Darumapedia

8 Sept 2018

EDO - Adachi ward and legends

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/08/adachi-ward.html

Adachi ward

The first spelling of ADACHI was 阿太知.
or the name was
ashi dachi 葦立ち（アシダチ）area were reed grass (ashi) stands (tachi).

It used to be named 千住区 Senju ku and became known through the writings of Matsuo Basho about Senju.
The 千住地区 Senju sub-district is now located along the South side of river Arakawa.

In the Edo period it was a postal station for the 日光街道 Nikko Kaido Highway and the 奥州街道 Oshu Kaido Highway.

In the Muromachi period the regent was 千葉氏 the Chiba clan, who was then overthrown by the
小田原北条氏 Odawara Hojo Clan.

The 武蔵国の足立郡 Adachi district of Musashi no Kuni had 10 villages in South-Adachi in 1878.

There are quite a few sub-districts in Adachi.

千住大橋 / 千住の大はし Senju Ohashi Bridge
Utagawa Hiroshige

- quote
It is located north of the heart of Tokyo. The ward consists of two separate areas: a small strip of land between the Sumida River and Arakawa River and a larger area north of the Arakawa River. The ward is bordered by the cities of Kawaguchi, Sōka and Yashio in Saitama and Katsushika, Sumida, Arakawa, and Kita in Tokyo.
The ward is called Adachi City in English.
- - - - - History
Under the Ritsuryō system, the present-day ward was the southern extremity of Adachi District, Musashi Province.
In 826, during the Heian period, the Nishiarai Daishi temple was founded. During the Muromachi period and into the Sengoku period, the Chiba clan held control of the region. The Great Senju Bridge was built in 1594.
In the Edo period, parts were under the direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate, and parts were under the administration of Kan'ei-ji, a temple in present-day Ueno, Tokyo. Adachi was also home to Senju-shuku was a post station on both the Nikkō Kaidō and the Mito Kaidō. The shogunate maintained the Kozukappara execution grounds in Senju.
In 1932, Adachi, formerly known as Minamiadachi District, became a ward of Tokyo City. The special ward was founded on March 15, 1947.
----- Tokyo Budokan
Tokyo Budokan, located within Higashi Ayase Metropolitan Park, is a sports facility run by Tokyo Sport Benefits Corporation. The Tokyo Budokan has an avant-garde building designed by a famous architect Kijō Rokkaku. It includes places for martial arts and Kyūdō, and training rooms. The word budokan means "martial arts hall," and the same word is part of the name of the more-famous Nippon Budokan.
----- Parks
Toneri Park
Higashi Ayase Park
Urban Agricultural Park
----- List of famous shrines and temples in Japanese wikipedia
----- more
- source : wikipedia

- Adachi City Tokyo Facebook -

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

.- The 27 stations of the Ōshū Kaidō 奥州街道 .

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Arai 西新井 / 西新井本町

. Ayase 綾瀬 "twilling shallows" district .
Adachi足立区綾瀬一丁目から七丁目 from the first to the seventh sub-district

. Senju 千住 Senju district .
Senju 千住元町 / 千住三丁目 / 千住仲町 / 千住橋戸町 / 千住桜木 / 千住大川町 / 千住宮元町

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. Nishiarai Daishi 西新井大師 Nishi-Arai Daishi .

. Saranuma Fudo 皿沼不動永昌院 Eisho-In .
東京都足立区皿沼1丁目4－2 / 1 Chome-4-2 Saranuma, Adachi, Tokyo

. 足立百不動　100 Fudo Temples in Adachi . 　
- Introduction -

. Matsuo Basho in Senju .
Oku no Hosomichi - the beginning

source :　www.yumekougei.com

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Adachi 足立区

hibashira ヒバシラ / 火柱 pillar or flames
A pillar of flames is produced by an itachi イタチ / 鼬 weasel making a fire. When people see the red flames growing high in the air, they know something bad is going to happen.

hitodama ヒトダマ human fireball
It looks like a blue flame for a man and a red flame for a woman. If a person sees it, there will be someone dying in the family within the next two or three days.
If someone has never seen it as a child, he will live a lucky life. If a child sees it, it will not be able to make a good career.

kanedama カネダマ / 金玉 "ball of money"
A Yokai that carries money.
It moves around and flies with a growl. If it comes out of a home, this family will perish.
In another family a Kanedama had fallen into the back yard more than 30 years ago and the family flourished.

