# Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan/Series 1/Volume 1/The Streets and Street-names of Yedo

THE STREETS AND STREET-NAMES OF YEDO.
BY
PROFESSOR W. E. GRIFFIS.
Read before the Asiatic Society of Japan,
on the 14th December, 1872.
———o———
“The streets still re-echo the names of the trees of the forest, As if they fain would appease the Dryads whose haunts they molested.”
We should perhaps make an apology for selecting so homely a subject as that which we bring before this cultured audience this evening. Let us see what may be learned from the street-names of the capital of the city of Japan, and how much light they throw upon the national character and history.
In the first place, we find an almost total absence of the names of great battle-fields, or places of victory, and indeed of nearly everything betokening military glory. Notwithstanding that Japan has been the theatre of conflict for many centuries, so that war may be said to have been the normal, and peace the exceptional condition of its inhabitants, and notwithstanding the invasion, conquest, and long possession of Corea, it does not seem to have been the custom to record the names of battles or of victory in the street-names of the capital, as is the custom in Europe and America. Yet the reason is evident. Notwithstanding long civil wars and occasional warlike excursions, the natives of Japan delight to call their country the “Land of Great Peace,” and a successful invasion of Japan has not yet been made. With the exception of Corea, Japan has been almost entirely without foreign enemies. For obvious reasons, none of the great victories gained by Japanese heroes over their own countrymen have found a monument in the street nomenclature of Yedo. It would have been unwise policy in the great unifier of Japan, Iyeyasŭ, to have given to the streets in the capital of a nation, finally united in peaceful union, any name that would be a constant source of humiliation, that would keep alive bitter memories, or that would irritate freshly-healed wounds. The anomalous absence of such names proves at once the sagacity of Iyeyasŭ, and is another witness to the oft-repeated policy used by the Japanese in treating their enemies, i.e., to conquer them by kindness and conciliation.
In the second place we have noticed that very few of the national heroes or really great men of Japan ​are remembered in the street nomenclature of Yedo. Such a fact is significant, when we remember that the cities of Europe and America in their street names, give us, in many instances, excellent catalogues of their national heroes, statesmen, and scholars. In Yedo, the name of the warrior-emperor Hachiman is borne by several streets, usually by those which pass in front of, or issue from the shrines dedicated to Hachiman, who is also the god of war. Various individuals have had their own names transferred to streets, or have named them themselves, but these persons were mostly men of no renown, or at least of merely local fame; good, honest or wealthy nobodies, of whom no history speaks, and who were unknown except to their own friends and neighbours, and perhaps not heard of beyond the smoke of their own dwellings. Several famous wrestlers have been honoured by having streets called after them, likewise several priests and nuns. A fencing-master, who appears as the central hero in one true narrative, and in a small host of romances, is celebrated among the people for having followed through many years and provinces the murderer of his father, whom he at last killed. He points the moral and adorns several of the many tales of Japanese revenge, which form the literary pabulum of the little children of Japan. The street which is named after him is Kanda Miyamoto.
While speaking of persons, it may be mentioned that near Niphon Bashi, is the street formerly called Anjin cho, after Will Adams, of whom we have read before, and whose sepulchre, thanks to the zeal of a recent discoverer, is known to be with us to this day. Near by Anjin cho, though we cannot vouch for the truth of the statement, was another street, called Yayosugashi; which, as I have been informed by several natives, is the Japanese-Dutch for the name of a Hollander employed in the service of the Shogun at the same time with Adams.
Knowing the populous character of the Pantheon of Japan, we might expect to find many streets called after the popular deities. Only a comparatively small number, ​however, have received their names from this source, and even in such cases the streets take their names from temples situated in them. Two or three streets are named after the dragon; which, considering how omnipresent are the pictures of this fabulous ugliness on all things Japanese, is a noteworthily small number.
The chief idea prominent in the nomenclature of the streets of Yedo exhibits that trait of Japanese character which enters so largely into the national temperament—the passionate love of nature and natural scenery. Their beautiful country at once creates and satisfies their love of nature’s beauty, and this feeling finds expression even in the street names. The latest official directory of Tokei contains the names of 1371 streets proper, and fully two-thirds of these have names derived from natural objects.
