Chuo-ku Tourism Association correspondent blog

The current Sumida River is downstream of the first-class river Arakawa, and is divided into the Arakawa Floodway at Iwabuchi near Akabane and pours into Tokyo Bay.
However, the flow of the river before the Edo period was completely different from now. The Tone River, which now flows into the Pacific Ocean in Choshi, used to be a river that flows to Tokyo Bay. A part of the flow of the Tone River at that time is the water surface of the "Kosumida River" that currently remains at the border between Adachi-ku and Katsushika-ku.
Since Ieyasu Tokugawa entered Edo in 1590, large-scale river replacement work has been carried out. Due to the eastern transition of the Tone River, the separation of Arakawa and Tone Rivers, and the excavation of the straight waterway of the Ayase River, the "Kosumida River" is no longer the main channel.
　
Many of the waterways stretched around Chuo-ku were reclaimed by the reconstruction of the earthquake, the reconstruction of the war, the Tokyo Olympics, etc., but the water surface of the Ko Sumida River is still preserved as a valuable waterside space in the city. . It is located a few minutes' walk from Tokyo Metro Ayase Station. It is impossible to imagine from the current scenery that this was once a large river, but the thoughts and hardships of many engineers in the past who struggled to rule the river and create a city where people can live easily, I think it should be passed on to future generations.

 

 

The story of Kyobashi. It is a continuation from the last time (Click here last time → [Kyobashi Monogatari 1]).

　　

It is the city of Kyobashi seen from Ginza. The Kyobashi River used to flow at the border between these two towns, and Kyobashi was built on it. The main pillar of the bridge built in the Meiji and Taisho eras is left as a historic site, but it is no longer difficult to imagine that era from the current cityscape.

However, the city of Kyobashi seen from Ginza was once known as a picturesque landscape. What kind of city was it? How did the cityscape be created? I would like to introduce it in several times using postcards.

　

I'm going to start talking with a single photo.

Photo provided: Chuo Ward Kyobashi Library

I see "Kyobashi" that spans the Kyobashi River from the Ginza side. At that time, in 1895, the street of Kyobashi was named "Minami Temmacho", and a huge gate temporarily stood on the south Temmacho side of the bridge. This is a triumphal gate built during the Sino-Japanese War. It seems that triumphal gates in various shapes were built all over the country to welcome the soldiers who went on the expedition.

On the other hand, "Kyobashi". The Soseki is said to be in the early Edo period, but the bridge in this era was replaced from wooden to stone by Kangoro Hashimoto, a famous mason in Higo, Kyushu in 1875. The main pillar of this bridge, which drew a stunning arch, had the traditional design of the Kyobashi giboshi.

　

Kyobashi later replaced an iron bridge in Meiji 34 (1901). It is said that the main pillars and balustrades were diverted from the previous Ishibashi, and the side of the arch was covered so that the structure inside could not be seen, and the pattern was applied.

The Japanese-style gate on the left is the Kyobashi Arc de Triomphe, which was built around 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War. The one with the Arc de Triomphe is on the Ginza side. A tram runs on the bridge, and a small boat carrying rice bales floats on the Kyobashi River.

　

This is a postcard. When the postcard was approved in 1900 (Meiji 33), the postcard became popular with the victory mood of the Russo-Japanese War. At this time, there was no radio yet, and postcards played an important role as a means of communicating information to various places. And that information has been delivered to the present at different times in the form of valuable historical materials from the early 20th century.

　

Streetcars are often reflected in postcards on Ginza Street. After replacing Kyobashi with iron, the tram began passing in Meiji 36 (1903), so postcards began at a time similar to the history of iron Kyobashi and Ginza Street tram.

　

This is a view of Ginza Street in the Arc de Triomphe from Minami Temmacho. As the flag flutters, flower trains run, and the people are rushing on the bridge. The appeal of postcards is that you can enjoy the atmosphere of the time, which cannot be learned in history textbooks.

I still have the charm of postcards. Occasionally, interesting things are shown. This is a postcard with a view of Minami Temmacho from Ginza. There is a gas lamp on the right end, and a telephone box is on the lower left.

For the first time, I learned about the phone box in an article previously reported by correspondent Hanes. Please take a look at it.

