Chuo-ku Tourism Association correspondent blog

Minami-Takahashi is an iron bridge that was built on the Kamejima River in 1932 (1932) as part of the reconstruction plan after the Great Kanto Earthquake.
A part (central part) of the former Ryogoku Bridge, which was hung over the Sumida River in 1904 and was damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, is used for this bridge.
It is said that it is the oldest road bridge in Tokyo where cars can pass.
It is designated as Tangible Cultural Property in Chuo-ku.

The 16th special exhibition "Children's Picture Book, Adult Manga-Tamotsu Nagai Original Painting Exhibition-" has started at Chuo Ward Folk Tenmonkan (Time Dome Akashi). Born in Nihonbashi, Tamotsu Nagai was active in manga, illustrations, watercolor paintings, essays, etc. from the early Showa era to the Heisei era. A selection of works are exhibited from the donation of more than 4,000 relics. The exhibition will be closed on Monday until December 23. Admission free, catalogs (A4 size color printing, 48 pages) are distributed for a fee (200 yen).

Tamotsu Nagai was born in 1915 (1915) in a house in the handling (mergering) business in Honmachi (currently around Nihonbashi Honmachi) and went to Jushi Elementary School. I studied with interest in painting since I was a child, and when I was 23 years old, door paintings were adopted in magazines. At the age of 27, he served on the southern battlefield as an army advertising team. He is a doujin of the manga group, and is active in the manga world, including illustrations of "Picture Book Kinder Book". He also serialized picture essays in "Ginza Hundred Points" and "Monthly Nihonbashi". He died in 2004 at the age of 88.

In paintings and illustrations, about 10% of the landscape sketches are depicted in Chuo-ku. As a memory of Nihonbashi, the scenery of the beautiful days of the fish shore and Honodawara town is preserved. War paintings such as watercolors depicting the scene of the soldier departs are lined up in the works during the service. After returning from the battlefield, in September 1945, shortly after the end of the war, a pictured letter sent to his family on the middle day of the equinoctial week was just like emakimono.

The manga group, which was reorganized after the war, was headed by Nagai, and eventually joined by famous manga artists such as Taizo Yokoyama, Yoshiro Kato, Isao Kojima, and Osamu Tezuka. The materials of the activities and trends of the group recorded by Nagai are valuable. In addition to being active in four-frame comics and satire paintings, he has also left many works in picture books and magazines for children. Among them, "Kinder Book" (published by the Fravelkan) has been working since the 20s and displays original paintings of its colorful and fun patterns.

"Ginza Bayashi" serialized in the town magazine "Ginza Hundred Points" in 1967 (1967)-1944, and "Nihonbashi Memoricho" serialized in "Monthly Nihonbashi" from 1979 (1979) to 1962 I am interested in. "Ginza-" shows the pre-war Ginza customs. "Nihonbashi-" depicts the old New Year's scenery and townscape of Nihonbashi.

This special exhibition is beyond the boundaries of a single manga artist, and it seems that a sharp look at the times and society when Tamotsu Nagai's perspective and sensitivity were captured. This exhibition is different from the hard history story, and as an artist who experienced before and after the war, is worth seeing at first glance. @ Akira Makibuchi

◇Click here for the website of the Local Tenmonkan special exhibition.>>

On October 20th (Sun), it rained from the morning. Just on this day, the 34th Chuo-ku Children's Festival was held at Hamacho Park, Hamacho Sports Ground, and General Sports Center. I also came to the area to help the local community.

Many children are looking forward to this day, and they are coming one after another from the morning. In the venue, PTAs for each elementary school set up booths for each elementary school, and welcomed the children with elaborate tastes such as simulation shops and game corners. In addition, youth committee members and town council officers from each region are working as staff to support the tournament, such as security, guidance, and guidance at the venue. . I was soaked in a bit chilly air and moved here and there to play a role.

However, the rain only gets intense over time. At last, outdoor exhibitions and attractions were canceled around noon. Nevertheless, the children's energetic voices echoed in the sports center until 2:00 pm. Seeing the lively appearance of the children is quite smiling.

Hamacho Park was originally the residence of the Hosokawa family, so it is popular as a local park while retaining the atmosphere of the past. The remnants of the past are barely left at Kiyomasa Kodo (a hall dedicated to the Kato Kiyomasa), which was transferred from Kumamoto.

Various flowers are planted in the park, but Nanten was just beginning to bear red fruits. Autumn is getting deeper, isn't it?

When I went out to the riverside from the park, the Sumida River was smoky in the rain and flowed quietly. You can see the Shin-ohashi Bridge in the modern form in front. It is around here that Hiroshige painted in the famous Ukiyo-e, "Ohashi-no-Yudate". The stage of world-famous masterpieces copied by Van Gogh is now dyed in the cityscape of the city.

The area around Hamacho is historically and culturally quaint. Everyone, please go out. It was a memorable day even if I got wet.

"Shimbashi" That's because it is now a place name in Minato-ku, why Chuo-ku? I think there are some people who think about it.

However, Shimbashi used to be a bridge over the Shiodome River in front of Ginza, and during the Edo period it was called Shibakuchi Bridge.