- reference : wikipedia - kanedama -

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. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .
In 1907, a bunke 分家 branch family split from the main family. The Inari deity from the main family followed them and they built a yashiki inari 屋敷神稲荷 small shrine in the compound to venerate it.
Since then they never had a fire, thanks to the Inari.

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yuurei 幽霊 ghost
At 江戸柳原 Yanagihara in Edo a woman had died in 1683 in the summer.
At that time a ghost had appeared in the evening and pulled the sleeve of a maid servant. When she came back from her errant, the whole sleeve had disappeared. Next morning she went to the grave of the dead woman and found the sleeve hanging on 石塔 the grave stone pagoda.

.................................................................................　Saitama 埼玉県
. さいたま市 Saitama city .

happyaku bikuni 八百比丘尼 / ハッピャクビクニ a nun of 800 years
武蔵国足立郡水波田村 In the Adachi district, at the temple 慈眼寺 Jigen-Ji,
there was a huge enoki 榎 nettle tree cut down, the open cut covering a huge size of the ground.
This tree had been planted by a Happyaku Bikuni nun from 若狭 Wakasa. When the villagers dug deeper, they found the statue of Jizo Bosatsu in a stone box, with an inscription dating to 大化元年 the year 645. This Bikuni must have lived for more than 1000 years.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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. 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 - The Japanese Home .

. Interior Design - The Japanese Home .

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - - - - #adachi #adachiward #adachitokyo - - - -
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7 Sept 2018

EDO - Ayase and Ayasegawa

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/08/ayase-district-ayasegawa-river-adachi.html

Ayase district Ayasegawa river Adachi

Former Ayase mura 綾瀬村 Ayase village. It stretched to parts of Adachi and then 青井 Aoi, 弘道 Kodo and 西綾瀬 Nishi-Ayase.

In 1867, 近藤勇 Kondo Isami and others from the 新選組 Shinsengumi stayed for 20 days at the estate of the 金子家 Kaneko family at 五兵衛新田 Gohei Shinden, now 綾瀬四丁目 Ayase fourth sub-district, according to 金子家文書 the Records of the Kaneko family. The estate was close to the temple 観音寺 Kannon-Ji.

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Tôkyô Ayasegawa nemu 綾瀬川合歓 Mimosa at the Ayase River in Tokyo
Utagawa Hiroshige

. nemu no ki 合歓木 silk tree and Haiku .

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Higashi Ayase Kooen 東綾瀬公園 East-Ayase Koen park
with a 2 km straight cherry blossom lane and a huge bend, so that many people from the nearby Danchi residential areas could come here easily.
To built this large park, many of the local farmers offered part of their land and encouraged the construction, to make Ayase a pleasant place for the residents to come.

- quote -
Higashi Ayase Park is connected to the scattered squares around Ayase Station by a bridging promenade, formed into a U-shape.
What was formerly a paddy field, has since then been repurposed as this Metropolitan park under their readjustment project.
The park spans a total length of 2km, in which a change in seasons can be observed from the growth of cherry, bald cypress, and sweetgum trees and azaleas.
Along the West promenade of the park lies a flower garden, taking advantage of the former irrigation system of narrow streams across the field. The babbling of the water facilitates a sense of relaxation from being at one with the natural landscape, and a multi-purpose field serves to complement the various health play equipments available.
In the Northern regions of the park, there are additional sporting facilities surrounded by lush greenery.
In the event of a natural disaster, the park works in cooperation with the local community by providing toilets and stove benches. Well-equipped sports facilities are also made available across the park; myriad variety of seasonal flora propagate in the park to deliver a relaxing atmosphere.
The sports park offers a basketball field, tennis courts, and an indoor arena equipped with heated swimming pools, providing enjoyable options regardless of age.
- source : tokyo-eastpark.com... -

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Ayasegawa 綾瀬川 River Ayasegawa
綾瀬　鐘ヶ淵　The Ayasegawa River and Kanegafuchi
Hiroshige

Ayasegawa 綾瀬川 Ayase-gawa Asakusa-dera enkei
小林清親 Kobayashi Kiyochika

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5 Sept 2018

EDO - Machida city

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/08/machida-city.html

Machida city

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
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Machida shi 町田市 Machida city "city of fields"
Now close to Kanagawa prefecture, Yokohama and Kawasaki.