　　　　It was in Kyobashi! Japan's first street payphone　→ Here

　

By the way, this postcard is called "hand-colored postcard", which is colored by a coloring teacher on each one. I don't know if it was the real color because it's sometimes painted with the person's favorite color.

　

If you look closely at the distance in the upper right corner of the phone box, you will see the clock tower. This is Kobayashi Clock Store in Minami Temmacho. Kobayashi Clock Store is famous for its large clock tower built in Hachikan-cho (now Ginza 8-chome), and a clock tower was also built at this branch in Minami Temmacho. Kintaro Hattori, the founder of the Hattori Clock Store, saw the prosperity of this Kobayashi Clock Store, and decided to become a watch dealer.

　

The picture postcard below is probably the scenery of Minami Temmacho in the late Meiji era. On the other side of the bridge is the beer hall in Minami Temmacho, and on the far right is the main pillar of Kyobashi with the word "Kiyahashi" and something like a gas lamps.

At the current site of Kyobashi, there are two main pillars engraved with "Kiyauhashi" and "Kyobashi", but as you can see, the place where it was actually installed at that time was "Kiyauhashi" was on the right side from the Ginza side, and "Kyobashi" was on the right side just before the Minami Temmacho side.

By the way, when I looked into past photos of the two main pillars, one seemed to be the bridge year of 1901, and the other seemed to have some characters carved, but I could not decipher it.

　

After that, we entered the era of the Taisho era. This photo seems to be around Taisho 2.3 (1913.4). This is a photo of Ginza from Minami Temmacho. The building on the right side is Nissha. The current Yomiuri Shimbun was here.

Nissha had a clock tower at the end of the Meiji era, but it was removed in a few years. The city of Ginza was a place where many Meiji period and newspapers gathered, and it was also a center of information.

　

On the other hand, on the Minami Temmacho side, in 1914, a building of Toyokuni Bank Kyobashi Branch was completed on the diagonal line of the Nissha Bridge. It is around the building where the current LIXIL is built.

The design of the postcard is probably the scenery seen from the tower of the circular dome. Since this building was built in the Taisho era, the city of Minami Temmacho will blossom at a rapid pace.

　

The following year, Kyobashi was built in 1915, but there is a memorial gate on the Minami Temmacho side and a memorial tower on the Ginza side. One of the major bridges, including Kyobashi, was built with some big celebration.

This is a postcard of the Emperor Taisho's great lord (the throne and Great Thanksgiving Ceremony) was held in November. What is drawn on the stamp is the octagonal Takamikura, which is used in the throne of the throne at the time of the succession of the throne. It seems that the current Takamiza was reproduced at the time of the Emperor Taisho, and this will be used again this year.

　

Looking at Minami Temmacho from a different angle, the Toyokuni Bank is shown on the right side of the street, and the construction of a new building has begun opposite it.

This is the building of Daido Life Insurance Tokyo Branch, completed in 1916, the following year. It was called "Daido Life Building" and had a circular dome roof similar to Toyokuni Bank. After this, it will become a building that will be the face of Minami Temmacho, which creates the atmosphere of Taisho Roman. In terms of its current location, it is located on the ground floor of Tokyo Square Garden, above Central FM.

Photo provided: Chuo Ward Kyobashi Library

Is it around 1916? The bridge seen from this Daido Life Building and the cityscape of Ginza.

Minami Temmacho, where tall buildings began to be built. You will be able to get a bird's-eye view of the city of Ginza from a high place, and this kind of photo will appear in the future. In the Taisho era, Minami Temmacho began this way.

Followed.

　

 

 

The other day, I got two books published by Chuo-ku, so I will introduce them.

１．"Bridge of Chuo-ku, Hashizume Plaza-Chuo-ku Modern Bridge Survey-"

(Edited and issued by the Chuo-ku Board of Education in 1998 / ¥1,900 (at the time of issuance))

I've written on this blog before, but I, May Rain George likes an unrivaled bridge. The spiritual man says that my ancestors were bridge craftsmen (surveying and design).

