast. This pattern can be seen in the Zenrinji and Konkaikomyoji "Amida Coming over the Mountain" scrolls. In this scroll, however, Amida comes not over a mountain but across a valley, accompanied by six Bodhisattva attendants. He faces not forwards but to the left, with his right hand raised and his left hand down. Though this posture is atypical of "Amida Coming over the Mountain" paintings, it is common in other raigozu ("Decent of Amida Buddha" paintings). Since it contains no other narrative elements, such as the pious Buddhist on his deathbed awaiting Amida's salvation in the Chionin raigozu scroll, it can be categorized as a variation on the "Amida Coming over the Mountain" theme.
The composition of this work is well-balanced and its portrayal of the figures is elaborate and reverential. It can be counted among the representative Buddhist paintings of the Kamakura Period.
- source : Kyoto National Museum -

- Seated Amida (Amitabha) with Raigo Mudra, hand position of welcoming spirits of the dead.
- source : Kyoto National Museum -

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阿弥陀二十五菩薩来迎図 Amida and 25 Bosatsu coming
Temple 知恩院 Chion-In


source : chion-in.or.jp...

- quote -
Raigo of Amida (Amitabha) and Twenty-five Attendants
This outstanding work depicts Amida (Amitabha) and twenty-five attendants as they descend on clouds over steep mountains down from Heaven. They are on their way to meet a dead person, depicted in the bottom-right, to accompany back to Heaven. This scene is known as "Rapid Descent," because of the especially swift appearance of the clouds. Flying clouds and the depiction of figures and garments in gold are characteristic of Buddhist paintings in the Late-Kamakura Period.
This scene depicts
jo-bon jo-sho (first class, upper birth), the highest state of death, evident from the dead person seated upright in front of a sutra scroll and the pagoda in the sky in the upper-right of the painting. The mountains in the background are high, but their smooth contour lines produce a gentle effect typical of the Yamato-e paintings. Though the scene depicted in this work is imaginary, its elements of landscape expression are impressive.
- source : Kyoto National Museum -


. Chion-In 知恩院 / 智恩院 .
Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto


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観経九品来迎と鳳凰堂来迎図　Byodo-In
平等院鳳凰堂



. 平等院 Byodo-In - The Phoenix Hall in Uji .


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. 高野山 Koyasan, Mount Koya, Wakayama .


高野山聖衆来迎図

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来迎図 by 濱田隆 Hamada Takashi
日本の美術 No273 - 1989年



. . . CLICK here for more Photos　 !


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- Further reference by Mark Schumacher, Buddhist Statuary
- 25 Bodhisattva (Nijūgo Bosatsu, Nijugo Bosatsu, 二十五菩薩) -
- Amida Buddha 阿弥陀如来 -
- Apsaras - 雲中供養菩薩 - serving Amida Buddha -

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- - - - - H A I K U - - - - -

. kiraigoo 鬼来迎 (きらいごう) "Welcoming the Demons" .
kigo for late summer
..... Oni Mai 鬼舞"Demon's Dance"
Bon-Kyogen dance performed on the 16th of July, at the temple 広済寺 Hozai-Ji in Chiba.


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

................................................................................. Aomori 青森県　
梵珠山 Mound Bonjusan (486 m)

go raigoo sama 御来迎様 / go toomyoo 御灯明 heavenly light
On the 26th day of the seventh lunar month, the moon in its last quarter looks almost like a boat and the local people see it like the 阿弥陀三尊 Triad of Amida, Seishi and Kannon.
To pray to the three, villagers climb to the temple on Mount Bonjusan and pray the whole night.


- Kannon temple at Mount Bonjusan

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bakemono 化物 monster / raigoobashira 来迎柱
A young man once stayed over night at an old temple where monsters live. From below the Raigobashira pillar there came a monster, mumbling obosaru obosau オボサルオボサル, so he picked it up and carried it back home. Next morning he saw that it was a bag full of big and small gold coins.


- source : dannoh.or.jp/history... -
檀王法林寺 Dannō-hōrinji, Temple Danno-Horin-Ji, Kyoto 来迎柱

raigoubashira :
Two or four-circular pillars right and left at each corner of the Buddhist altar to define the most sacred place in a temple where Buddhist images are enshrined.
- JAANUS




................................................................................. Ibaraki 茨城県　
常総市 Joso city

. kitsune densetsu 狐　伝説 fox legends .
In the district of 飯沼郷 Iinuma at the temple 弘経寺 Gugyo-Ji there was a priest well versed in religious discussions, but in fact it was a fox. Another priest wanted to expose this and told the fox/priest he would give him anything he wanted.
The fox said he wanted to see Amida. The real priest told the fox that he could see Amida, but he should not pray to it, since he would then die.
But when the apparition of Amida Raigo came down from heaven, the fox was overwhelmed and begun to pray. And there - he fell down dead immediately.



................................................................................. Nagano 長野県　

Ajari-ike 阿闍梨池 pond of the Ajari
. Higo Ajari 肥後阿闍梨 / 備後阿闍 the Ajari of Higo, Acharya of Higo.
Kooen, Kōen 皇円 Saint Koen and his faith in 弥勒菩薩 Miroku Bosatsu.



................................................................................. Nara 奈良県　

. Temple Taimadera 当麻寺 / 當麻寺 and princess 中将姫 Chujo .
Princess Chujo was a nun at temple Taimadera. She prayed to Amida for her Raigo and six days later, she died and her Mandala was completed.