This city is already mentioned in the records of the Sengoku Jidai.
The part to the East of Kamakura Kaido was Hon-Machida. Nearby are relics of the Jomon and Yayoi period. When more farmers came to live here, they developed more fields, according to special development plans, hence the name.

In the Edo period, there were two cities,
Hon-Machida Mura 本町田村　
and
Hara-Machida Mura 原町田村, to the South of Hon-Machida.
Hara-Machida was a large area of wilderness, later developed to fields.
The adjacent district of 相模原　Sagamihara in Kanagawa prefecture carries the same meaning of HARA.

- quote
Machida is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis.
Machida is located in the Tama Hills of southern Tokyo Metropolis, bordered by Kanagawa Prefecture on the west, south, and east approximately 40-50 kilometers from the center of Tokyo. The Tama River flows through the city.
- - - - - History
The area of present-day Machida was part of ancient Musashi Province.
In the post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of July 22, 1878, the area became part of Minamitama District in Kanagawa Prefecture.
The village of Machida was created on April 1, 1889 with the establishment of municipalities law. Minamitama District was transferred to the administrative control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. Tama was elevated to town status on April 1, 1913. The town was bombed by American forces on May 24, 1945 during World War II
Machida expanded through annexation of the neighboring village of Minami on April 1, 1954, followed by the villages of Tsurukawa, Tadao and Sakai on February 1, 1958 to become the city of Machida.
A USMC RF-8A crashed in Machida on April 1, 1964.
From 1973, the Tama New Town development resulted in a rapid increase in population, turning the city into a bedroom community for Tokyo and Yokohama.
- source : wikipedia

. Musashi no Kuni 武蔵国 Musashi Province .
Musashino Plain 武蔵野

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Buaisoo, Buaisō 武相荘 Buaiso villa

- quote -
Buaisō (武相荘) is the former home of post-war Japanese bureaucrat Jirō Shirasu and his wife Masako Shirasu, located in Machida. The name was derived from an amalgamation of kanji for the former provinces of Musashi and Sagami, as its location is near the border between the two provinces.
The house was a traditional farm house,
located in what was then a rural area of Minamitama District, Tokyo. It was acquired by the Shirasu family in October 1942 while Jirō Shirasu was still a businessman working for the predecessor of Nichirei Corporation. Predicting that his residence in Shinjuku in downtown Tokyo would be endangered due to the worsening war situation in World War II and to avoid possible food shortages. His foresight paid off when his Shinjuku house was destroyed in the 1945 bombing of Tokyo. In the post-war era, he continued to use the house while working with Prime Minister of Japan Shigeru Yoshida in negotiations with the American occupation authorities.
Jirō Shirasu died in 1985
and his wife in 1998. The house was preserved by the city of Machida as a memorial museum to the couple, and is kept as it appeared when they lived there, with items varying according to the seasons.
The house is a wooden structure constructed in the traditional style with a thatched roof, surrounded by Japanese gardens.
- source : wikipedia -

Buaiso – the Last Residence of the Refined Shirasu Couple
- look at many photos here :
- source : matcha-jp.com... -

. Masako Shirasu 白洲正子 (1910 -1998) .
Her husband was the politician Jiro Shirasu 白洲次郎.