※A previous bridge-related article
/archive/2017/07/post-4453.html (Street of Bridge)

/archive/2017/05/-2322270.html (about the bridge and its name)

"Chuo-ku Bridge / Hashizume Plaza-Chuo-ku Modern Bridge Survey-" was shown by the owner of a long-established restaurant acquaintance in Ningyocho. When I contacted the ward office, it was already out of print. I really wanted it, so I found it online. Somethings in a very good condition were available cheaply.

▲At the time of publication, it was introduced in the Asahi Shimbun.

As described in the "Chuo-ku Cultural Properties Survey Report Vol. 5", this report investigates all bridges in Chuo-ku from a professional standpoint of modern bridges built from the Meiji era to the early Showa era. It is.
The contents are broadly divided into <Part 1 length / analysis> <Part 2 ledger> and <Part 3 material>. In the first part, we analyze bridges in Chuo-ku from various perspectives, such as time-specific, bridge design characteristics, earthquake disaster and reconstruction. The second part summarizes the history, characteristics, and design of all bridges across each river, along with photographs and drawings. Part 3 summarizes the date of groundbreaking and completion, length, width, format, construction cost, etc. in a list.
This report on about 360 pages, including A4 size and color pages, contains photographs of the bridge that are currently reclaimed by the river and only the name of the bridge remains, and photographs of the bridge before it was newly rebuilt and its surroundings. I think that it has increased its presence as a valuable historical material.

▲Armor Bridge page

▲Chiyodabashi and Shinbabashi pages

▲Shipping Bridge (Kaedegawa)　　　　　　　　　　　　　▲Former Shinohashi (Sumida River)

▲Mihara Bridge (Sansanmabori)　　　　　　　　　　▲Sukiya Bridge (outer moat)

２．"Walking in Chuo Ward---Visit Historic Sites and History-" 9 books

(Edited and published by the Public Relations Office, Chuo-ku Planning Department)

The second book is "Walking in Chuo Ward--Visit Historic Sites and History-". This is a new book version of the "Walking in the Ward", which was serialized in the public relations paper of Chuo-ku from 1985 to 2010, which has been further enhanced. After the first volume was published in 1988, it was published in the world every few years, two and three volumes, and completed in 2013 by the publication of the ninth volume (final volume).

It is "Chuo Mayor" that writes "First" at the beginning of each book, but I also respect that Mr. Hidehide Yada has been serving as mayor by himself for the past 25 years of publication of these nine books. I want to show it.

▲"Walking in Chuo Ward"

This is still on sale and can be purchased at the Information Disclosure Corner on the first floor of the Chuo-ku Ward Office (9 totals ¥ 4,730). I am not from Chuo-ku and do not live or live, but every time I turn the page, there are new discoveries, fun and very study.

The contents of each volume are as follows. (Each volume is about 160 to 260 pages.)

Volume 1 (500 yen) “One year in downtown”, “Cityscape”, “Living”, “Civilization and enlightenment”, “Literature Path”
Volume 2 (500 yen) "Kyomi of the Four Seasons", "Memor of Edo", "Toward modernization", "Food of Culture", "Bridge and Liveliness"
Volume 3 (500 yen) "Around Monuments and Cultural Properties", "Civilization and enlightenment Urabananashi", "Kaori of Arts and Culture", "Metales of the City", "Life of Citizens" and "Dietary Life"
Volume 4 (500 yen) "Become a town of Edo", "Brightness of Edo culture", "Ashidori of Kaika", "Original scenery of modern literary arts", "Activity of women", "Understanding town"
Volume 5 (400 yen) "Edo-fetal movement to modern times", "Encounter with foreign countries", "Theatrical protagonists", "The World of Literary", "City-Flowing Memory", "Memory Arata"
Volume 6 (400 yen) "Start to modern times", "Photographers of Kaikai", "Literature born by Nihonbashi", "People around Kaikaikan", "People of Kaikai", "Kafu Nagai and Chuo-ku", "Tsukiji Small Theater"
Volume 7 (600 yen) "Chuo-ku Haiku Group Statue", "Freedom Baron Satsuma Satsuma Jirohachi", "Playwright Torahiko Koori who died in Western Europe", "People living in water"
Volume 8 (700 yen) "Nihonbashi", "Yumeji Eternal Woman Hikono Kasai", "Sumida River Water Range", "Chuo-ku Seen by Foreigners", "Tsukiji 350 Years"
Volume 9 (630 yen) "Chuo-ku seen by foreigners", "Ginza in the early Showa era", "Ginza during the war"

 

 

Today, I came to the rooftop of Ginza Six.