................................................................................. Tochigi 栃木県　

. tanuki 狸 - mujina 狢　－ racoon dog, badger legends .
An old Tanuki had lived at the temple 茂林寺 Morin-Ji, taking care of the tea kettles. Once he fell asleep and his tail begun to show, so the priest now knew he was not a human and threw him out of the temple. To show his gratitude for the many years of his stay, the Tanuki showed the others an apparition of
釈迦来迎 Shaka Raigo, Shakyamuni coming down and died.
The priest then made a grave for the Tanuki and put the lid of the tea kettle on top of it.


source : matsui-ikuo.jp/blog...
- 茶席　釈迦来迎図 -


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- reference : Nichibun Yokai Database -

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. Oojoyooshuu, Ōjōyōshū 往生要集 Ojoyoshu, Ojo Yoshu .
by Genshin　源信　 (942-1017), Eshin Soozu 恵心僧都 Eshin Sozu
dai oojoo 大往生 daiojo - sudden death
pokkuri 　ぽっくり　sudden death

. Japan - Shrines and Temples - Index .


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- - #raigozu #raigo #amidaraigo #amidatriad -
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EDO - Ikebukuro district

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/07/ikebukuro-district-toshima.html

Ikebukuro district Toshima

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

Ikebukuro district 池袋 "pond bag"
Ikebukuro mura　池袋村 Ikebukuro village
Toshima 豊島区 池袋本町 Ikebukuro Honcho, 池袋 Ikebukuro, 西池袋 Nishi-Ikebukuro

. Toshima ward and 巣鴨 Sugamo .



In the Edo period, Ikebukuro mura was a farmer's area outside the main city. It was only incorporated in 1818.
There were many ponds and wide forests, with foxes voices to be heard. There even lived a white snake in the pond.
There was also a meandering river with many ponds like bags surrounding it.
The ponds have all been filled with the arriving of modern times.

- quote
Ikebukuro is a commercial and entertainment district in Toshima, Tokyo, Japan.
Toshima ward offices, Ikebukuro station, and several shops, restaurants, and enormous department stores are located within city limits.
At the center of Ikebukuro
is the train and subway station, a huge urban gathering shared by the JR East lines, the Seibu Ikebukuro Line and the Tōbu Tōjō Line. It is one of the main commuter hubs in the western Yamanote area of Tokyo.
Ikebukuro Station is the third-busiest station in Japan, and the world.


Around the station
are the Seibu and Tōbu department stores. Seibu, written with the characters for "West" and "Musashi (province)" 西武, is on the east end of the station and Tōbu, written with the characters for "East" and "Musashi" 東武, is on the west end. East of the station, on the site of Sugamo Prison, stands Sunshine 60, which was Tokyo's tallest building at the time of its construction. The Sunshine 60 contains a large and popular shopping mall, which contains various attractions including an aquarium, a Pokémon Center, and cat cafes. Adjacent to Sunshine City, on Meiji-Dori, is the Toyota Amlux Building which houses the Toyota showroom. Otome Road, a leading shopping area for otaku products aimed at women, is located nearby. Marui and Don Quijote also have department stores in the area. The principal electronics retailer in Ikebukuro is Bic Camera. There is a small pleasure district located in Nishi-Ikebukuro, similar to Shinjuku's Kabukichō.


- map of Ikebukuro station

The old village of Ikebukuro
stood to the northwest of the station. Most of the area on which modern Ikebukuro is built was historically known as Sugamo. In the Taishō and Shōwa periods, the relatively low land prices attracted artists and foreign workers, who lent a somewhat cosmopolitan atmosphere to Ikebukuro.

Until October 1, 1932 when Toshima ward was established, the area was an independent municipality of Ikebukuro-mura (池袋村).
The kanji for Ikebukuro literally means pond bag.
Outside the west exit of Ikebukuro station near an entrance to the Fukutoshin Line is a small plaque explaining how the area used to have multiple lakes, hence the name.


There is a small statue of an owl
located near the center of the city called Ikefukurō-zō (いけふくろう像), meaning pond owl statue.
It is a play on words from the alternative meaning of "fukuro" as "owl" (although owl is pronounced with a long final "oh", rather than a short "o" in the word "fukuro" for bag). The owl statue has become a famous meeting place along the lines of the statue of Hachikō located outside Shibuya Station.
- - - - - Ikebukuro Tokyo Chinatown
Ikebukuro is home to many ethnic Chinese who arrived in the 1980s, leading to a variety of Chinese goods and services being provided in the district, which are popular among tourists interested in Chinese culture. However, the Ikebukuro Chinatown is smaller and less populous than Yokohama's Chinatown just to the south of Tokyo.
- source : wikipedia



- - - - - modern Ikebukuro - - - - -

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- - - - - Ikebukuro Chinatown - - - - -