The Shiodome River was gradually reclaimed after the end of the war, but in the photo immediately after the war in my home, you can see the main pillar and a little balustrade at the right end.

(← Click to increase it.)

This main pillar still remains, and you can still see it diagonally in front of the Hakuhinkan in Ginza 8-chome, under the high speed in front of the entrance of the supermarket Hanamasa.

Near the place where Shimbashi was located, on the back street of Hakuhinkan, there was a Noh Kinharu-ryu mansion in the Edo period, so it is still called Kinharu-dori.

A popular female master from Jobanzu, who lived here at the end of the Tokugawa period, is often called for banquets, etc., and receives the end of the Shogunate's approval of "Kentori Gomen".

This is the beginning of the so-called "Shimbashi Geisha".

Restaurants and waiting areas are also located around Kibiki-cho (now the east side of Ginza) and around Tsukiji from this area.

Therefore, "Shimbashi Hanayagikai" is not located in Shimbashi in Minato-ku, but around the Chuo-ku side of the bridge called "Shimbashi".

And despite the fact that Shimbashi Enbujo built in 1925 is quite far from Shimbashi Station, Shimbashi is called Shimbashi because it was built to improve the arts of Shimbashi Geisha. People involved in Shimbashi Hanayagikai, such as restaurants, shops, and geisha.

From 1940, he signed a performance contract with Shochiku and became a subsidiary, but even now, the owner of the restaurant is lined up in the management team.

"East Odori", which is held for four days in May every year by Shimbashi Geisha, was once held twice a year in spring and autumn, and Yasunari Kawabata, Junichirou Tanizaki, Eiji Yoshikawa and others wrote plays, and the dance master "Mari Chiyo" seems to have been sold and a row of female students fans.

The reason for the development of Shimbashi Hanayagikai was that the people of late Tokugawa shogunate, such as Satsuma and Choshu, who became key figures of the Meiji government at the time, were still young and seemed to be innocent in the western country, and were not welcomed by Yanagibashi, which was first-class in the Edo period.

The Japanese restaurant "Shinkiraku" (Ito Hirobumi was called "Kiraku" at the time of the first landlady), which is still the venue for the famous literary prize, the Akutagawa Prize and Naoki Prize, was very pleased to send a Chinese poem to the proprietress while serving as governor of Korea.

　Nihonbashitomizawacho. Condominiums are built around here, but it is a very quiet area with few traffic on weekends. There is an eye-catching building along Daimon Street, which is two from the Horidomecho intersection on Ningyocho Street. It is obvious at a glance that it has not been built very recently. This is the headquarters building of HARIO Co., Ltd., known for its heat-resistant glass products.

　Although this day was a weekday, I didn't see people coming in and out, but at the foot that seems to be the front entrance, there is a plate of "registered Tangible Cultural Property" from the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

　There is also one entrance light in the upper right corner, which is also in the front. The thick and warm shape catchs your eye. Maybe it's made in-house. The signboard with the company name like a stencil plate is also wonderful. No matter where you look at the outer wall, the details are really beautiful.

　This building is said to have been built in 1932 (Showa 7) as the Kawasaki Saving Bank Tomizawacho Branch. After that, it was used as the Joyo Bank Tokyo Branch and the accompanying Horidome Branch. Many of the bank buildings are heavily built. After that, Hario Glass Co., Ltd. moved its headquarters to this building in 2000 as part of its 80th anniversary commemorative project.

　I don't think Japan is aggressive in preserving old buildings, probably because of a country with many earthquakes. The building is meaningful only for people to live, so it is used carefully while being repaired in any form, and I want many people to watch it and leave it for a long time. Also, my personal hope is that the electric wires cannot be buried underground ...

HARIO Corporation

9-3, Nihonbashitomizawacho, Chuo-ku

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[Ginza]

September 20, 2013.

On the release date of the new iPhone, in front of the Apple store in Ginza, there was a long line called more than 700 people.

A new fingerprint authentication function has been added to the new iPhone 5s, which has become a hot topic.
When did such a method of identifying individuals from fingerprints begin?

[Akashicho]
In Akashi-cho, Chuo-ku, just 1 km from Ginza, there is a stone monument called "the birthplace of fingerprint research."

Akashicho became a foreign settlement (Tsukiji settlement) in the Meiji era, and many Westerners lived there.
Henry Falls, an Englishman, lived in a corner of the Tsukiji settlement, where the monument is currently located.

You can also see the name of "Henry Halls" in the map of the time.

Henry Faulds (Henry Faulds, 1843-1930) came to Japan as a missionary and stayed in Japan between 1874 and 1886. In addition to Christianity missionary work, he opened Tsukiji Hospital and engaged in medical treatment, and worked hard to protect Japanese volunteers and blind people.

In addition, I was interested in the fingerprints of ancient people left on pottery excavated from Omori Kaizuka.

In 1880, he published a paper in Nature, stating that fingerprints can be used to identify individuals.

The stone monument was erected to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the fingerprint method by the Japanese police (April 1, 1911) to honor Falls' achievements.