It�fs probably Senso-ji Temple and the surrounding entertainment district
that come to mind first when you think of Asakusa,
but, Asakusa has a whole lot more to offer!

Feel free to send us your stories, memories and old pictures you have of Asakusa.

According to the Edo-Tokyo Encyclopedia�F Asakusa was the name given to about half the eastern section of Taito Ward, or the area on the western side of the Sumida River, stretching from the Sumida to the east, the Kanda River to the south and the Omoi River �ialso known as Koma-arai River�j to the north. The district was called Asakusa-ku from 1878 to 1947, when the name was changed to �gTaito Ward.�h There are several theories to explain the origin of the name �gAsakusa.�h One links the name with the Ainu word �gatsuakusa,�h which means �gto cross the ocean.�hAnother theory associates the name with the Tibetian word �gasha kusha,�h which means �gwhere the holy reside.�h Perhaps the most widely-accepted explanation, however, is the description given in the Illustrated Guide of Old Edo �iEdo Oko Zusetu�j�F �gThe area from Shitaya to this area is on the edge of the Musashino Plain, where the grass grow‚“ short. That�fs how this area was named Asakusa �ishort grass�j.�h

In the Kamakura Period�i1185−1333�j, Shogun Yoritomo Minamoto, unable to find the right craftsmen for the job, brought shrine builders from Asakusa to build the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura. Leading up to the dispatch of shrine builders, the boat traffic between Asakusa and Kamakura increased, resulting in a greater number of people moving through the area. By the end of the Muromachi Period �i1333−1573�j, a barter market was being held regularly within the precincts of Senso−ji Temple.

The Edo Period�i1603−1867�j saw the capital experience extraordinary growth, eventually absorbing the area then known as Asakusa.

In 1590, Shogun Ieyasu Tokugawa entered Edo and chose Sensoji Temple to serve as his prayer hall, offering 500−goku of land �isufficient to raise over 2,500 bushels of rice�j to the temple. In 1636, the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, rebuilt Senso−ji�fs main building, which had been burnt down in a fire in April of that year. However, it was destroyed again by fire six years later. Iemitsu rebuilt the temple again between 1648 and 1649, creating a main building, a five−storied pagoda, and two gates, the Niomon and the Kaminarimon. In the early years of the Edo Period, a mizu−chaya, a tea and confectionery shop offering refreshment to worshipers visiting the temple, appeared in the precinct of Senso−ji Temple. In those days, a chaya was a place to rest, and it is said to have originated from the tea house. Now, some background on street performances in the area. There were two places where visitors could watch street performances in the precinct of Senso−ji−on Omotesando �icurrently Nakamise−dori�j and a spot just outside the Niomon Gate, on the right side of the street.

During the Meiji Period, on January 15th, 1873, in Meiji period, Tokyo governor Ichio Okubo designated the following five places as parks and notified the ministry of state�F �–Ueno Kanei−ji Temple �–Senso−ji Temple �–Shiba Zojo−ji Temple �–Tomioka Hachiman Shrine in Fukagawa �–Mt. Asuka The precinct of Senso−ji was named Asakusa Park. In January of 1884, it was zoned into six districts, with a seventh area added in September that year. District 1�FThe area around Senso−ji�fs main building−Asakusa Shrine/ Nitenmon Gate/ Niomon Gate/ Five−Storied Pagoda/ Awashima-do District 2�FNakamise Street District 3�FThe premises of the Denpo−in Temple, Senso−ji�fs parent temple. District 4�FThe forest and waterfront on the premises of Senso−ji, where Oike and Hyotan−ike ponds once existed. District 5�FThe area called Okuyama in the north section of the park. Hanayashiki now stands within this district. District 6�iRokku�j�FThe heart of the entertainment district is Cinema Street. District 7�FThe area in the southeast section of the park. Currently 1−chome to 5−chome of Asakusa Umamichi−cho.

Later, District 6 �iRokku�j grew into a popular place among Tokyoites.

In 1883, a rice field on the west side of Okuyama within the precincts of Senso−ji Temple was made into a pond. The soil scooped out of the rice field was used to create land along the southern and western shores of the pond and to build roads. The pond is also known as Hyotan−ike. In 1887, a man−made replica of Mt. Fuji was built which allowed people to climb up using spiral paths and enjoy the view of Edo. Because it proved less popular than hoped, however, it was brought down three years later and replaced by the Japan Panorama Theater. In the same year, the Ryounkaku, the 12−story building which was the first in Japan to have an elevator, opened. Also called �gAsakusa 12−kai,�h it became a very popular spot and served as an Asakusa landmark until it was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake.

Lined with nearly twenty stage, movie and rakugo theaters, the entertainment district of District Six, commonly known as Rokku, attracted a large number of people including soldiers, young laborers called �gDecchi�h and students on weekends. One could enter a movie theater for only 7 sen, a third of the 20 sen that first−class movie theaters charged. It was a place where even the Decchis could afford to enjoy themselves all day long. In 1903, the Denki−kan, the first kinetograph theater in Japan, opened. Until the mid 70�fs, Asakusa was the place where a majority of Japan�fs top entertainers cut their teeth before hitting stardom. After 1975, however, the famed theaters began to disappear one by one.

�ŸSensoji Temple

�ŸAsakusa Shrine

�ŸChronological Table �iJapanese Only�j

�ŸWho's Who �iJapanese Only�j

Photos�F
Shinsen Tokyo Meisho Zukai−Taito City Library �ipublished in approx. 1907�j
/ Tokyo Meisho Gajo �ipublished at the end of Meiji Period�j
/ Dai−Tokyo Shashin−cho �ipublished in 1930�j.