- quote -
A New Chinatown Emerges in Tokyo's Ikebukuro
Chinatowns have existed as ethnic enclaves in Japan since the nation opened its borders to the outside world in the mid-nineteenth century. More recently, as Japan and China build closer economic ties, a new Chinatown is taking shape in Tokyo's Ikebukuro.
..... Japan's three major Chinatowns are enclaves established by old overseas Chinese as they interacted with Japanese society over a long period of time. I wondered whether the growing number of new overseas Chinese were forming a new Chinatown in Japan.
- - - - - A Chinatown Takes Shape in Ikebukuro
The solution to this puzzle came in the words of a Chinese studying in Japan. Toward the end of the 1990s this Chinese student told me that Ikebukuro is a convenient place for Chinese, because there are plenty of part-time jobs and shops offering whatever a Chinese person might need.
Prompted by this statement, I began to explore the east and west sides of Ikebukuro Station, and eventually I discovered a concentration of Chinese restaurants, supermarkets, bookstores, Internet cafes, and travel agencies founded by new overseas Chinese on the north side of the station. This was visible confirmation that, as I had seen in other countries, a new Chinatown was being formed. In 2003 I named this area "Ikebukuro Chinatown." At first, searching the Internet for "Ikebukuro Chinatown" would only bring up my website, but a similar search now will yield more than 100,000 hits. Ikebukuro Chinatown has been featured in television programs and newspaper and magazine articles, and many people have become aware of its existence.
- - - - - Japanese Language Schools and Reasonable Rents
- - - - - Out and About in Ikebukuro Chinatown
The gateway to Ikebukuro Chinatown is the north exit of Ikebukuro Station, a popular meeting place for many Chinese. Not one minute on foot from the north exit is Yangguangcheng, a Chinese supermarket with characteristic red signage. On the fourth floor in the building across the street is Chinese Foods Youyi Shangdian, the successor to Zhiyin Chinese Foods, whose shelves are stocked with a full range of Chinese foods. O the second floor of the same building is Wenshengtang, a Chinese bookstore.
Unlike Japan's three major Chinatowns,
many of the Chinese businesses in Ikebukuro Chinatown are located on the upper floors or in the basements of multitenant buildings. The first floor is frequently occupied by a Japanese chain store or a Japanese business in existence for some time. Vacancies are few for those new overseas Chinese hoping to start a business on the first floor. Hence, the trick to walking about Chinatown is to keep your eyes directed upward.
As of June 2015, I have counted about 210 Chinese businesses to the north and west of Ikebukuro Station, of which some 60 are Chinese restaurants.
- source : Yamashita Kiyomi -


Chuka Ryori 中華料理 Chinese Food
Chinatown 中華街 in Yokohama, Kobe and Nagasaki


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Kami-Ikebukuro 上池袋



Ocha-agare Jizo お茶あがれ地蔵 Jizo drinking tea

In the Genroku priod, the ghost of a woman who was not allowed to marry the man of her choice and had died appeared around the statue of Jizo every night and sighed:

お茶上がれーお茶上がれー
"Have some tea, have some tea".


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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Ikebukuro 池袋

ayashiki koto あやしきこと a strange thing
In 赤坂伝馬町 Akasaka, Denmacho, a strange something appeared every night, yes, every night.
Almost like Ikebukuro no Kai 池袋の怪 the Yokai from Ikebukuro.
One evening a villager left a brush and paper outside and next morning, it had written something on the paper.


岡本綺堂 池袋の怪 - 青空文庫 - Book by Okamoto Kido (1872 - 1939)
- Japanese Text -

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. kitsune densetsu 狐　伝説 fox legends .
The foxes from 野中 Nakano were eight siblings, and always played around human beings without any harm.
Most of them took the form of a beautiful man and got married. This is the same behaviour as 池袋村の狐 the foxes from Ikebukuro village.

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. ubugami 産神 "deity of birth" .
guardian deity of pregnant women, newborn babies and one's birthplace
A woman from Ikebukuro village did not like to worship the local deity of birth, but if they did not go to pray there, they would get a divine punishment.
So the women from Ikebukuro village built a prayer group and kept the sanctuary properly.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -


Ikebukuro no Onna - The Woman from Ikebukuro
池袋の女（いけぶくろのおんな）は、江戸時代末期における日本の俗信の一つ。
- reference source : wikipedia -


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

すこし酔ひ跣足で歩く池袋
sukoshi yoi hadashi de aruku Ikebukuro

a bit drunk
I walk barefeet
in Ikebukuro

岡田史乃 Okada Shino (1940 - )



池袋二丁目常の目刺出て
岡本眸 Okamoto Hitomi (1928 - )

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A Haiku poet named
- 池袋寛 Ikebukuro Kan -

昼の虫日向国府という田舎
hiru no mushi Hinata Kokufu to iuu inaka

insects at daytime -
a countryside named
Hinata Kokufu

. insects at daytime, hiru no mushi　昼の虫 .
kigo for autumn


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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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- - - - - #ikebukuro - - - -
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SHRINES - Samuhara Shrine Osaka

https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.com/2018/07/samuhara-shrine-osaka.html

Samuhara Shrine Osaka

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Shinto Shrines (jinja　神社) - Introduction .
. kami　神　Shinto deities .
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Samuhara jinja サムハラ神社 Samuhara Shrine, Osaka


大阪府大阪市西区立売堀2-5-26 / 2 Chome-5-26 Itachibori, Nishi-ku, Ōsaka-shi,

- quote
A Shinto-derived new religious movement which began in 1935 when Tanaka Tomisaburō (1868-1967) rebuilt a dilapidated shrine in Okayama.
After he had experienced a close brush with death on the frontline during the Russo-Japanese War, Tanaka felt he had received power from a talisman inscribed with four ideograms which he read sa-mu-ha-ra, and in turn he began to make miniature amulets (omamori) of this sort which he distributed for free.

