Yotsuya, Tokyo
Encyclopedia
is a neighborhood in Shinjuku
, Tokyo
, Japan
.
, Yotsuya was one of its wards and had definite boundaries, but it is less clearly defined today. Yotsuya is generally defined as coinciding with the responsibility area of the Shinjuku City Yotsuya Branch Office and the Yotsuya Police Station, which includes most of Shinjuku east of Meiji-dōri and south of Yasukuni-dōri. To the east lies the neighborhoods of Banchō
in Chiyoda
.
A place within Shinjuku, also named Yotsuya, is located immediately west of Yotsuya Station
; it is divided into four chōme
.
, Yotsuya was a farming village outside the city. In 1634, with the digging of the outer moat around Edo Castle
, many temples and shrines moved to Yotsuya. The moat had stone walls, and a mitsuke, or watch tower, was also built. Yotsuya Mitsuke stood near the present-day Yotsuya Station
.
The relocation of the temples and construction of the mitsuke brought settlements of workers, and following the devastating Meireki
fire, many more people moved to Yotsuya, which had been spared. Gradually the area became part of the city of Edo.
In 1695, the shogun
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
ordered the establishment of a vast kennel. The purpose was to board stray dogs as part of his policy of showing mercy to animals. The facility outside the Yotsuya Gate occupied 20000 tsubo.
Yotsuya developed rapidly due to its central location. In 1894, the Kōbu Railway, predecessor of the present-day Chūō Line
, extended its existing railway line between Shinjuku
and Tachikawa
to Ushigome and opened Yotsuya and Shinanomachi
stations. The railway enabled the easy transport of raw materials into the area; soon, pencil, tobacco and other industries moved in and began Yotsuya's rapid industrial development.
and his lance are interred.
lived in Yotsuya. He was assassinated at his home on February 26, 1936. This was one of the events of the February 26 Incident
.
Other famous residents, past and present, include:
play Yotsuya Kaidan
took place there, as did the novel Teisō Mondō by Kan Kikuchi
. Yotsuya was also the setting for the Shōtarō Ikenami
historical novel
Kenkaku Shōbai and the jidaigeki
television series based on it.
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Geography
Yotsuya is located in the southeastern part of Shinjuku. Prior to 1943, when Tokyo was still a cityTokyo City
was a municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo-Fu which existed from May 1, 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on July 1, 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by independent special wards...
, Yotsuya was one of its wards and had definite boundaries, but it is less clearly defined today. Yotsuya is generally defined as coinciding with the responsibility area of the Shinjuku City Yotsuya Branch Office and the Yotsuya Police Station, which includes most of Shinjuku east of Meiji-dōri and south of Yasukuni-dōri. To the east lies the neighborhoods of Banchō
Bancho
is an area in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, consisting mainly of to The Banchō area is located to the west of the Imperial Palace. forms its southern boundary. forms its northern boundary. The forms its eastern boundary, and the railway of the Chūō Main Line forms its western boundary.-Districts:-See...
in Chiyoda
Chiyoda, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...
.
A place within Shinjuku, also named Yotsuya, is located immediately west of Yotsuya Station
Yotsuya Station
is a railway station in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, located on the boundary between Shinjuku and Chiyoda, adjacent to Sophia University and the State Guest-House, in the Yotsuya neighborhood.-History:...
; it is divided into four chōme
Japanese addressing system
The Japanese addressing system is used to identify a specific location in Japan. In Japanese, addresses are written using the opposite convention from Western addresses, starting with the biggest geographical entities down to the more specific ones....
.
History
Before the growth of EdoEdo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
, Yotsuya was a farming village outside the city. In 1634, with the digging of the outer moat around Edo Castle
Edo Castle
, also known as , is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan. It is located in Chiyoda in Tokyo, then known as Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate here. It was the residence of the shogun and location of the shogunate, and also...
, many temples and shrines moved to Yotsuya. The moat had stone walls, and a mitsuke, or watch tower, was also built. Yotsuya Mitsuke stood near the present-day Yotsuya Station
Yotsuya Station
is a railway station in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, located on the boundary between Shinjuku and Chiyoda, adjacent to Sophia University and the State Guest-House, in the Yotsuya neighborhood.-History:...
.
The relocation of the temples and construction of the mitsuke brought settlements of workers, and following the devastating Meireki
Meireki
was a after Jōō and before Manji. This period spanned the years from April 1655 to July 1658. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1655 : The era name was changed to mark the enthronement of Emperor Go-Sai...
fire, many more people moved to Yotsuya, which had been spared. Gradually the area became part of the city of Edo.
