New River

Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

"New River" is a correspondent starting from "Shinkawa".

I would like to introduce Takao Inari Shrine (10-3, Nihonbashi-Hakozakicho) in the wake of the Chozubachi of Tomihisa, which I promised in my previous blog (Imada Shoten, a long-established liquor store that lasted for 100 years in Shinkawa).

Introduction

When I walked north from Imada Shoten, which I interviewed last time, and crossed Minato Bridge over the Nihonbashi River, my address changes from Shinkawa to Nihonbashihakozakicho. Look at the information board on the east side of Kitazume of Minato Bridge to the right and walk toward the Sumida River, and you will find Takao Inari Shrine, the stage of this blog. Yes, at Takao Inari Shrine, there is the Chozubachi of "Tomihisa Cho" introduced in the previous blog.

I had visited Takao Inari Shrine before becoming a correspondent, and at that time I was wondering why the sake barrel of Tomihisa Cho was Chozubachi. This time, in order to solve the question, as a result of various investigations on the Internet, I arrived at the homepage of Mutsukai Hakozaki (http://hakozakimutsumi.kashiore.jp/) and asked questions from the inquiry form there. , Takao Inari Shrine's site was owned by the family and designed the Inari Shrine.

In this blog, through interviews with Mr. Miyasaka, I would like to share my thoughts on the Chozubachi of Tomihisa Naga, the fragments of memory scattered at Takao Inari Shrine, and Takao Inari Shrine.

 

 Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

Information board on the east side of Kitazume, Minato Bridge

◆ What is the history of Takao Inari Shrine?

[About the Transition of Takao Inari Shrine]

shrine hall's position is dotted. Originally, it was located in Nishizume of the former Eitai Bridge (now Kitazume of Toyomi Bridge), but its position was changed when the Bank was built. Furthermore, when it was sold by the Bank to Mitsui Warehouse, it was relocated to its current site. Furthermore, there is a story that it was relocated to the vicinity of Hakozaki 4-chome for a while, but no confirmation has been obtained. In Ukiyo-e, there are two Inari-sha at the base of Eitai Bridge, and it is not possible to confirm which of them is Takao Inari Shrine.

[About the origin of Takao Inari Shrine]

It was said that the second generation Dayu Takao, a prostitute of Yoshiwara's Miuraya Shirozaemon, was the highest rank of prostitutes, passed on to Rei and Waka haikai, and boasted an unparalleled heyday. Dayu Takao was favored by the Sendai feudal lord Tsunamune Date, and was entrusted with a large amount of money, but she had already a person who was willing and did not follow the Tsunamune weather. In December 1659, she finally bought the anger of the Sumida River on the Sumida River. A few days later, the body drifted ashore on the northern Niihori shore of the Sumida River, and at that time, Buddhist monk, who had set up hermitage there, repatriated the body and buried it generously. The sympathy of the people gathered at the pitiful end of Dayu Takao, and built a shrine here to worship her divine spirit Takao Daimyojin, and made it Takao Inari Shrine.

 

Takao Inari Shrine website

https://takaoinari.tokyo/

 

 Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

Information board with the origin of Inari Shrine in the precincts.

On the left is "Kokin Meiden Manji Takao" (Toyokuni Utagawa)

 

[About the grave of Dayu Takao]

The sacred body of Takao Inari Shrine is the skull of Dayu Takao. Dayu Takao had thought about Buddhist monk, called Dotetsu, but it was not Michitsutsu, who buried the skull of Dayu Takao in the area, but at Buddhist monk, which was mentioned above, Dotetsu took the body of Dayu Takao and was buried in Saihoji Temple (Seisakucho, Toshima-ku, 1927). In other words, it is thought that the grave of Dayu Takao is located because the skull and fuselage are buried separately.

Regarding Shunkeiin (Higashi-Asakusa, Taito-ku), Dotetsu was originally a small surname Shimada Gonzaburo, and did he train at Shunkeiin when he left home, or Miuraya head was a Danya of Shunkeiin, but it seems that Peace pagoda was erected for either reason.

 

 Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

The graves of Saihoji Temple are currently closed.

 

 Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

Peace pagoda of Dayu Takao in Shunkeiin

◆ Please tell us about the rebuilding of this time (May 2022)

The site of 10-3, Nihonbashi-Hakozaki-cho, where Takao Inari Shrine is located, is owned by Takarada Paper Works. Takarada Paper Works closed down the paper cutting business of its main business a few years ago (currently the company continues as a real estate industry), so the warehouse on the premises was no longer used and decided to rebuild it. Takao Inari Shrine was also aging, so Takarada Paper Works decided to renovate it in the form of donating to the town council. About 50 years ago, when Takao Inari Shrine was rebuilt, the late president, Yoichi Takarada, donated a large amount of money and built it. I was the son-in-law of the eldest daughter of Takarada, and was asked to design it.

 

 Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

Takao Inari Shrine enters TKB Takao Inari (*) designed by Mr. Miyasaka.

It was rebuilt in May 2022 and was reborn as a novel and stylish Inari shrine.

Torii uses steel frames and also works to maintain the strength of condominiums.

(※) TKB stands for Takarada Kamikogyosho Building.