Because of such proselytizing activities, however, the regional authorities accused him of using an unauthorized shrine to conduct private business, and as punishment, the shrine he had constructed was stripped of its contents and burned to the ground in 1936.
Tanaka, however, continued his activities of distributing amulets to troops being sent to the Asian front during World War II, and following the war in 1951, he registered his movement under the Religious Corporations Law (Shūkyō Hōjinhō) and rebuilt the shrine. In 1952 he moved the shrine to its present location.
After Tanaka's death his adopted son Tanaka Kōichi succeeded him.
-- Headquarters: Osaka Prefecture.
-- Nominal membership: approximately 500,000 (S)
- source : Yumiyama Tatsuya, Kokugakuin

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shuin　朱印 stamp



omamori お守り　amulets

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- Reference : サムハラ神社
- Reference : samuhara shrine


. Shrine, Shinto Shrine (jinja　神社) - Introduction .

. kami　神　Shinto deities - ABC-LIST - .


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The four letters SA MU HA RA help protect the body from harm and grand a long life.
Since they are shinji 神字 characters of God, they can not be expressed with normal 漢字 Kanji characters and can not be reproduced on a computer.
They have been used since olden times for amulets of temples,

サムハラ神社
無傷無病、延命長寿の神として知られる。𪮷〓𪮷𪮇（サムハラ）[3][4]とは不思議の4文字で、身を守ると言われている。これは漢字のような文字であるが、神字であり漢字とは異なる。Unicodeには、〓のみが収録されておらず、活字変換は不可。他の文字は全てCJK統合漢字拡張Cに収録されている。
東大寺（西東大寺）（千葉県西市）、雷山千如寺大悲王院（清賀上人により十転化の功徳があるという）など各地の寺社のお守りの呪文に使用されている。
サムハラの故事
曾子が病になって臨終の際に、弟子に体の全部を調べさせ、一つの傷痕もないのを見て安心し「父母に体を受けて生まれて幸いにも一つの傷痕もなくお返しする事ができるのは孝を尽くしたことだ」と言い、生命の守護神（𪮷〓𪮷𪮇大神）に深く感謝したという。

身體髮膚 受之父母 不敢毀傷 孝之始也[5]
身体髪膚これを父母に受く、あえて毀傷せざるは孝の始めなり
— 孝経
加藤清正は文禄・慶長の役の時、𪮷〓𪮷𪮇を武器の刃に彫りつけて信じていたために万死に一生を得たという。
『耳嚢[6]』巻2に、1782年（天明2年）、新見愛之助という小姓が登城の時に馬ごと坂の下に落ちたが怪我がなかった。他の者に理由を聞かれると領民から送られた守護札を見せ「領民が野においてキジを矢で射たが当たらず、逃げようともしない。弓がうまい者たちが競ったが駄目であった。このキジを捕まえたところ背中に𪮷〓𪮷𪮇の4文字が書いてあった。『この文字を書いた札を懐に入れておくと良いことがある』と流行った。」と語った[7]との記述がある。
平田篤胤の『仙境異聞』（上） 三之巻[8][9]に慶長年間に大樹公（征夷大将軍のこと）が狩で発見した鶴の羽にあった文字（𪮷〓𪮷𪮇の文字）が怪我よけとして広まり、寅吉が仙骨の人の符字のようなものに見たが、「ジヤク、コウ、ジヤウ、カウ」というように聞いたがよく知らないと言ったという。
岡田挺之の随筆『秉穂録』に「福岡で鶴を捕ったところ、鶴の翼に「さむはら」という四文字の符字があった。長命の符字であるだろうと人々はこれを写し取って帯びた。また斎藤実盛の位牌が淡路のある寺にあり、位牌の背にこの四文字がある。最近、江戸でこの符字を帯びた人が落馬したが怪我が無かったので、これを帯びることが流行した。」とある[10]。
國安仙人（万延元年（1860年）7月23日-大正元年（1912年）9月28日　幼名　米太郎　普明光美　加波山神社の摂末社普明神社に祀られる。）が信者に与えたタク字びよる霊符の最初の4文字がサムハラの文字（読みは「けん しょう けん ご」）であったという[11]。
- - - その他
𪮷〓𪮷𪮇はサンスクリット語の samvara （「三跋羅[12]（さんばら）sanbara」）という言葉に由来するという。
短刀に刻印し守り刀とされた[13]。
厭勝銭（えんしょうせん）の一種にサムハラ銭 samuhara sen がある[14][15]（厭勝銭は流通貨幣ではなく、縁起物もしくは護符として所持した銭。ここでは弾除けの祈念銭）。
- reference source : weblio.jp/wkpja/content... -



samuhara sen サムハラ銭 coin with SAMUHARA inscription



samuhara tsuba サムハラ鍔 sword guard
. The Sword Guard 鍔 Tsuba 　 .

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

「■□■△」
（■は手偏に「合」の下に「幸」。□は手偏に「台」。△は手偏に「己」の下に「口」）

.......................................................................　Fukuoka 福岡県 .....

Once a tsuru 鶴 crane was caught, with the four letters SAMUHARA on its wings.
People thought these letters would protect and bring a long life, so they copied them.

