01. Origin of Senryu (Verses)
Kikuyabashi park, 3 chome 20-6, Moto-asakusa
Karai Senryu took an active part in the pioneering days of the short-verse poetry style known as "Senryu" in the latter half of the 18th century (1718 to 1790). While he worked as a town official near this area, he attracted popularity as a master of "maekuzuke", where an applicant completes one short verse by reciting a 17-syllabled verse according to the 14-syllabled verse theme set by a judge. As the result of Senryu's efforts, the 17-syllabled verse gradually formed an independent short-verse style. This form of short-verse poetry started to be called "Senryu" from around the beginning of the 20th century. "Senryu" places importance on satire and fun and is still loved by people nowadays. In this park, a willow tree was planted in 1989 and a monument was built in 1992 in honor of the great achievements of Karai Senryu, who worked in this area.
02. Magozo Shrine
3 chome 19-7, Moto-asakusa
The record "Gofunai Biko" of the Edo Period says this neighborhood was called Abekawacho because a village shrine called "Magozo Shrine" at Abekawa in Shizuoka Prefecture was moved to here.
A legend has been handed down in this district that at the end of the 16th century, Tokugawa Ieyasu had a spiritual experience while traversing the river Abe allowing a man called Magozo to hold the bit of his horse. Later this man was found to be an incarnation representing Magozo Shrine located near the river Abe.
Another record "Machikata-Kakiage" shows this shrine was attended by people living in the district and there was an enshrined wooden statue of about 10 cm in size.
The location of the original shrine in the Shizuoka Prefecture is not known and all the records and building of this shrine here were completely lost due to the Great Kanto Earthquake and Tokyo air raids during World War II. The present shrine was constructed by the neighborhood association and a festival is performed here annually in March.
03. The Grave of Kobayashi Kiyochika
Ryufuku-in Temple, 3 chome 17-2, Moto-asakusa
Kobayashi Kiyochika can be said to have been the last woodblock print artist.
He was born in Asakusa in 1847, the son of a samurai. He studied Western art and Japanese art, aiming to become a great Ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artist. Kiyochika's prints were widely acclaimed because they depicted the early days of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), showing the manners, customs and buildings of the new Tokyo, centering on Ueno and Asakusa. His style was realistic, whilst at the same time making the most of the beauty of woodblock printing.
He died in 1915 at the age of 69.
04. Tomb of Katsushika Hokusai
Metropolitan Historic Site
Senkyo-ji Temple, 4 chome 6-9, Moto-asakusa
05. Copper Bell
Taito City Cultural Properties
Myōkyō-ji Temple, 2 chome 5-13, Moto-asakusa
Myōkyōji Temple was first founded in 1535 before being moved to its current location in 1611. The total height of this temples bell is 1.515 meters, making it a fairly typical example of copper bells produced between the 17th and 19th centuries. The craftsman who made the bell was Nishimura Masatoki, a 4th generation artist from the famous Edo Period (1600-1868) metal casting house of Nishimura.
06. Shitaya Shrine
3 chome 29-8, Higashi-ueno
According to tradition, Shitaya Shrine was originally built on the Ueno plateau in 730 and moved to the east foot in 1627 because of construction for the Kan-eiji Temple. However, since the land was small, it moved near its present location in 1680.
Shitaya Shrine was the guardian god of Shitaya area and was believed in widely. A part of this area therefore was named "Inari-chō" for "Shitaya Inari" which is the former name of this shrine in Edo Period.
The name was changed to "Shitaya Shrine" in 1872 and it moved to its present location for rezoning in 1928. A great Japanese-style painter Yokoyama Taikan who lived in Ikenohata drew pictures of clouds and dragons on the ceiling of the new main hall.
07. Choryuzan Honpo-ji Goan-nai
2 chome 9-7, Kotobuki
08. Hanashi Zuka
Honpo-ji Temple, 2 chome 9-7, Kotobuki
This mound was built during the Pacific war in 1941, at that time, comic storytellers were forced to eliminate some of comic stories from their program in theaters. They selected 53 comic stories about the pleasure quarters, sake, a mistress, etc. and announced that they would not play these subjects of comic stories anymore, thereby showing their attitude toward to wartime to the government. Some of comic stories abolished were "Akegarasu (A crow in the morning)", "Gonin mawashi (Rolling by five persons)" and "Miiratori (Mummy hunting)" which were said to be the masterpieces of Edo literature; however, these stories have never been played thereafter.
This mound was built in remembrance and memory of these masterpieces of comic stories and the deceased storytellers by the Rakugo association and all comic storytellers, etc. and scripts of the comic stories abolished were stored in the mound.
After the war, the revival festival of abolished plays was held in front of the mound in September 1946. Scripts of comic stories played in wartime are stored in the mound now instead of what was stored before.
09. Tomb of Kada no Arimaro
Metropolitan Historic Site
Kinryu-ji Temple, 2 chome 10-2, Kotobuki
10. Burial Site of Ninomiya Genka
Choen-ji Temple, 2 chome 2-3, Moto-asakusa
Genka Ninomiya was a high-profile medical doctor of the late Edo Period, who laid down the foundations of orthopedic surgery. He was born under the Okazaki Clan in Mikawa-no-kuni (Aichi Prefecture) in 1754 and moved to Iwami-no-kuni (Shimane Prefecture) due to the lord's relocation in 1769. After studying under doctors and scholars across the country and building a system of bonesetters, he made a great career in Edo and published "Seikotsuhan" in 1808, which is highly regarded as a classic in bonesetting. He died at the age of 74 in 1827. Genka Ninomiya's gravepost in Choen-ji Temple, Asakusa, was destroyed by fire during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923. So, he was reburied in Choen-ji's cemetery.