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Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts 町田市立国際版画美術館
- quote -
Opened in 1987 as one of the world's few museums dedicated to prints, the Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts now maintains a collection of some 30,000 Japanese and Western prints spanning from the eighth century to today.
Works of exceptional aesthetic value show the history of print art and reveal technological changes, social roles, and other insights as multifaceted works of art. In addition to conservation and research of our collection, the museum's mission is to use its collection to introduce the amazing world of print art through exhibitions on diverse themes. As a comprehensive venue for appreciating, creating, and displaying art for the public and our community, we offer a variety of facilities, including rental exhibition spaces and print studio.
Museum events and lectures of all kinds bring together local residents and visitors into this center for art and cultural exchange in Machida.
We invite you to stroll through Serigaya Park and visit the museum nearby for an intimate encounter with art.
- source : hanga-museum.jp/english -

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Machida 町田市

. kitsune densetsu 狐と伝説 fox legends .
Sometimes a fox comes along, carrying a lantern and making the sound like a car.
When this apparition comes too close, it suddenly disappears.
.
Once a boｙ needed to go to the toilet at school. When he passed the sports hall, he heard the sound of Kagura dance music, like ピイタラピイタラ piitara piitara.
He had been bewitched by a fox in pure daylight and became missing. When they found him later, he said he had been to 七面山 Mount Shishimensan.
.
At the temple Shinko-Ji in 真光寺町 Shinkoch town, people never drink tee on 初午の日 the first day of the horse before 10 in the morning.
In former times, a fox had been stealing ears of rice from Izumo and was running away.
He hid under cha no ki 茶の木 a tea tree until 10 in the morning and was thus saved. Thanks to this fox, growing rice became possible for the local farmers.
To take good care of the fox and not hurt him, people do not put hot water over the tea leaves until later.

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chinshoo 沈鐘 the fallen temple bell

Once the temple bell from the 大日堂 Dainichi-Do hall had fallen down and nobody could find it - it had simple disappeared.
.
There was a bell at Ropponmatsu 六本松 "Six Pine Trees", but the local fishermen said it was disturbing and asked the officials to take it down. But it was not allowed. So the fishermen took it away secretely at night and threw it into a deep valley. Later they could not find it any more, however much they searched.
.
Another bell had been thrown into a well and all the villagers wanted to pull it out again.
But every time when the bell was almost out, the thick rope ruptured and the bell fell back into the well.
Eventually they burried the well and made a memorial mound out of it.

. kane 鐘と伝説 Legends about the temple bell .
tsurigane 釣鐘 hanging temple bell

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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

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. xxx 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 .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- - - - - #machida #machidacity #tamahills - - - -
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4 Sept 2018

EDO - Kashiwagi district Shinjuku

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/08/kashiwagi-district-shinjuku.html

Kashiwagi district Shinjuku

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
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Kashiwagi mura 柏木村 Kashiwagi village, "oak tree"
Shinjuku 新宿区 /
北新宿 Kita-Shinjuku first to fourth sub-district, 西新宿 Nishi-Shinjuku sixth to eighth district

A triangular piece of land, surrounded by the river 神田川 Kandagawa, the 青梅街道 Ome Kaido and the modern road 小滝橋通り Otakibashidori.

In the mid-Heian period the regent of Musashi resided here around 1030. His name was
Kashiwagi Emonnosuke Yorisue 柏木右衛門佑頼季/ 柏木右衛門佐頼秀.
He had fought against the regents of Kazusa and Mutsu in the North and as a reward was granted the land from
Kashiwagi (North-Shinjuku) to 角筈 Tsunohazu (West-Shinjuku).
His residence later became the temple

Enshooji 円照寺 / 圓照寺　Ensho-Ji
Shinjuku, 北新宿 Kita-Shinjuku 3-23-2

In the temple compound is a famous cherry tree, Emon sakura 右衛門桜, now in the third generation

- CLICK for more photos !

The temple dates back at least to 940. Priest 貞崇僧都 Jozu (Teizu, 866 - 944) built a 薬師堂 hall for Yakushi Nyorai and placed a Yakushi statue here.
藤原秀郷 Fujiwara no Hidesato came here to pray for his health on the war campaign to the North, fighting 平将門 Taira no Masakado.