At 淡路 Awaji there was a temple with the ihai 位牌 Buddhist mortuary tablet of 斉藤実盛 Saito Sanemori.
On its back side were the letters SAMUHARA.

. Saito Sanemori 斉藤実盛 (794 - 1185). .


.......................................................................　Saitama 埼玉県 .....

In 1668 a 鉄砲師 gun specialist from 紀州 Kishu named 吉川源五兵衛 came to Edo. At 大宮鷹場 the hawking area of Omiya in the village of 吉野村 Yoshino he shot 白い雉 a white pheasant. When he could get close, he saw on its back the leggers SAMUHARA.
He thought this was an amulet to protect from injuries, so he wrote the letters on paper and shot at them.
After that he never hit the target.


.......................................................................　Tokyo　東京 .....

A man in Edo had carried a SAMUHARA amulet on his body. When he fell from his horse one day, we was not hurt.
Soon this kind of amulet became popular in Edo.


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. Chiyoda ku 千代田区 Chiyoda ward .

samuhara さむはら / サムハラ
In 1652, the Shogun went hawk hunting. The hawk caught a large goose. The four letters of SAMUHARA were written on the breast of the bird.
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Ushigafuchi, Ushigabuchi 牛ヶ淵 （うしがふち）
The canal at Kudansaka 件坂下 / 九段坂 is called 牛ヶ淵 "riverpool of the bull".
It is a 魔所 bewitched place.
Once in 1782, a Samurai rode here on his horse, but he fell down and tumbled into the "Riverpool of the Bull". But the man and his horse did not show any wounds.
This is because once the Samurai was hunting for pheasants and shot at a kiji 雉 pheasant. He followed the bird and finally caught it and saw the four letters SAMUHARA written on its wings. Since then he had kept an amulet with these words in his breast pocket.


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. Kami-Meguro 上目黒 .

In 1652, the Shogun went hawk hunting. The hawk caught a large goose. There were four letters written on the breast of the bird.
The letters were SA MU HA RA.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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EDO - Kohinata Myogadani district

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/06/kohinata-myogadani-district.html

Kohinata Myogadani district

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Kohinata Myogadani choo 小日向茗荷谷町 Kohinata Myogadani district
"Myoga Ginger Valley"
文京区 Bunkyo ward, 小日向1丁目と3丁目、4丁目, Kohinata first, third and fourth sub-district.



In former times there was a shallow valley between the higher areas of 小石川 Koishikawa and 小日向 Kohinata.
There were a lot of Myoga fields in the valley, hence the name. Nowadays, there are no more Myoga fields, but in the compound of 拓殖大学文京キャンパス Takushoku University in Bunkyo ward they still harvest Myoga.
Until around 1713, there were farmers in the district, but then it came under the jurisdiction of the Edo City government and some Samurai estates were established here, like 旧大垣野村藩戸田淡路守屋敷, and the 十二軒屋敷 Juniken Yashiki.

This district used to be part of the former 小石川区 Koishikawa ward, now 文京区 Bunkyo ward.
In 1966, the district became part of the Kohinata area.


At the Myoga Valley, there used to be a stone statue of a small Jizo Bosatsu.
When villagers went get a doctor for a very ill person, they came past this statue. If it was there as usual, the ill person would be all right, but if the stone statue faced the other side, the doctor could not help any more.
. myooga 茗荷 Japanese ginger, Zingiber mioga .
- Introduction -



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shibarare Jizoo 縛られ地蔵 string-bound Jizo
林泉寺 Rinsen-Ji

- reference source : s.webry.info/sp/navalin.at.webry... -


. Shibarare Jizō 縛られ地蔵, String-Bound Jizō .
More statues in Japan.

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There is a train station named
Myogadani eki 茗荷谷駅 Myogadani station



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Myoogadanizaka 茗荷谷坂 / 茗荷坂 Myogazaka slope
3 Chome-4 Kohinata, Bunkyō




. saka, sakamichi 坂道 the slopes of Edo .


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- quote -
The Name Has Nothing to Do With Ginger
There is another theory.
This one says there was never any myōga growing in the area. Instead this theory claims the name derives from myōga 冥加 a Buddhist term that means divine protection.
On the other side of the tracks from Myōgadani Station
is an area called 小石川 Koishikawa. This area was a very elite area in the Edo Period because the Mito Tokugawa clan had a massive residence here. There were other daimyō residences and samurai residences located in the vicinity. The residence of the 簞笥奉行 tansu bugyō the magistrate of the shōgun's arsenal was also nearby, as were the barracks his samurai staff.
The idea is
that the samurai who lived in the barracks town of 御箪笥町 Go-Tansu Machi would make offerings at the 稲荷神社 Inari Jinja Inari Shrine at the top of Myōgadani Hill (where the station stands today) and pray for good luck in marksmanship. The shrine was called Myōga Inari Jinja 冥加稲荷神社 Shrine of the Inari of Divine Protection. Since this area was the valley where Myōga Inari Shrine was, the locals called it 冥加谷 Myōgadani.