Since the peerless mountain is visible from many points, we are not surprised to find two “Fuji-san viewing” streets, and one “Suruga Cho.” ‘Willow,’ ‘Pine,’ ‘Stone,’ ‘Field’ and ‘Bamboo’ streets are numbered by scores. We have a ‘Pine’ St. in nearly every one of the ninety-six subdivisions of the city. It may be ‘N.,’ ‘S.,’ ‘E.,’ or ‘W.’ ‘Pine.’ It may be ‘Front,’ ‘Side,’ ‘Rear,’ ‘Side,’ ‘Temple-facing,’ or ‘Hill-facing’ ‘Pine.’ Now it is ‘Long Pine,’ anon ‘Little Pine,’ ‘Pine-foot,’ ‘Pine Branch,’ ‘Boat Pine,’ ‘Old Pine,’ ‘Young Pine,’ ‘New Pine,’ and so on, with many others. The willow, at one time, must have been a very common tree in Yedo, if we may judge from the number of streets called after it. All varieties and forms of bamboo flourish in the street nomenclature. Other specimens of botanical names are ‘Mushroom, ‘Rice,’ ‘Rush,’ ‘Wild Cherry’ (Sakura), ‘Cedar’ (Cryptomeria), ‘Wormwood’ (Artemesia), ‘Peony,’ ‘Chrysanthemum’ and ‘Hollyhock.’ As a kind of supplement to these, are ‘Bouquet,’ ‘Sunny,’ ‘Morning Sun,’ ‘Sun-shade,’ ‘Grassy,’ ‘Double Root,’ ‘Mist,’ ‘Mound,’ ‘Pure Water, ‘Due Month,’ ‘Plum Orchard,’ which in some cases have their names duplicated and triplicated.
Zoological names are not absent, as the following will ​show. We have ‘Tortoise,’ ‘Monkey,’ ‘Stork,’ ‘Badger,’ ‘Falcon,’ ‘Shark,’ ‘Bear,’ ‘Goose Nest,’ ‘Red Feather,’ ‘Young Pheasant,’ ‘Crow’s Grove,’ ‘Twenty Horses’ and ‘Clam’ streets; with many others of the same nature, the names of which occur several times in various parts of the city.
Next to natural objects in respect to number, are the names of indispensable articles used in everyday life. In a country where the houses are almost universally built of wood timber is almost as necessary as food, and we are not surprised to find in Yedo, more than a score of ‘Timber’ streets. ‘File’ ‘Pot,’ ‘Kettle’ and ‘Table,’ etc., repeat their names several times. ‘Salt’ street is a very common one, and the same is the case with ‘Norimono,’ ‘Wheel,’ ‘Indigo,’ ‘Mat,’ ‘Fan,’ ‘Kitchen,’ ‘Hair Pin,’ ‘Charcoal,’ and ‘Leather,’ streets. There are several ‘Net’ and many ‘Fish,’ etc., the latter of which may be ‘Fresh,’ ‘Roasted,’ or ‘Plain.’ Of ‘Calamus,’ ‘ Oil,’ ‘Gum,’ and ‘Pantry,’ streets, these is one each. ‘Three Hats,’ ‘Sweeping,’ and ‘Cabinet’ streets are known, and we almost detect an attempt to be funny, in the name given to certain streets like our courts, which have an entrance, but no outlet. These ‘blind-alleys’ are called ‘Bag’ streets.
As regards trades, ‘Carpenter, ‘Blacksmith,’ and ‘Dyer,’ are the names most repeated, though there are also ‘Sawyer,’ ‘Jockey,’ ‘Farmer,’ ‘Coolie,’ and ‘Sailor’ streets.
What weapons were used by the warriors of Old Japan, are told us in the street names of Yedo. We have ‘Armour, ‘Helmet,’ ‘Arrow,’ ‘Bow,’ ‘Quiver,’ ‘Spear,’ ‘Sheath,’ and ‘Arrow-arsenal’ streets.