In 1695, the shogun
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
was the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, thus making him the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
ordered the establishment of a vast kennel. The purpose was to board stray dogs as part of his policy of showing mercy to animals. The facility outside the Yotsuya Gate occupied 20000 tsubo.
Yotsuya developed rapidly due to its central location. In 1894, the Kōbu Railway, predecessor of the present-day Chūō Line
Chuo Line
Chūō Line can refer to several train lines in Japan:*Chūō Main Line between Tokyo and Nagoya**Chūō Line , rapid service on the Chūō Main Line in Tokyo**Chūō-Sōbu Line, local service on the Chūō Main Line in Tokyo*Chūō Line , a subway in Osaka...
, extended its existing railway line between Shinjuku
Shinjuku Station
is a train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan.Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail, commuter rail and metro lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007,...
and Tachikawa
Tachikawa Station
is an important railway station in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. The JR Chūō Line passes through Tachikawa Station. The Ōme Line and Nambu Line terminate here...
to Ushigome and opened Yotsuya and Shinanomachi
Shinanomachi Station
is a railway station operated by East Japan Railway Company and located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.- Surrounding area :* Keio University Medical School Hospital* Meiji-Jingu Stadium* Soka Gakkai Headquarters* Minon Music Museum-History:...
stations. The railway enabled the easy transport of raw materials into the area; soon, pencil, tobacco and other industries moved in and began Yotsuya's rapid industrial development.
Culture
Many historic temples and graves are located in Yotsuya. Among them are Sainen-ji, where the grave of the ninja Hattori HanzōHattori Hanzo
, also known as , was a famous samurai and ninja master of the Sengoku era, credited with saving the life of Tokugawa Ieyasu and then helping him to become the ruler of united Japan. Today, he is often a subject of modern popular culture.-Biography:...
and his lance are interred.
Famous persons
Prime Minister Saito MakotoSaito Makoto
Viscount was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy, two-time Governor-General of Korea from 1919 to 1927 and from 1929 to 1931, and the 30th Prime Minister of Japan from May 26, 1932 to July 8, 1934.-Early life:...
lived in Yotsuya. He was assassinated at his home on February 26, 1936. This was one of the events of the February 26 Incident
February 26 Incident
The was an attempted coup d'état in Japan, from February 26 to 29, 1936 carried out by 1,483 troops of the Imperial Japanese Army. Several leading politicians were killed and the center of Tokyo was briefly occupied by the rebelling troops...
.
Other famous residents, past and present, include:
- Futabatei ShimeiFutabatei Shimeiwas a Japanese author, translator, and literary critic. Born Hasegawa Tatsunosuke in Edo , Futabatei's works are in the realist style popular in the mid- to late-19th century...
, author - San'yūtei Enchō, writer and rakugoRakugois a Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone sits on the stage, called the . Using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical story...
ka
Yotsuya in fiction
Yotsuya has figured prominently in various works of fiction. The kabukiKabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
play Yotsuya Kaidan
Yotsuya Kaidan
Yotsuya Kaidan , the story of Oiwa and Tamiya Iemon, is a tale of betrayal, murder and ghostly revenge. Arguably the most famous Japanese ghost story of all time, it has been adapted for film over 30 times, and continues to be an influence on Japanese horror today.Written in 1825 by Tsuruya Nanboku...
took place there, as did the novel Teisō Mondō by Kan Kikuchi
Kan Kikuchi
, known by his pen name Kan Kikuchi , was a Japanese author born in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. He established the publishing company Bungeishunjū, the monthly magazine of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association and both the Akutagawa and Naoki Prize for popular literature...
. Yotsuya was also the setting for the Shōtarō Ikenami
Shotaro Ikenami
was a Japanese author.-Major works:Ikenami created several works, including:*Kenkaku Shōbai *Onihei Hankachō*Ninja Justice: Six Tales of Murder and Revenge...
historical novel
Historical novel
According to Encyclopædia Britannica, a historical novel is-Development:An early example of historical prose fiction is Luó Guànzhōng's 14th century Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which covers one of the most important periods of Chinese history and left a lasting impact on Chinese culture.The...
Kenkaku Shōbai and the jidaigeki
Jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. The name means "period drama" and is usually the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—Portrait of Hell, for example, is set during the late Heian period—and the early Meiji era is also a popular...
television series based on it.