This theory states
that the Meiji government changed the kanji. After winning the Boshin War against the last Tokugawa supporters, they kicked out all of the samurai and daimyō from the area and began repurposing the land. They hated the association of the name with the Tokugawa Shōgunate and so they changed the kanji from 冥加谷 Myōgadani Valley of Divine Protection to the less "confrontational" 茗荷谷 Myōgadani Valley of Japanese Ginger.
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In nearby Jinkō-ji 深光寺 Jinkō Temple,
the author of Nansō Satomi Hakkenden 南總里見八犬傳 the Tale of Eight Dogs 馬琴 Bakin Bakin is buried. Interestingly, there is a small stone lantern hidden on the side of the temple called the Kirishitan Tōrō 切支丹灯籠 the Christian Lantern. It uses the word Kirishitan which is a direct reference to the Christians of Pre-Modern Japan. I'm not sure if this monument has been commemorating them since the Edo Period or if it's a recent thing. Judging from pictures, the statue doesn't seem very old – but it could be a replacement.
Even more curious
is that another nearby temple, 徳雲寺 Toku'un-ji, which seems to make most of its money off funerals, offers a
キリスト教プラン Kiristo-kyō Puran Christian Plan. At first, I thought this was related to the hidden old Kirishitan monument at Jinkō-ji, but then I saw it came under the heading 無宗教・キリスト教のプラン Mushūkyō/Kiristo-kyō Puran non-religious/Christian plan.
- and the connection between the Myōgadani temples and Christianity.
- source : japanthis.com/2014... -





茗荷稲荷神社 Shrine Myoga Inari Jinja

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. Temple 清水山 Seisuizan 　専教院 Senkyo-In .
文京区小日向3-6-10 / Bunkyo ward, Kohinata 3-6-10

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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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- - - - - #myogadani #kohihata #kobinata - - - -
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EDO - Kanda Tacho district

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2015/10/kanda-district.html

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Tachō, Tachoo, Ta choo 神田多町 Kanda Tacho district 　 　
With two sub-districts, second and third chome, 二丁目　and 三丁目



The name refers to the fields 田 TA, which have been here. The first characters used were 田町 Tacho "district with fields".
Around 1600, there was the first sub-district,　一丁目, but this has become part of the third sub-district.
The greengrocer 河津五郎太夫 Kawazu Goro Daiyu started a 青葉市 vegetable marked here around 1606. After the great fire of Meireki (1657), the place was widened and an official vegetable market established. This esisted as 神田青物市場 Kanda Aomono Ichiba until the destruction of the Great Kanto Earthquake (1923). The market was then relocated to 秋葉原 Akihabara.

In 1911 the districts of Kanda were re-distributed with their present names.

There were other aoba ichi 青葉市 vegetable markets in Edo.

  . Edo 青物町 Aomonocho "vegetable" district .
Edo no Aomono Ichiba 江戸の青物市場 Vegetable Markets in Edo
In the "three vegetable district" 青物三ケ町 Aomono Sangamachi in Kanda
Tachō, 多町 Tacho - 連雀町 Renjakucho - 永富町 Eifukucho
- - - aomono uri 青物売り vegetable vendor


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EDO - Katsushika Shibamata

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/06/katsushika-ward-shibamata.html

Katsushika ward Shibamata

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. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Katsushika ku 葛飾区 Katsushika ward
"decorated with kuzu 葛 arrowroot "



Formerly a part of
. Musashi no Kuni 武蔵国 Musashi Province .

It might have been a land overgrown with arrowroot.
The name was also spelled 勝鹿, 河都志加, 加止志加 - therefore the original name did not refer to
the kuzu, katsura 葛, but to the land formation of lowlands and ridges near the 利根川 river Tonegawa.




. kuzu 葛 kudzu flower, arrowroot flower .
Pueraria lobata, grows very strong in wetlands
A person like a kuzu, "ningen no kuzu" means "human garbage".

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- quote -
... one of the special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It lies in the northeast of the ward area. The ward calls itself Katsushika City in English.
The long running film series, the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as Tora-san, takes place in Katsushika, as does the manga series, Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo.
- - - - - History
Katsushika District was originally a division of Musashi Province. When the province was divided and reconfigured, the district was partitioned between Kita-Katsushika District (within Saitama Prefecture), Higashi-Katsushika District (within Chiba Prefecture) and the remainder was based in Tokyo Prefecture. Minami-Katsushika District conformed today's Katsushika Ward proper, plus Edogawa, Koto and Sumida wards.
On October 1, 1932,
the former Minami-Katsushika District of what was then known as Tokyo Prefecture, and its seven towns and villages, merged and became part of the old Tokyo City.
The special ward was founded on March 15, 1947.
- - - - - Districts
Aoto
Higashi Kanamachi
Higashi Mizumoto
Higashi Shin-koiwa
Higashi Yotsugi
. Horikiri district 掘切 "digging a moat" .
Hosoda
Kamakura
Kameari
Kanamachi
Kosuge
Minami Mizumoto
Mizumoto
Mizumoto Koen
Niijuku
Nishi Kameari
Nishi Mizumoto
Nishi Shin-koiwa
Ohanajaya
Okudo
Shibamata - see below
Shinkoiwa
Shiratori
Takaramachi 宝町
Takasago
. Tateishi 立石村 Tateishi Mura Village .
Yotsugi 四つ木
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