The temple was lost to fire around 1600, but later rebuilt on request of
. Lady Kasuga 春日局 Kasuga no Tsubone .
(1579 – 1643)

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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.
These villages were known as vegetable producing areas. The samurai families cultivated plants and flowers and this a tradition was continued through the Meiji period (1868-1912) even though the samurai class itself had disappeared by then.
The area was particularly famous for its azaleas (tsutsuji).
Since Hyakunin-cho was a residential area of the constables (doshin) belonging to the Hyakunin (hundred-man) brigade of shooters operated by the Bakufu military government during the Edo period. During festivals held at the Kaichu Inari Shrine, they fired ceremonial volleys with firelocks.
- source : kanko - shinjuku -

. Hyakuninchoo　百人町 Hyakunincho district .

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柏木公園 Kashiwagi Koen Park
新宿区西新宿7-14

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- - - - - not related - - - - -

. Kashiwagi Soryuu 柏木素龍 Kashiwagi Soryu (? - 1716) - 儀左衛門 .
Haiku poet
Samurai from Awa, Tokushima. Worked for Yanagizawa Yoshiyasu (time of Shogun Tsunayoshi). Sarumino.

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. Odawara imono 小田原鋳物 Odawara casting .
In 1686, the Kashiwagi family relocated to Odawara's Nabe Town under the auspices of the Okubo family, where they started a casting business as well. When Yamada Jirozaemon's descendants moved to Tokyo in 1891, the Kashiwagi family purchased the Yamada family's casting facilities lock, stock and barrel. With this, the Kashiwagi family's production capabilities increased dramatically, and the techniques they developed form the backbone of today's Odawara casting methods.

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EDO - Mikawa district Kanda Chiyoda

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/08/mikawa-district-kanda-chiyoda.html
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Mikawa district Kanda Chiyoda

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
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Mikawa choo 三河町 Mikawacho, Mikawa district
Chiyoda ward 千代田区 / 内神田 Uchi-Kanda first district and 神田司町2丁目 Kanda Tsukasa machi second district
and 神田美土代町の一部 part of Kanda Mitoshiro cho
神田区三河町 Kanda Mikawa cho was a rather long and thin district in the Edo period.

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

. Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康 (1543 - 1616) .

. hachoo miso, hatchoo miso 八丁味噌 from the Mikawa region. .
a favorite food of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

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. Mikawa dolls 三河人形 .
made in the towns of Toyokawa and Toyohashi and many other places in Aichi prefecture.

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Mikawa Province (三河国 Mikawa no kuni)
was an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture.
Its abbreviated form name was Sanshū (三州 or 参州). Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces.
Mikawa is classified as one of the provinces of the Tōkaidō. Under the Engishiki classification system, Mikawa was ranked as a "superior country" (上国) and a "near country" (近国) in terms of its distance from the capital.
..... However, by the Sengoku period, the province had fragmented into many small territories largely dominated by the Matsudaira clan, and contested by the Imagawa clan to the east and the Oda clan to the west. It was united under Tokugawa Ieyasu after the power of the Imagawa had been destroyed at the Battle of Okehazama. After the creation of the Tokugawa shogunate, parts of the province were assigned as feudal domains to trusted hereditary retainers as fudai daimyōs, with large portions retained as tenryō territory administered by various hatamoto directly under the shogunate.
During the Edo period, Mikawa was the only area permitted by the shogunate to produce gunpowder, which led to its modern fireworks industry.
..... The entire territory of former Mikawa Province became part of the new Aichi Prefecture in January 1872.

Hiroshige "Mikawa" in "The Famous Scenes of the Sixty States" (六十余州名所図会),
depicting the mountainous scenery around the temple of Hokai-ji, a popular pilgrimage destination in Mikawa
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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The author of the famous tales of
Hanshichi Torimonocho 半七捕物帳 The Curious Casebook of Inspector Hanshichi
Okamoto Kido 岡本綺堂 (1872 - 1939)
lived in 三河町 Mikawa cho.

a Japanese author. His real name was Keiji Okamoto (岡本敬二 Okamoto Keiji). His best known work is the Shin Kabuki play Bancho Sarayashiki.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Hanshichi was often called
Mikawa no Oyabun　三河の親分 The Boss of Mikawa

