Kundanzaka (Kudan Slope), Tokyo, c. 1910.



1910sHistoric DistrictNotable Landmark
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Kudan Ascent, Tokyo, c. 1910.

Kudan Ascent, Tokyo, c. 1910. Looking east from the summit, toward Ochanomizu. At left is the toudai (lighthouse) built in 1871. In the distance, faintly right of center, can be seen the dome of the Nikolai Russian Orthodox Cathedral at Ochanomizu.

See also:
Yasukuni Shrine at Kudan, c. 1910
Kaikosha of Kudansakaue, Tokyo, c. 1910.
“A View of a Lighthouse from the Bentenbashi Riverbank”, Yokohama, c. 1910.

“Kudan Hill, with its famous shrine and museum, stands at the northwest corner of the Palace grounds, in Kojimachi-ku, and is one of the most interesting as well as elevated spots in the city. Approaching it along the wide, populous, and upward-sloping Kudan-zaka – the Broadway of Kanda Ward – one reaches the crest of the hill at the Tayasu-mon [gate] of the Palace, where the barracks (the noon gun is fired here) of the Imperial bodyguard is located.

“The bizarre building just across the roadway, with a stone lighthouse in the yard, is a Military Club; the beacon was long a guiding light for the junks which sailed up Yedo Bay. The views over the city from the point are fine.”

Terry’s Japanese Empire, Including Korea and Formosa, Thomas Philip Terry, 1919

The tomyodai (lighthouse) and, at left, the Kaikosha (officer's club) at Kudanzaka, c. 1910.

The tomyodai (lighthouse) and, at left, the Kaikosha (officer’s club) at Kudanzaka, c. 1910.

“In the Edo Period, there was a big hill that led up from Iidamachi. Keeping in mind the Yamanote [mountain hand] vs. Shitamachi [low city] geographical dynamic of Tokyo, Iidamchi was a shitamachi town for commoners; the top of the hill was a yamanote area for samurai. Originally, the hill’s name was Iidamachi Nakazaka. The shōgunate built a residence for officials who were working in nearby Edo Castle. The pitch of the hill was so steep that it had to be reinforced with stone walls and nine steps of stairs and the hill came to be called ‘Kudanzaka’, the Nine-Levels Hill.

“After the Restoration in 1868, the daimyo were evicted and all the shōgun’s holdings in Edo were confiscated by the Imperial court. The Edo-era Kudan residences were either demolished or repurposed, and the top of the hill was cleared for the construction of two new important structures.

“The first to be built was Yasukuni Shrine, the national shrine built atop Kudanzaka to enshrine those who had died fighting in service of the emperor during the Boshin War (1868-1869). The second was the tōmyōdai, a lighthouse built in 1871 to help safely guide fishing boats into Tōkyō Bay and to showcase Japan’s growing mastery of foreign technology.”

– From JapanThis!

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3 thoughts below on “Kundanzaka (Kudan Slope), Tokyo, c. 1910.

  1. Pingback: Yasukuni Shrine at Kudan, Tokyo, c. 1910 | Old Tokyo

  2. Pingback: Modern Lighthouse, c. 1930. | Old Tokyo

  3. Pingback: Statue of Omura Masujiro at Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo, c. 1920. | Old Tokyo

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