　

After walking through the crowds of Ginza Street, when you come here, you will feel a little calm. It's also a good idea to take a leisurely tour of the rooftop and look for Tokyo Tower and Sky Tree. But there are other things I would like to see. It's the streets of Ginza. Among them, the best one is the 4-chome intersection.

Wako's clock tower is really good. However, I have the impression that the city of Ginza is more crunchy than I expected.　

　

Before Ginza Six was built, the Matsuzakaya Ginza store was located in this place. The pre-war landscape from Matsuzakaya was like this (around 1933).

Ginza is more refreshing than it is now, about 10 years after the Great Kanto Earthquake. Wako, which stands at the 4-chome intersection, was called Hattori Clock Store at this time. To the right is Ginza Mitsukoshi, and beyond the Hattori Clock Store, Kyobunkan is visible.

　

Looking at the history, these three were built in the following years.

　　　　Ginza Mitsukoshi, 1930 (1930)　

　　　　1932 Hattori Clock Store

　　　　1933, Kyobunkan

If we can go back little by little to the past, the building will disappear in a new order. This time, I would like to change my taste a little, go back in time in the past, and guide you to the time trip on Ginza Street.

　

First of all, I went back a little, but there is a building that has disappeared. Do you understand?

According to history, the Kyobunkan has disappeared. Since the Hattori Clock Store is built, it is the scenery around 1932, the year before the Kyobunkan was built.

　

The architect of the Kyobunkan is Antonin Raymond. In the city of Ginza, there were several buildings he designed, but Matsuzakaya, who is now there, also had an age of his design.

On the other hand, Hattori Clock Store. This clock tower was the second generation, and the first clock tower was built in Meiji 27 (1894). After the first generation was demolished for renovation, the Great Kanto Earthquake struck, and nine years after the earthquake, the second generation was built.

　

Let's take a look back. It is a 4-chome intersection around Showa 4 (1929).

The building of the Hattori Clock Store is gone. There is a crane across the street, so Mitsukoshi is under construction. Beyond it is Yamaguchi Bank, and the big building you can see beyond is Matsuya Ginza, a department store. You can see that Matsuya was already open at this time.

　

Let's go back further.

Then a low-rise ballaque-style building appeared at the Hattori Clock Store. It is the scenery of the first year of Showa. This low-rise building was built after the earthquake, and it is said that Mitsukoshi was occupying and operating temporarily. After that, Mitsukoshi started building a building on the opposite side, and immediately after the Imperial Capital Reconstruction Festival in 1930, opened Ginza Mitsukoshi as a large-scale department store.

　

Let's go back to the year of the earthquake. Then the building in Matsuya turns into a steel frame.

At the bottom of the photo, it seems that the shadow of the steel frame of the Matsuzakaya building appears to be reflected, so it seems that the buildings of Matsuya and Matsuzakaya were both steel frames. Historically, the opening of each business has been completed.

　　　　December 1, 1924, Matsuzakaya

　　　　May 1, 1925 Matsuya, 1925

That's why it's a landscape around 1924. Speaking of 1924, the year after the Great Kanto Earthquake, you can see the reconstruction of buildings here and there in this landscape.

　

　

As you can see, the roof of today's Ginza Six was a place where we have been watching the reconstruction of the city of Ginza since the Great Kanto Earthquake.

　

Matsuzakaya is a large-scale department store that opened for the first time in Ginza. At that time, Ginza 6-chome was called Owaricho, and the building was built by Kunimitsu Life Insurance. Kunimitsu Life opened on the upper floor, and Matsuzakaya entered on the lower floor and set up a store.

I can't believe it now, but it's a hot topic as the first department store where you can enter the entire building foot. There is also a bustling rooftop zoo and a yellow shuttle bus from nearby stations, and with the opening of Matsuzakaya, Ginza will change from a luxury-oriented city to a city that can be enjoyed by the general public.