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2 Sept 2018

EDO - Shinano district Shinjuku

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

Shinano district Shinjuku

It is named after the Shinano province of old, now Nagano, where the lord of Shinano
永井尚政 Nagai Naomasa had his estate.
There were no townspeople living in this district, only some Daimyo estates.
Shinano Tono Machi 信濃殿町
Shinanohara 信濃原

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Shinano Province (信濃国 Shinano no kuni) or Shinshū (信州)
is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture.
Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, which became an important city of the province.
- - - - - Historical record
In 713, the road that traverses Mino and Shinano provinces was widened to accommodate increasing numbers of travelers through the Kiso District of modern Nagano Prefecture.
In the Sengoku period,
Shinano Province was often split among fiefs and castle towns developed, including Komoro, Ina, and Ueda. Shinano was one of the major centers of Takeda Shingen's power during his wars with Uesugi Kenshin and others.
Suwa taisha was designated as the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) for the province.
In 1871, during the Meiji period, with the abolition of the han system and the establishment of prefectures (Haihan Chiken) after the Meiji Restoration, Shinano Province was administratively separated in 1871 into Nagano and Chikuma prefectures. These two tentative governmental and territorial units were reconfigured together again in 1876.
This became the modern prefecture of Nagano, which remains substantially unchanged from that time.
- source : wikipedia

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永井尚政 Nagai Naomasa (1587 – October 16, 1668)

... was a Japanese daimyō of the Edo period, who ruled the Uruido, Koga and Yodo Domains. The eldest son of Nagai Naokatsu, he fought at the Battle of Sekigahara and the Siege of Osaka. During the Shimabara Rebellion he was assigned to defend Kyoto.
Naomasa held junior 4th court rank, lower grade (従四位下 ju shii no ge) and the title of 信濃守 Shinano no Kami.
He retired in early 1658 and became a monk, taking the name Shinsai.
- source : wikipedia -

永井尚政数寄に通じた幕府の重鎮
深谷信子 Fukaya Nobuko

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Sōka Gakkai 創価学会 Soka Gakkai

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Shinanomachi has so many buildings and believers of 創価学会 Soka Gakkai, so Shinamomachi is called
Gakkai Village, Soka Gakkai Town, or Soka Kingdom.

Daisaku Ikeda (池田大作) : The third leader of Soka Gakkai.
Komeito (公明党) : A political party founded and supported by members of Soka Gakkai.
Seikyo Shimbun (聖教新聞) : Soka Gakkai's daily newspaper.

Soka Gakkai Headquarters - Kosen Rufu Daiseido 広宣流布大誓堂
with many Soka Gakkai goods
Seikyo Shimbun (the Soka Gakkai newspaper)

Hakubundo Shoten (博文堂)
Hakubun Eikou Do (博文栄光堂)

Keio University Hopital
Shinanomachi Mint Candy
Shinanomachi Shoten Shinkokai (信濃町商店振興会)
- source : tokyodeep.info/shinanomachi-soka-gakkai... -

Tricolor flag of blue, yellow, and red are the symbol of Soka Gakkai.
Blue means peace, yellow means glory, and red means victory.

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Soka Gakkai (創価学会 - Sōka Gakkai, "Value-Creation Society")
is a Japanese Buddhist religious movement based on the teachings of the 13th-century Japanese priest Nichiren as taught by its first three presidents Tsunesaburō Makiguchi, Jōsei Toda and Daisaku Ikeda. It is the largest of the Japanese new religions and holds the largest membership among Nichiren Buddhist groups.
"The Gakkai" bases its teachings on Nichiren's interpretation of the Lotus Sutra and places chanting "Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō" at the center of devotional practice. The organization promotes its goals as supporting "peace, culture, and education".
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .