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- quote -
The name is attested in the 万葉集 Manyōshū so we know this is an ancient name. The probability of it not being Japanese in origin is high.
There are various theories, but none of them are certain.
1 – Katsushika's かつ katsu
comes from an older word カテ kate or カト kato which meant cliff, hill, or knoll. shika しか comes from an older スカ which meant "sandbar." The general idea being that this name referred to the lowlands on the right bank and the elevated ridge on the left bank of the Tonegawa 利根川 Tone River (present day 江戸川 Edogawa Edo River).
2 – The name was given
to the area by the "people of the south sea".
According to this theory, in whatever dialect or language these people spoke it referred to a hunting ground.
3 – The kanji is literal. 葛 katsu
is an onyomi and nanori of kuzu arrowroot. 飾 shika is the nanori of kazaru to decorate. Arrowroot is a kind of vine that grows near rivers. It's an invasive plant that quickly spreads and takes over an area. It is used to make some kinds of jellies for Japanese sweets. If this etymology is accepted, the meaning is then literally "a field or area decorated (overgrown with) Japanese Arrowroot."
- source : japanthis.com/2013... -


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Katsushika no Mama 葛飾の真間 Mama town

An old poem from the 万葉集 Manyoshu poetry collection :

葛飾の真間の浦廻を漕ぐ舟の舟人騒ぐ波立つらしも
Katsushika no Mama no urama o kogu fune no funabito sawagu nami tatsu rashimo

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真間の紅葉手古那の社継はし Maple Trees at Mama, Tekona Shrine and Linked Bridge
歌川広重　名所江戸百景 Hiroshige

- quote -
Mama in Katsushika was described in some Japanese poems in Manyoshu (Myriad Leaves), and many poets have written Mama in their works since then.
In Edo period, Hiroshige painted Mama in his work 'Edo Meisho Hyakkei' (the 100 best scenic places in Edo), and Mama was introduced as one of the best spots in Edo in Edo Meisho Zue (a guide book of Edo), Issa Kobayashi, a famous haiku poet, and Mitsukuni Mito, a famous lord and a relative of Tokugawa Shogun Family, visited.
In early 20th century, many people loved and lived in Mama, many writers such as Rohan Koda, Shotaro Yasuoka, Hakushu Kitahara and Kafu Nagai lived and wrote memories of Mama and Ichikawa city.

- - - - - Ota Dokan
武士のいくさの場の勝しかや国はこころのままの継ぎはし
Mononofu no ikusaba no Katsushika ya kuni wa kokoro no Mama no Tsugihashi


Mama no tsugihashi - the connecting bridge of Mama
Mama no Tsughihashi Bridge is a small bridge with red parapets under the stone steps in front of the Niomon Gate of Mamasan Guhoji Temple has described in some poems since the period of Manyoshu or Myriad Leaves. The word Tsugihashi means that a bridge attached with planks, so it was a simple wooden bridge connected several wooden bridges to be built on the sandbar called Ichikawa Sasu, it might be called Mama no Irie (Mama Cove), Mama no Ura (Mama Creek) and Mama no Hama (Mama Beach) in thousand years ago. Mama where Tsugihashi Bridge built over was popular scenic spot during Edo period,

- - - - - Priest Nittei
足の音せず行かむ駒もが葛飾の　真間の継橋やまず通わむ
Ashi no oto sezu yukamu koma mo ga Katsushika no Mama no Tshughihashi yamazu kayowamu

I would like to get a horse that could run silently
since I would like to pass Mama no Tsugihasi bridge in Katsushika
to visit my sweetheart every day.


- - - - -Masaoka Shiki
真間寺や枯木の中の仁王門
Mamadera ya kareki no naka no niomon

冬枯やはるかに見ゆる真間の寺
fuyugare ya haruka ni miyuru Mama no tera

Mamasan Guhoji Temple - page with more poems about Mama.
- source : smileandhappiness.net/mama...-


真間弘法寺 Mama Kobo-Ji
江戸名所図会 Edo Meisho Zue

- Homepages of Mamasan Guho-Ji
- reference source : mamasan.or.jp... -

- Mamasan Guhoji Temple - The Head Temple of Nichiren Sect
- reference source : mamasan-guhoji-temple-english... -


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Shibamata 柴又 Shibamata district
葛飾区柴又 Katsushika Shibamata



The old name was Shimamata 嶋俣 "Island with thighs".
There were many islands in this area, some with strange formations along the river.
Already since the Nara period about 40 families lived here.
The name was later written 柴俣, Shibamata. At the beginning of the Edo period, the characters 柴又 were used.
The farmers of 柴又村 Shibamata village often suffered from the flooding of the river 江戸川 Edogawa, with famine and epidemics.
One village headman, 斉藤七郎右衛門 Saito Shichroemon, worked hard with the Bakufu government to improve the crops of the farmers and helped the village to survive. 40 years later in 1826, a memorial was erected in the Shrine 柴又八幡神社　Shibamata Hachiman Jinja.



- quote -
While not the largest shrine in Katsushika, there is something special about Shibamata Hachiman Shrine.
The original shrine was reportedly to have been built on top of an ancient tomb of the Shibamata village according to documents from the Edo period.
A 98 ft. (30 meters) circular mound was found and it dates from the 6th to 7th century.
According to historical documents, the shrine is mentioned as part of Shibamata Village, known as Shimamurasato was found in the Shosoin documents dated back in the year 721 and it is mentioned that a main hall was build on an ancient tomb.
The shrine was rebuilt or restored in 1633 but the current shrine was rebuilt in May 1943.
- source and photos : dennis amith com -

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Close to Shibamata is
Yagiri no watashi 矢切の渡し, the river crossing of Yagiri
Yagiri no Watashi was a famous exit road of Edo, crossing the river 江戸川 Edogawa
to the village of Yagiri in 千葉 Chiba.