　

On the other hand, how was Matsuya Ginza? I can't see it a little far away, so I'll move in the air and approach it.

The flapping flag is the Matsuya mark designed from pine and crane, and the below is Ginza Street. This is the rooftop of Matsuya after completion. I look at the direction from Ginza 3-chome to 1-chome.

　

Matsuya opened in 1925, about six months after the opening of Matsuzakaya. Matsuya itself was founded in Yokohama in 1869 as Tsuruya, so this year marks the 150th anniversary of its founding. The 8-story building will be constructed by a life insurance company. However, on the way, Matsuya decided to move into the lower floor, and the design change made a large atrium. Even if you are hit by the earthquake in a steel frame, it will open 20 months later.

In particular, the interior seemed to be very luxurious, attracting many visitors to the store and exposing the topic. After this, together with Matsuzakaya, I will become a leading player in the reconstruction of Ginza.

　

If you move your eyes to Ginza Street, you will see a large building diagonally opposite. This is the main building of the Okura Gumi, which was completed as a five-story building in 1915. At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in Tokyo.

As you can see from the year it was built, this building survived the Great Kanto Earthquake. Speaking of the main building of the Okura Gumi, it is also known when the first building with arc lights was lit, but it was about 40 years ago of this landscape. The photo shows the scenery of the second generation building, the first year of Showa. The current OkuraHouse, where Cartier enters, is the fourth generation.

　

What I'm worried about is the buildings that can be seen at the "end of the corner" across Ginza Street. The cityscape with a good atmosphere that makes you feel a Taisho romance is spreading. It must be a wonderful city.

　

Let's move in the air to the rooftop of the Okura Gumi Main Building and approach a little closer.

The tall building with the "tongari roof" on the left and the "circular dome" on the right are impressive. It was the first year of Showa.

　

I'm going to enter the Taisho era in this place. It is the street at the end of the corner around Taisho 14 (1925).

What? Something has changed.

The tongari roof has been turned into a circular dome. It seems that it was not a tongari roof in the Taisho era.　The town at the end of this corner was the current Kyobashi, and at that time it was the name of Minami Temmacho. The Kyobashi River flows at the corner, and "Kyobashi" should be built on it. At this time, only a few years after the earthquake, what kind of development did the city lined with large buildings?

　

I'll do it this time. Time slip and aerial walk on Ginza Street. How was it? From next time, I would like to introduce the cityscape of this "turning corner" in chronological order. It was a prologue of "Kyobashi Monogatari".

(References are scheduled to be compiled in the epilogue.)　

　

 

 

After reading "Nyanboku"'s post, "What is Edokko?"

＞There is also a detailed description of CAM's "What is Edokko?"

　/archive/2017/09/post-4591.html

　　

　Thank you very much for referring to my previous post.

　

　I have concluded the previous post as follows.

　

＞As a Kansai person, I felt a physiological disgust of the word "Edo kid" or race, and by Seiryo Kaiho (1755-1817), "Edo things are children's nasty, stupid, It's a culture that has sympathized and agrees with the theory of "Edo, the first time that should not be understood."

　

　Nowadays, overconcentration in Tokyo is progressing, and Osaka is declining to be said to be the "top of the region." However, one of the reasons why the capital was changed to Edo (Tokyo) in the Meiji era is that "Osaka will be able to maintain prosperity even if it is not the capital, but if Edo is no longer the capital, it will be lonely." When I think that there was something, I can't stand the feeling of the past and present.

　

　It was "Yoroku" in the Mainichi Shimbun the other day, or as a description of the introduction department that tells "the arrival of the Osaka era" of tennis, "If the location of the government is the name of the era, as in Nara period, the Kamakura era, and the Edo era, the era when Hideyoshi Toyotomi took government affairs at Osaka Castle should be the Osaka era. " The expression "Azuchi-Momoyama period" in the history category is obviously unfair. At least I think it should be called the "Azuchi Osaka Era". This is also thought to have been a conspiracy of the Historical Society of Tokyo.

　

　Even when the prefectural system was created, it is said that Takarada was afraid of the Tokyo government that Osaka Prefecture was too strong to divide the Settsu region and transfer part to Hyogo Prefecture. . If you read Ryotaro Shiba's "Ryoma Goes", you can see that Kobe and other places in late Tokugawa shogunate were not yet urbanized.

