Hanes

[Excursion Series No. 52] Scenery of Sakai Craftsman and Hometown
What is the relationship between Ginza and Sakai that Yanagi talks about?


Hello. I'm Hanes, an active correspondent.
Suddenly, what do you think of the relationship between the current and Chuo-ku, Tokyo in the Edo period and the current and Osaka prefectures?
There are various relationships, but in 1644 (the first year of Shobo), the fishermen who came to Edo from Tsukuda-mura, Nishinari-gun, Settsu-kuni (currently Nishiyodogawa-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka) and built Tsukuda-jima. I think there are many people.
(For more information about the fishermen who built Tsukuda Island, see the November 2018 article "[9th Excursion Series] Islands connected by fishermen.")

Among me, when I mentioned the relationship between the current Chuo-ku, Tokyo and the current and Osaka prefectures in the Edo period, it was the image, but the other day I visited Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture and walked around the city hall, `` Ginza's willow '' A signboard entitled "The Legend" jumped into my eyes!
And it was written like this.

The place name "Ginza" in Tokyo came to be called "Ginza" because it was a place where silver craftsmen who emigrated from Sakai during the Edo period cast silver coins. In addition, willows are still planted in Ginza because craftsmen missed Sakai and transplanted willows from Sakai. Willows are the trees of Sakai citizens.

 

[Excursion Series No. 52] Sakai Craftsman and Hometown Scenery-What is the relationship between Ginza and Sakai that Yanagi talks about?


However, it is said that what is generally called "Ginza's willow" was born in the latter half of the 19th century.
In 1874 (Meiji 7), pine, maple, and cherry blossoms were planted on Ginza Street as Japan's first street trees, but died, and in 1877 (Meiji 10).
Therefore, "Ginza's willow" has a strong image since Meiji period, which was planted as a street tree and became a song.

Therefore, instead of "Ginza willows", it will be "willows planted in Ginza", but I will try to lightly examine whether there are any records or paintings that show that willows were already planted in Ginza in the Edo period.
According to the reference cooperative database, the Sakai City Central Library describes the explanation of this information board as follows.

Sakai City History There is no description that Ginza craftsmen transplanted willow from Sakai, but there is a description that there is a row of willow trees on Oshoji-suji, the main street of Sakai.


In addition, I searched for willows in the current Ginza landscape drawn in the Edo period to see if there were any willows, but "Bikuhashi Snow" (currently Ginza 1-chome 4th) in Hiroshige Utagawa's "Hundred Views of Edo" (currently around Ginza 5-chome) in "Fuji 36 Views", but it is not a willow description.
Therefore, during the Edo period, it was not possible to confirm that craftsmen transplanted willows from Sakai to the present Ginza.

[Excursion Series No. 52] Sakai Craftsman and Hometown Scenery-What is the relationship between Ginza and Sakai that Yanagi talks about?

Willows fluttering in the wind against the backdrop of Sakai City Hall


On the other hand, when Ieyasu Tokugawa moved the silver coin foundry in Sunpu to Shin-Ryogaecho (currently Ginza 2-chome), what kind of people did they cast silver coins there?
I knew the relocation source and relocation destination of the Ginza government office because it was described in the official guidebook of the Chuo-ku Tourism Certification, but I was ashamed to grasp the hometown and technical level of the people who actually worked there. I didn't.

After a detailed examination, Mari Onuki's paper published in "Financial Research" published by the Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies in September 1999, "Organization and Role of Money Casting Institutions (Kanaza, Ginza, Zenza) in the Edo period (1999).

The establishment of Ginza in Keicho 6 (1601) began when the Shogunate appointed 10 people, including Tokugawa's relatives and Australian merchants, as Ginza people, and specially appointed a silver blower Yuasa Sakubei (Tsuneze Daikoku) in Sakai as a silver blower. Begins.


As you can see on the information board found in Sakai City, it seems that a professional came from Sakai and cast silver coins!

Even though I could see the name Daikoku Tsuneze, there were many literatures that did not mention where they came from, and I only misunderstood the one who brought Ieyasu from the previous relocation Motoshunpu without permission ....
You have to look into what you care about without guessing and thinking!

I twisted my head a little, but again this time I saw Chuo-ku from outside the ward, there was an interesting discovery.
I would like to continue to find connections between Chuo-ku and various parts of Japan from various angles and introduce them in this series.♪

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