Not to particularize to a wearisome extent, we shall mention but a few others: ‘Row of Trees,’ ‘Same Friend,’ ‘Flower River,’ ‘Farmer’s Lot,’ ‘One Colour,’ ‘Spirit Cave,’ ‘Peaceful, ‘Exit,’ ‘Congratulation,’ ‘King’s Hand’ (checkmate), ‘Reaping Hook,’ ‘Lacquer,’ ‘Flock of Sparrows,’ ‘True Stone,’ ‘Myriad,’ ‘Brocade,’ ‘Cash,’ ‘Mint,’ ‘Silver Coin Mint,’ ‘Abounding ​Gladness,’ ‘New Bloom,’ ‘Treasure Mountain,’ ‘Storehouse,’ ‘Tori I’ (‘Birdrest,’ or temple portal), ‘Shrine Row,’ ‘Aqueduct,’ ‘Mountain Breeze,’ ‘Tomb-door,’ ‘Blue Mountain,’ ‘Monkey-music,’ (name of an old comedy), ‘Mioga,’ (Name of a disciple of Buddha, stupid, and of feeble memory; hence the name of an edible vegetable said to cause forgetfulness in the mind of the eater), ‘Rich Bluff,’ ‘Conjugal Love,’ ‘Finger Valley,’ etc.
Some of the wells in Yedo, besides being noted above others, have given names to streets; we have ‘Bear’s well,’ ‘Dyer’s well,’ ‘Rock well,’ ‘Wild well,’ etc. Many other streets are named from the guard-gate at which octroi was taken, and passports were examined. A few of them take their names from the bridges over which they extend.
After all the curious and suggestive bits of information that may be gained by a study of the street-nomenclature of Yedo, we must acknowledge that it exhibits in its frequent repetitions of the same names a poverty and lack of variety that can scarcely be explained except by assigning as a reason, what is in reality the fact; viz., that Yedo, like London or Philadelphia, was originally not one homogeneous city, but has become, in course of time, from the gradual agglomeration of many villages, a homogenous city. Indeed, this seems to be the order of history, and the law of growth, of almost every large city. At the present time the jurisdiction of Tokei Fu extends over 120 villages which are considered as integral parts of Tokei. Originally the villages, which were finally ossified together, were more or less distant from each other, the extreme distance being as high as twelve miles. The inhabitants of each village developed for themselves, as their needs arose, a system of street nomenclature; which being the reflection of their life, surroundings and necessities, was, in each case, independent; and yet in the totality, from the nature of the case, these were identical. ‘Timber Street,’ ‘Carpenter Street,’ ‘Pine Street,’ ‘Willow Street,’ ‘Bamboo Street,’ would naturally be the first names. Then when a second ‘ ​Timber Street,’ would be laid out, the former one would be called ‘First,’ or ‘Original’ ‘Timber Street,’ and the succeeding namesakes would be dubbed ‘N.,’ ‘S.,’ ‘E.,’ ‘W.,’ ‘Front,’ ‘Rear,’ ‘Timber Street,’ as the case might be. When all these villages agglutinated together, there would he several scores of ‘Timber,’ ‘Blacksmith,’ ‘Pine,’ and ‘Willow’ streets; just as in London were formerly, and perhaps are now, hundreds of ‘Prince,’ ‘King,’ and ‘Queen’ streets. In speaking of one of the many ‘Pine’ streets in Yedo, the name of the old village or district, or the new subdivision in which it is situated, must be mentioned to distinguish it from the others.
The names of Japanese streets are not marked on conspicuous sign-boards, as in European cities. Before each house, over the doorway, is pasted a slip of paper containing the name of the householder, the numbers and sexes of his family and household, the number of the house and the name of the street. At present the custom is coming in vogue of nailing up on the corners of the streets small boards containing the names of the streets and the numbers of the division or ward, and subdivision or precinct, of the neighbourhood. In many places, especially in the unbuilt or newly surveyed portions, small stakes, marked as above, are driven into the ground, and act as guide-posts. In directing a letter we must write the name of the person, street and number, the ward and precinct, and to avoid all mistake, the ancient name of the neighbourhood. These names are still tenaciously retained in the mouths of the people.