◆ What were you particular about in this rebuilding?

Initially, I was thinking of asking miyadaiku to build Inari-sha, but in order to become a loved Inari-sha, I thought it would be better for a local carpenter to make it, so local carpenter = ordinary carpenter was introduced and constructed.

Takao Inari Shrine has been dim for many years. I thought that Dayu Takao was poor in such a dark place, and when rebuilding, I made the roof a transparent acrylic board so that I could feel the bright sky and sun of Hakozaki.

◆ What is the "fragment of memory" of Takao Inari Shrine?

When rebuilding Takao Inari Shrine, I wanted to embed the “fragment of memory” of this city as much as possible. munefuda, 6 Chozubachi (sake barrels), 7 ceiling paintings and Saiun are the seven initiatives.

For example, the foundation of the main hall 2 uses floats buried in the warehouse of the town council, the stone on the approach 3 reuses paving stones that have been used for more than two generations, and the pillars of the 4 are also buried mikoshi sticks.

In addition, the ceiling painting of 7, Saiun, was drawn by Mr. Hazuki Ikeda, who is a writer while teaching at Joshibi University of Art and Design and Kyoritsu Women's University. It is not a fragment of memories of the past, but I think that this cloud will surely lead to the future as one of Hakozaki Kita Niihori's "fragment of memories". Based on this ceiling painting, we also created a silk screen. We are trying to sell silkscreens and use their profits to maintain and manage Takao Inari Shrine.

 

 Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

There are many "fragments of memory" at Takao Inari Shrine.

It's scattered.

 

 Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

Ceiling painting, Saikumo drawn by Hazuki Ikeda

◆ What is Tomihisa's thoughts in Chozubachi?

The Nihonbashi River and Hakozaki River, along with the Shinkawa River, used to be a riverbank where sake and soy sauce were unloaded, so I wanted to embed that memory somewhere. Therefore, we decided to make the aforementioned "6 Chozubachi" in a sake barrel and make it a "fragment of memory."

At first, I started designing in solid barrels without the name of sake brewery, but I didn't feel right. Therefore, we changed our policy and decided to use sake brewery, which is derived from Nihonbashihakozakicho. The question is which sake brewery barrel you want. In the pre-war photos, there were signs of "Tamagawa Shirashu" and "Iwataka" attached to the telegraph poles near the site, so I looked for these sake brewery, but unfortunately it was not.

Many sake barrels are dedicated to the grounds of Masaru Shinkawa Jingu Shrine, which is revered as the guardian deity of sake wholesalers. "Shiraka", "Shirataka" and "Nihonmori" have Shinkawa, and "Ozeki" and "Kamozuru" have a Tokyo branch in Nihonbashikakigaracho, so I wondered if I would like to use it, and then "Shiraka" closest to Takao Inari Shrine I decided to visit. As soon as I came up with it, I visited "Shiraka" on the way home. When I stood in front of Shiraka's splendid building, my dirty jeans was reflected on the glass, and I thought that there was no such thing as a member of society, so I decided to start again.

As usual, I stopped by Imada Shoten in Shinkawa to return after drinking a drink with a corner hit. The sake barrel of "Tomihisa Cho" displayed on the large refrigerator in the store came into my eyes. Speaking of which, Imada Shoten's head house was building "Tomihisa Cho" in Hiroshima. I decided to use the sake barrel of "Tomihisa Cho" intuitively. Because Imada Shoten is doing Tsunouchi Chi, I felt that the distance between this liquor and the people of this city was closer than other sake brewery.

 

 Thoughts for Takao Inari Shrine
"Connecting the fragments of memory" to the future.

It is used as Chozubachi

The sake barrel of "Tomihisa Cho" of Imada Sake Brewery Main Store (Agetsu-cho, Hiroshima Prefecture).

It was also provided at the G7 Hiroshima Summit (May 19-21, 2023).

◆ Please tell us your thoughts on Inari-sha again.

For 300 years since the Edo period, we deeply respect the people of Hakozaki Kita-Niihori Town Association, who have been carefully protected for this Takao Inari Shrine, and feel the cultural and historical value of this Inari Shrine. With the rebuilding of Inari Shrine, efforts to excite the city by mid-career and young people of the town council (one of which is the establishment of a website and the establishment of SNS) have also begun. I hope that we can connect the “fragment of memory” of the shrine to the future.

Yeah

This blog originated from the sake barrel of "Tomihisa Cho", and we heard various stories from Mr. Miyasaka about the history of Takao Inari Shrine, this rebuilding, and thoughts on Inari Shrine. At the time of the interview, we prepared valuable materials, books, photographs, and ukiyo-e, and explained very carefully, and I felt very strongly about Miyasaka's passion for Takao Inari Shrine. And I thought it was also a professionalism as an architect who designed buildings with the thoughts of the locals.

There seem to be various theories about the life of Dayu Takao, but through this interview, it is very important to inherit the thoughts and traditions of the local people who have been carefully protected for 300 years and pass them on to the future. I told you that it was important.

Mr. Miyasaka, thank you very much for sharing your valuable story.

Thank you to the members of the Hakozaki Mutsukai and the members of the Hakozaki Kita Niihori Town Association for their cooperation.