- quote -
Before there were bridges, people were using ferry boats to cross the rivers in Tokyo, as they were doing anywhere else. The only place where this is still in use in Tokyo is in Shibamata, albeit just for tourists. This crossing is called the Yagiri no Watashi.
A ferry, without motor, connects Shibamata with Matsudo city in Chiba prefecture as it has been done for the past 400 years. Maximum 30 people can take place in the boat and it takes 10 minutes to cross the Edogawa river.
This crossing,
together with the Taishakuten temple, is part of the 100 Landscapes of Japan that represent Japan during the Heisei era (the current time period started in 1989 when Emperor Akihito acceded to the throne, time periods in Japan coincide with the reign of an emperor). Only 7 places in Tokyo made it on this list, which means this is really a place dear to many Japanese. It is also part of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan, a list of 100 places in Japan where natural and traditional sounds prevail. It was made in 1996 by the Japanese Ministry of Environment in an effort to combat noise pollution and protect the environment.

The crossing has its origin in connecting the two farm communities at either side of the river. It has sort of an idyllic atmosphere around it thanks to the novel from Sachio Itō titled Nogiku no Haka ("The Wild Daisy" from 1906, literal translation: Grave of Wild Chrysanthemum) and a song about the crossing written by Miyuki Ishimoto. The novel was made into movies in 1955, 1966 and in 1981.
- source : old-tokyo.info/yagiri-no-watashi... -

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Yagirinegi, Yagiri negi 矢切葱 / 矢切ねぎ leek from Yagiri
was grown along the Edogawa river bank at temple 西蓮寺 Sairen-Ji in Chiba.



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Shibamata Taishaku-Ten temple 柴又帝釈天

- quote -
Shibamata Taishakuten is a Buddhist temple in Katsushika, Tokyo.
Founded in 1629, the main image is of Taishakuten.In 1996 the Ministry of the Environment designated the temple and its ferryboat as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. In 2009 the temple and its ferryboat were selected as one of the 100 Landscapes of Japan (Heisei era).
- source : wikipedia -


. Taishaku-Ten 柴又帝釈天 .
One of the most famous ita honzon 板本尊 deity carved on a wooden plank is at Taishaku Ten in Shibamata.
Monkey amulets from Shibamata Taishaku Ten



Otoko wa Tsurai yo 　男はつらいよ　"It's Tough Being a Man"
Katsushika Shibamata Torasan Memorial Hall
- source : gotokyo.org/en... -

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Shibamata Shichifukujin pilgrimage 柴又七福神



. Shibamata Shichifukujin 七福神 Seven Gods of Good Luck .


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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Katsushika 葛飾区

. Dairokuten Ma-O 第六天魔王 Number Six Heavenly Deity .
There were Shrines for this fearful deity in many areas of Edo.

葛飾区亀有の高木神社（旧称：第六天社）Katsushika, Kameari - Takagi Jinja
北葛飾郡杉戸町下野 - 第六天社 Kita-Katsushima district, Sugito

. 高木神社 Takagi Jinja .

This deity punishes the bad and rewards the good people.
Once upon a time,
There was an epidemy in the village 宝木塚村 Hogizuka with many dead people. The reason was the missing faith in a protecting deity - or so they said. Finally they got a deity from 第六天神社 Dairokuten Jinja in Asakusa and the epidemy stopped.

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. 龍燈 / 龍灯 / 竜灯 と伝説 Legends about Ryuto, "Dragon Lantern" .
In Katsushika village at 木下川浄光寺 the temple Joko-Ji in Kinegawa there was always a dragon lantern to be seen on the eighth day of each month and on the third day of the first lunar month.
When priest 慈覚大師 Jikaku Daishi wisited the Northern region, he stayed some time at 浅草寺 Asakusadera.
One day an old man with white hair appeared and told him, that in the East there was 霊地 a sacred place where he should place a statue of himself. So he prepared a statue and set off to the East. Suddenly he saw auspicious clouds all in one place and then a 青竜 green dragon in the clouds.
So Ennin founded a temple here for the dragon. The dragon was happy about this and then his features dissolved again in the sky.
But from time to time there were 竜燈 dragon lights in the area now.

. Ennin - Jigaku Daishi 慈覚大師 / 慈覺大師 (794 – 864) .

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sekiji 赤児 a baby
In 1825 on the 18th day of the second lunar month, a fisherman named 与右衛門 Yoemon from 葛飾郡柳島 Yanagishima (Katsushika district) went to his usual place for fishing. There he found a strange baby with four holes in the ears, four arms and two legs.

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. 立石稲荷神社石祠 Tateishi Inari Jinja Stone Sanctuary .

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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


. かつしかや月さす家は下水端 .
katsushika ya tsuki sasu ie wa gesui-bata

Kobayashi Issa
the Katsushika haiku school


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. Edo bakufu 江戸幕府 The Edo Government .

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

. Doing Business in Edo - 商売　- Introduction .

. shokunin 職人 craftsman, craftsmen, artisan, Handwerker .

. senryu, senryū 川柳　Senryu poems in Edo .

. Japanese Architecture - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


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