Often

Chuo-ku has a deep connection with elephants.

Last month (June 2024), there was the Sanno Festival, which was held for the first time in six years.
I had a valuable opportunity to excite the live broadcast of "Shitamachi Union imperial procession" on Sunday, June 9 from the studio on "Chuo FM" program, and I had a unique way of enjoying it. I was deeply impressed that the Chuo-dori area was wrapped in the heat of the festival for the first time in a long time.
　
By the way, the Shinko Festival, the highlight of the Shimomachi Union imperial procession, was safely re-examined on June 7 (Fri), two days before that.
A variety of Gohori, Miya portable shrine, and floats form a line and travel between Hie-jinja Shrine in Chiyoda-ku and the city of Chuo-ku. One of the highlights of this year was the Shozan car.
(The Shozan car was explained in detail in Tokyo Dumbo's last year's article, and on the day, I was following in the Sumida Fireworks article!)
I also went to Ginza on the day of the Shinko Festival. Although it was a weekday, there were a lot of spectators along the roadside, and I was able to enjoy the extraordinary situation where elephants passed through the streets lined with brand shops.

An elephant kept at Hamarikyu

The elephant Chuo-ku, which was kept at Hamarikyu, has a deep connection with the elephant.

By the way, looking at this "Shozan car", I thought that Chuo-ku had various relationships with elephants. .
First of all, at the time of the 8th Shogun Yoshimune Tokugawa in the Edo period, elephants came to Edo from Vietnam via Nagasaki and Kyoto.
(This is explained in detail in the article of Mr. Koedo Itabashi!)
　
The elephants who walked around Edo City were bred in the Hamarikyu Garden for 12 years.
There is no trace now, but this photo shows that there was a breeding ground around the red circle.
　
The fact that the Shozan car appeared at the Sanno Festival at that time reflects such an event.

An elephant who lived on the roof of a department store

Elephant Chuo-ku, who lived on the roof of a department store, has a deep connection with elephants.

Instead, in 1950, after the war, a female child elephant came from Thailand to the roof of Nihonbashi Takashimaya.
This elephant, which landed at Shimonoseki Port in Yamaguchi Prefecture, was transported by train as cargo, arrived at Shiodome Freight Station, and paraded on Chuo-dori by truck. And it was said that the basket was lifted and transported to the rooftop with a crane. This situation remains in the photo.
This elephant, which came to Chuo-ku in a modern way compared to elephants from the Edo period, was named "Takako" and has been loved by many customers on the roof of Nihonbashi Takashimaya for four years until 1954.
Although he decided to move to Ueno Zoo in 1954, he was unable to lift it with a crane because he had grown so much, and he walked down the department store building. I'm surprised just by imagining it!

An elephant found in Hamacho

The elephant Chuo-ku found in Hamacho has a deep connection with the elephant.

Did you know that last year, a commentary board with illustrations of Nauman elephants was installed on a tree-lined road at the entrance of Hamacho Park?
(This article has been written by Utah Pon and Passive Tashi.)
　
In fact, when the construction of the Toei Shinjuku Line was carried out in 1976, three fossils of Nauman elephant were excavated, and these were named "Hamacho specimens", which is explained.
Elephants lived in Chuo-ku long before elephants lived in the city during the Edo and Showa eras and became a hot topic.

Elephants found at the Bank of Japan

The elephant Chuo-ku found at the Bank of Japan has a deep connection with the elephant.

"Bank of Japan" is a hot topic for issuing new banknotes in Nihonbashi Honishi-cho. In fact, fossils of Nauman elephants were found here in 1930 and 1933, several decades before Nauman elephants were found in Hamacho Park, during extension work around the main building.
The found fossils of Nauman elephant are kept in a safe place by the Bank of Japan. Although ordinary tourists can't see it, elephants also lived in the financial center of Japan!

An elephant found in Edobashi and published by Dr. Nauman in his paper

The elephant Chuo-ku, found in Edobashi and published by Dr. Nauman in his paper, has a deep connection with the elephant.

Going back, in 1879, near Edobashi, fossils of Nauman elephant were found during the construction of the Nihonbashi River. This fossil was also published in a paper called "Japanische Elephanten der Vorzeit" by German geologist Dr. Nauman, who is the origin of the name of Nauman elephant, as found in Yedobashi in Tokio.
This important fossil is currently preserved at the University of Tokyo museum in Bunkyo-ku. So many Nauman elephants were found in Chuo-ku!

"elephants" the essence

Chuo-ku, which is the essence of "elephants," has a deep connection with elephants.

By the way, the subtitle of the "Blankushi Exhibition", which is being held at the Artizon Museum in Kyobashi until July 7 this weekend, is "Applicable to the essence."
This is an elephant…Instead, it reads "Shad-ru". According to one theory, since ivory was used for various crafts, the kanji character "ivory" came to be meaning "shape" or "shape".
It was an exhibition where you can feel what kind of "shape" she opened up in the world of sculpture through valuable works!
　
So, today, we introduced the relationship between Chuo-ku and various "elephants" and "elephants".
When walking around the city of Chuo-ku, be sure to remember!