　

　I walked in the area of the current Chuo-ku, which should be called `` Hara Edo '', and found in Nihonbashi, Shinkawa, etc., the remnants of the days when Osaka and Kansai were powerful, so I wanted to study the history of Chuo-ku It was the starting point.

 

 

On May 1, this year, the Crown Prince was enthroned as the new Emperor and switched to a new era.
In the streets, "The Last of Heisei"...It was around this time when I often see and hear the word ""
　

Did you know that there are several streets in Chuo-ku with the name of the era?
　

Today, of such "the street with the era", those passing through Chuo-ku are passed.
I would like to introduce it in two parts, dating back to Heisei.
　

■Part 1 "Heisei-dori"

Nihonbashi Kabutocho No.2 (Amibashi Minamizume) 2-15 Tsukiji (intersection with Harumi-dori St.)
It's a street running parallel to the west side of Shin-ohashi-dori St.
I don't know why it became the name "Heisei-dori"...。
(I would like somebody to explain to you!)
　

In Kabuto-cho and Kayabacho near the starting point, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Photo 1) and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Photo 1).
In addition to the auxiliary shrine Hie-jinja Shrine, it reminds me of the period of high economic growth.
Office buildings (second photo) are lined up.
If anything, there is a taste of "Showa", but it is also a taste of "Showa".
Redevelopment of the area has begun beyond the era of Heisei.
I feel the flow of the times.
　

Tsukiji near the end point is also the Historic buildings selected by Tokyo.
There is a building of "Miyakawa Shokutori Chicken Egg" (built in 1929).
In addition, there are historic sites along the road, such as the site of Shintomiza and the site of Hoshu Katsuragawa Yashiki.
While saying "Heisei", it has become a way to have various eras.

　

■No. 2 Showa-dori
Connecting Shimbashi (Shimbashi 1, Minato-ku) to Ozeki Yokocho (5, Negishi, Taito-ku).
It is a wide street between Shimbashi and Ueno, including in Chuo-ku.
It runs parallel to the east side of Chuo-dori.
　

The Heisei-dori just mentioned is parallel across the Metropolitan Expressway.
　

This road was constructed after the Great Kanto Earthquake that occurred in 1923 (Daisho 12).
This symbol road was created as a centerpiece of reconstruction city planning.
In 1931 (Showa 6), when the era was just changed to Showa.
Since it was completed, it was nicknamed "Showa-dori".
It was a street that symbolized the new era of Showa.

Its wide width (44 meters) has plenty of street tree belts and sidewalks.
It is also a remnant planned as a park street.
(By the way, at the beginning of the concept, it was planned with a width of 108 meters.
It's more than twice the current width!)
Looking for an old photo in the library, when it was completed, it was between the upper and lower lanes.
It seems that there were two rows of trees and sidewalks. (Partial as parking lots)
It seems to have been used.

　

The current figure is a section with three or more lanes one way, an underpass dedicated to passing traffic underneath.
In the north of Edobashi, the underground parking lot connected from there is an overpass of the Metropolitan Expressway overhead....
The structure emphasizes functional aspects, handling a large amount of automobile traffic as an aorta in the city center.
In a sense, it has become a road that symbolizes the Showa era, especially the post-war era.
　

Nowadays, it is often thought that there are no sights or highlights just because there are many streets.
This Showa-dori is located along the Nihonbashi Post Office (the birthplace of mail), a monument derived from Betta City, and a monument derived from the city.
Historic sites such as the ruins of Kano Art Juku and like the Nihonbashi Diamond Building (formerly Edobashi Warehouse Building).
In addition to the famous buildings
In Nihonbashi Honmachi, there are Ozu Historical Museum and Daiichi Sankyo Medicine Museum.
There is also a spot.
　

If you walk separately from Heisei-dori and Showa-dori from the viewpoint of street, you can see that you can walk around.
There seems to be a different kind of fun again!

　

By the way, next time I would like to go back to the Taisho era.
Some people think, "There is no Taisho-dori!?"
Actually, when you go back to the past, there was also Taisho-dori in Chuo-ku.
I'm looking forward to it!