Iyeyasŭ made Yedo, then a comparatively insignificant town, his capital, about the year 1600. He gave new names to several of the principal streets, naming them after those in Shidzuō, but does not seem to have made any great municipal changes, and the street nomenclature of Yedo remained, with scarcely any variations, until after the civil war, six years ago. The name Yedo (ye ‘river’ or ‘bay ; and do, door’) was changed to Tokei (to, ​east; kei, capital), and every name borrowed from Shidzuōka, or which could in any way recall the former power and glory of the house of Tokugawa was expunged, and new names were substituted. Some changes for the better were also made at this time. Many of the long streets having, as was formerly the case, a large number of local names given to their various parts, were called by a single name throughout their entire length, or else by the names, first section, second section, etc. About one-sixth of the street names were altered by this late act of the government, and it is of the streets of Tokei, and not of Yedo, that we have been speaking; that is, of the streets of the capital of Japan, as they exist now. The Japanese no longer recognize any such place as Yedo, and do not use the word. Foreigners, however, will very probably retain permanently the name Yedo.
The oldest part of the city of Yedo is the street called Temma Cho (Pack-horse [relay] street). Here, in ancient times, was one of the numerous traveller’s stations on the route from the northern provinces to the southern. In the villages containing relays of horses, coolies, kagos, etc., the Daimios and lesser folk could rest or lodge, obtain entertainment for man and beast, and fresh reinforcements of either. At the present day the people born in the immediate neighborhood of Temma Cho, boast, with pride, their birth in the oldest part of Japan’s capital, believing themselves to be therefore, Japanese of the Japanese, of specially pure blood, and peculiary, children of the Empire of the Rising Sun. The oldest avenue, or large street is called the Tori, which begins at Shinagawa. From Shinagawa, the southern suburb, to Suji Kai Go Mon, (Gate of the Inclined Plane) which is a little north of the centre of the city, the Tori or Main street has, beside its general name, at least thirty local designations. Along the Tori and the districts for a considerable distance east and west of it, throughout its length, is the chief business quarter of the city. Within the immense space of the castle were the residences of the large daimios and their retainers. The fortifications of the castle ​are, to this day, not so much walls of defence against enemies, as stone lines of demarcation between the merchants and the samurai. The general term for all people in Japan, who are not samurai, or of the privileged classes, is cho-nin (“street-man.”)
In treating of the thoroughfares of Yedo, the water communications must not be forgotten. By a glance at the map it will be seen that these are considerable in every quarter of the city. It is possible for a boat from Yokohama, or from the interior, to convey goods to almost any point within the castle moats, excepting points on the western side, and to many places in the northern and southern portions of the city. In the district called Fukugawa and Honjo, the canals are especially numerous.
Formerly, the city was divided into thirty districts or wards. At present, by an act of the Government, which went into effect the year before last (1871), the city is divided into six large divisions, each containing sixteen subdivisions. Formerly each street, or section of it, was under the superintendence of a petty officer, or monitor, who lived in the street over which he exercised supervision. Over these monitors, a ward officer, with assistants presided. The house-holders were grouped together into fives, one of them being accountable for the others, and all acting as spies and checks upon each other. Under this system it was usually an easy matter to fix the responsibility of the origin of a conflagration, theft, riot, etc., upon the real offender. Every ward was surrounded either by canals, walls, or fences; the entrance to which were closed by guard gates. In case of disturbances of any kind, it was comparatively easy to shut the gates, and confine the infection of disease, riot, etc., to a single ward. At present the old system of municipal government having been done away, the city is governed by a body of about 3,500 policemen, who are of two grades; the one being that of the simple constable, and the other being invested to a very limited degree with the powers of a magistrate. The basis of the organization, division and local duties of this force, is the same as that of the divisions of the city, ​there being ninety-six station houses in the various parts of the city. We hazard the belief that there is no other city in the world in which the public peace and order are better kept, or in which the safety of the inhabitants is better secured.
The streets of Yedo are in general wide and spacious, and are kept well repaired. They are usually straight, and run between opposite cardinal points of the compass. Within the castle, the avenues, especially along the moats, were originally made for the spectacular displays of feudalism, and though the Daimios’ trains no longer glitter and impress the mind of spectators with scenic effect the wide avenues on which these glories of a bygone age were once displayed, still remain to adorn the great city which is the capital of new Japan.
* ↑ Fuji-san, or Fuji no yama, is situated in the province of Suruga.
* ↑ Shidzuôka is the present name of the ancient city of Fu Chu, once the Shôgun’s capital.