.................................................................................　Nagano 長野県
上水内郡 Kami-Minochi district 信濃町 Shinano town

Shinano is located in far northern Nagano Prefecture, bordered by Niigata Prefecture to the north.
Lake Nojiri and Mount Kurohime are in Shinano.
The area of present-day Shinano was part of ancient Shinano Province. The modern village of Shinano was created by the merger of the villages of Kashiwabara and Fujisato on July 1, 1955. Shinano merged with the neighboring villages of Furuma and Shinanojiri to form the town of Shinano on September 30, 1956.
- quote wikipedia -

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. hebi 蛇と伝説 Legends about snakes and serpents .
If a serpent or snake takes possession of a human, they must perform special exorcism rituals to heal.

. kitsune 狐 the fox in Japanese culture and tales .
If a fox takes possession of a human, they must perform special exorcism rituals to heal.

inari イナリ the fox deity
Sometimes people are allowed to sit on a Inari fox statue and dance, イナリオドリ inari odori.
Such a person is able to answer all kinds of questions during such a session. To end the ritual, people must chant:
「天タタラ、地タタラ、国王タタラ、天ビャク、地ビャク、ワレニ、ヒカレヌ、ネガタキマツワ、
コモアラジ、サラサラト、アガリタマエ、ヨモノカミ」

. neko 猫 / ねこと伝説 Legends about cats, Katzen .
Cats can take possession of humans.
Once a poor old woman was so hungry she killed a cat and ate it. But the cat took possession and the woman begun to run around the eaves of her home.

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yuurei 幽霊 ghost
A ghost appears when the dead person has left some unfinished business and grudges in this world.
Some take the form of a woman with long tangled hair, with hands hanging down below the breast and no feet.
Once a farmer saw such a ghost under 柳の木 a willow tree.
Another one was seen in the private graveyard of an estate.
But the reason why some can see them is not quite clear.

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- reference : nichibun yokai database -

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

. Shinano, home of Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 .

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1 Sept 2018

EDO Morikawa juku district Bunkyo

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/07/morikawajuku-station-bunkyo.html

Morikawajuku station Bunkyo

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
. Famous Places and Powerspots of Edo　江戸の名所 .
. Persons and People of Edo - Personen .
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Morikawajuku 森川宿 Morikawa rest station
森川宿追分 Morikawajuku Oiwake　　// 森川町 Morikawa cho
文京区 Bunkyo ward 本郷　Hongo fifth and sixth sub-district

Here was the first ichirizuka 一里塚 stone marker mound of the 中仙道 Nakasendo Highway, where the 日光御成道（岩槻街道) Nikko Onari Michi started.

Until the middle of the 18th century, there ware many enoki 榎 nettle trees along the road, but they were cut down to make a wider road for fire prevention and enlargement of the street.
The corner shop 高崎屋 Takasakiya in the Edo period was a Sake store and also money changer, who only sold goods for money.
The road to the left of the store is the Nakasendo Highway.

Oiwake Ichirizuka post

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Kaneyasu かねやす

A saying from Edo:
Hongo mo Kaneyasu made wa Edo no uchi 本郷もかねやすまでは江戸の内
Hongo belongs to the city of Edo until the store of Kaneyasu.

Kaneyasu Yuuetsu 兼康祐悦
Kaneyasu was a 口中医(歯医者) dentist who came to Edo at the time of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
兼康祐元 Kaneyasu Yugen, the third generation, opened the corner store かねやす Kaneyasu in 1617. The store also sold nyuukoosan 乳香散 Nyukosan, a kind of toothpaste.
His store was at the traffic crossing Hongo Third District 本郷三丁目の交差点. It remains there to our day, now as a store selling cloths.
nyuukoo 乳香 francinsense, Olibanum, was an ingredient of Nyukosan.

. Hongō, Hongoo 本郷　Hongo district .

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Walking along the Nakasendo from the store of Kaneyasu, there was the station 森川宿 Morikawa-juku.
The 宿 juku here does not mean a postal station, but just a place to stand and take a rest, tatejuku 立宿.
Travelers and horse leaders could take a rest and refreshments, before coming to the first postal station of the Nakasendo,
Itabashi-shuku 板橋宿 Itabashi.

. Nakasendoo 中山道 Nakasendo Highway .

