Hello, this is Minato kid.
Today, I would like to walk "Idomechi Street" from Akashicho No. 1 to Akashicho No. 8. In Meiji period, there was a Tsukiji foreign settlement in the current Akashicho area.
♪ Edo shogunate and the opening of the country
In 1858 (1858), the Edo shogunate signed the United States and Japan-U.S.-Osamu Treaty of Commerce and Trade with the United States, halted its isolation and began to substantially open its doors. In the same year, it was concluded with the Netherlands, Russia, U.K. and France, and this is called the "Ansei Five-Party Treaty".
Based on this treaty, five ports were opened: Hakodate (Hakodate), Kanagawa (Yokohama), Niigata, Nagasaki, and Hyogo (Kobe), and Edo and Osaka (Osaka) were opened.
By the way, the difference between opening a port and opening a city is that opening a port was allowed to enter and exit foreign ships, while opening a port is not allowed to enter and exit foreign ships. Therefore, for the convenience of commercial transactions, it was necessary to open the market close to the opening of the port.
In addition, foreign settlements in Japan have been set up at the opening and opening markets as special special wards for the residence of foreigners in countries concluding the treaty and commercial transactions.
In 1870 (1870), it was finally maintained "Tsukiji Foreign Settlement", but it was not only late to Yokohama, which had already developed as a port opening, but in 1872 (1872), the railway between Shimbashi and Yokohama Then, foreign merchants did not live in Tsukiji and started to do business on a day trip from Yokohama.
As a result, many people did not gather in Tsukiji foreign settlements. However, this brings a unique culture to Tsukiji foreign settlements and forms a district that has a great influence on the modernization of Japan.
♪ Characteristics of Tsukiji Foreign Settlements
While Yokohama and Kobe have developed as trade towns, missionaries, teachers, doctors, etc. gradually began to live in Tsukiji foreign settlements, becoming a base for missionary activities in Japan, and missionary halls and churches are lined up. I have deepened my cultural color.
The removal of the high bill for Christianity banned in 1873 (1873) can also be said to have supported such missionary activities.
Missionaries built churches on their own, created sacred schools and mission schools, and worked on missionary activities while also contributing to medical and charitable activities. Tsukiji There are 13 religions born in foreign settlements, and 13 schools also originated here. Even today, many of the famous schools have originated here in Tsukiji foreign settlements. In addition, there were 10 churches, and the streets with exotic atmosphere were created.
♪ The brick walls and gas lamps that still remain
The addresses in Tsukiji foreign settlements were from 1 to 52. Among them, the brick wall that was built between the adjacent "No. 52" and "No. 42" remains. At present, the fire department and the school grounds of Akashi Elementary School are lined up.
From 1878 (1878) to 1899 (1899), "No. 52" had the Church of St. Paul. "No. 42" had Shinei Girls' School from 1876 (1876) to 22 (1889), and Tokyo Junior High School from 1895 to 32. This 
brick wall is characterized by a stacking method called "English style".
There are also gas lamps that are thought to be from the end of the Meiji era.
It is made of colint-type cast iron and has distinctive decorations such as armpits spread to the left and right and belt-shaped decorations seen below it. You can see how the lighting part was later used as an electric light. Even now, when the sun goes down, the lights are shining, reminiscent of the former settlement period.
Once on the main street (Akashicho Ryokudo), Urahori Bridge used to be built. It was the Tepposu River that flowed down. Crossing this bridge, on the left is the Tokyo Matching Shrine, the predecessor of Meiji Gakuin University, headed to the Sumida River, followed by B6 Women's School and A6 Women's School.
A6 Women's School was located on the shores of the Sumida River, the settlement "No. 6". Founded in 1870 (1870) by Missionary Julia Karo Sols, it is later a girls' school. Tsukiji This Western-style building was built for the first time in a foreign settlement, attracting the attention of people.
♪ Henry Falls and Medical Activities
Crossing Urahori Bridge, on the right hand side was the residence of Henry Falls (1843-1930), a missionary doctor of the Scottish Condensed Elders Church, who was famous for his fingerprint research. It corresponds to the settlement "No. 18".
Henry Falls stayed in Japan from 1874 (1874) to 1886 (1886), opened Tsukiji Hospital for guidance on missionary work, medical activities, and medical students, and also conducted medical examinations without rewards to help the poor. I sometimes did it.
Also, in 1880, I felt the need for education for the visually impaired in Japan, and in 1880, I founded Kunmoin.
Kunnei-in is a two-story Romanesque-style building made of bricks, built at Tsukiji 3-chome (currently Tsukiji 4-chome). The design was based on Josaiah Condor. Later, in 1887 (1887), it was renamed Tokyo School for the Blind, and moved to Koishikawa in 1890 (1890).
In 1899 (1899), even after the settlement system was lifted due to the revision of the treaty, the atmosphere and townscape floating in Tsukiji foreign settlements did not change immediately. Unfortunately, in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 (1923), all of the features were lost.
Akira Shirakawa is a member of the Chiyorogi (published in 1973).
― The red brick Ijinkan crawled with ivy on the outer wall, and the time of green leaves and autumn leaves was wonderful. The windows of the houses were usually up-and-down windows, with a uniformly old-fashioned armor door on the outside, which was a dark green paint color that had been painted for a long time, showing a solid head of the sculpture.―
I look back on the state of Tsukiji foreign settlements.
Currently, brick walls and gas lamps are preserved at the intersection between Reservoir Street and Reservoir Chuo-dori. It is very valuable as one of the few remains that tells us that Tsukiji foreign settlements were once here.
Correspondent Minato kid, Chuo-ku Tourism Association
No. 26 November 6, 2018