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In the Edo period, there was the estate of
森川金右衛門 Morikawa Kinemon.
Kinemon was an official of the Edo Bakufu government, taking care of the safety of this crossroads.

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. Yaoya no O-Shichi 八百屋のお七　Greengrocer's Daughter Oshichi .
She was born in Morikawajuku.

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31 Aug 2018

EDO - Enoki district Shinjuku

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/07/enoki-machi-shinjuku.html

Enoki machi Shinjuku

In the North-East of Shinjuku ward.
The road 外苑東通り Gaien Higashidori crosses it from South to North.

In the Edo period, there grew a huge nettle tree, large enough to have a man shelter is a cave of its trunk.
Around 1685, there lived a strange man in this tree cave. He wore beggar's robes and had a cooking pot dangle from his waist. He left the cave every morning, walked around to collect the droppings of horses and cows and sold them (as was a common job in Edo at that time). When he got some money, he bought rice, collected fallen branches from the trees, made a fire and cooked a meal.
He never talked to grown-ups, but always laughed and taught poems to the local children. They all called him
maguso sennin　馬ぐそ仙人 The Hermit of Horse Droppings.

The big Enoki burned down during a fire around 1730.
All that is left of him is now the name of this little district.

. enoki 榎 nettle tree, Chinese hackberry tree .
Chinese nettle-tree or Japanese hackberry
Celtis sinensis var. japonica.

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Saishooji 蔭凉山済松寺 Saisho-Ji
東京都新宿区榎町77番地 Enoki machi Nr. 77

Built by Tokugawa Iemitsu for 祖心尼 Lady Soshin-Ni (1588 - 1675)
Soshin-Ni is also called おなあ O-Nao, おのう O-No
She was the daughter of 伊勢国・岩手城主牧村利貞 Makimura Toshisada (1546 - 1593).
She was later adopted to the family of 前田利家 Maeda Toshiie in the Kaga domain.
She was the niece of Kasuga no Tsubone.
She practised Zen and taught it to Iemitsu.
When Iemitsu died, Soshin-Ni left the Ooku Harem of Edo castle and lived here in this temple.

- HP of the temple
- reference source : saishouji.or.jp... -

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30 Aug 2018

EDO - Udagawa district Shibuya

https://edoflourishing.blogspot.com/2018/07/udagawa-district-minato-shibuya.html

Udagawa district Minato Shibuya

River Udagawa 宇田川 can not be seen from this district.
It used to be a small shopping district of Tokyo, but recently many highrise buildings were erected.

The name might refers to a retainer of the Hojo clan
宇田川和泉守長清 Udagwa Izumi no Kami Nagakiyo
who had his estate in this area.
In 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi defeated the Hojo in Odawara and Hojo Ujimasa killed himself.
Later Udagawa in Edo became the head man of a district named after him.

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River 宇田川 Udagawa is a tributary of the river 渋谷川 Shibuyagawa.
In a print by 長谷川雪旦　Hasegawa Settan, Yoyogi Hachimangu, there is a Shinto shrine on a hill, with the river Udagawa running below.
In the Edo period, there was a bridge, 五石橋 Goseki-Kyo over the river.
(Now this is around 神山町5番 Kamiyama, fifth sub-district.
It flowed into the Shibuyagawa close to Shibuya station, at the bridge 宮益橋 Miyamasubashi.

The Udagawa River is a tributary of the Shibuya River. Though now a culvert, its name lives on -- the district north of JR Shibuya Station is called Udagawacho. The Shibuya River used to flow round an elevated area, which was to the right of the land depicted in the print -- and which encompasses what are now Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine. Today it runs along part of Meiji-dori near Ebisu Station and then on into Tokyo Bay.
. Yoyogi Hachimangu 代々木八幡宮 .

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- Not related -

. Udagawa Yōan 宇田川榕菴 Udagawa Yoan (1798 - 1846) .
a 19th-century Japanese scholar of Western studies, or "Rangaku".
Tsuyama Archives of Western Learning　津山洋学資料館
The origin of the Chinese characters for coffee 珈琲
Mead, Mede in the Edo Period in Japan ミード / 蜂蜜酒　

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