is a neighborhood in Shinjuku,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan. It is a former ward (四谷区 ''Yotsuya-ku'') in the now-defunct

Tokyo City was a municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo-fu which existed from 1 May 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on 1 July 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by the Special Wards of Tokyo. The new merged gove ...

. In 1947, when the 35 wards of Tokyo were reorganized into 23, it was merged with

Ushigome is the name of a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and a former ward (牛込区 ''Ushigome-ku'') in the now-defunct Tokyo City. In 1947, when the 35 wards of Tokyo were reorganized into 23, it was merged with Yotsuya ward of Tokyo City and Yodoba ...

ward of Tokyo City and Yodobashi suburban ward of

Tokyo-fu Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

to form the modern Shinjuku ward.

Geography

Yotsuya is located in the southeastern part of Shinjuku. Prior to 1943, when Tokyo was still a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, Yotsuya was one of its wards and had definite boundaries, but it is less clearly defined today. Yotsuya is generally defined as coinciding with the jurisdiction of the Shinjuku City Yotsuya Branch Office and the Yotsuya Police Station, which includes most of Shinjuku east of Meiji-dōri and south of Yasukuni-dōri. To the east lies the neighborhoods of Banchō in Chiyoda. For addressing purposes, the name Yotsuya is used for a part of Shinjuku located immediately west of

Yotsuya Station is a railway station in the Yotsuya district of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, operated jointly by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Tokyo Metro. Several parts of the station are also located in the Rokubancho and Kojimachi neighborhoods of C ...

; it is divided into four '' chōme''.

History

Before the growth of Edo, Yotsuya was a farming village outside the city. In 1634, with the digging of the outer moat around Edo Castle, many temples and shrines moved to Yotsuya. The moat had stone walls, and a ''mitsuke,'' or watch tower, was also built. Yotsuya Mitsuke stood near the present-day

. The relocation of the temples and construction of the ''mitsuke'' brought settlements of workers, and following the devastating Meireki fire, many more people moved to Yotsuya, which had been spared. Gradually the area became part of the city of Edo. In 1695, the

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamak ...

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...

ordered the establishment of a vast kennel. The purpose was to board stray dogs as part of his policy of showing mercy to animals. The facility outside the Yotsuya Gate occupied . Yotsuya developed rapidly due to its central location. In 1894, the Kōbu Railway, predecessor of the present-day Chūō Line, extended its existing railway line between Shinjuku and Tachikawa to Ushigome and opened Yotsuya and Shinanomachi stations. The railway enabled the easy transport of raw materials into the area; soon, pencil, tobacco and other industries moved in and began Yotsuya's rapid industrial development.

Culture

Many historic temples and graves are located in Yotsuya. Among them are Sainen-ji, where the grave of the ninja Hattori Hanzō and his lance are interred. The Korea Center is located in Yotsuya, and the Korea Education Institution ( ko, 동경한국교육원, ja, 東京韓国教育院), affiliated with the Embassy of South Korea, is inside.

Famous persons

Prime Minister Saito Makoto lived in Yotsuya. He was assassinated at his home on February 26, 1936. This was one of the events of the February 26 Incident. Other famous residents, past and present, include: * Futabatei Shimei, author *

San'yūtei Enchō was a Japanese author and rakugo performer of the late Edo and early Meiji eras. Notable works include Japanese horror (" kaidan") classics: ''Kaidan botan dōrō'' (based on , and '' Shincho Kasane ga Fuchi'' (on which many Japanese horror f ...

, writer and '' rakugoka''

Yotsuya in fiction

Yotsuya has figured prominently in various works of fiction. The

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is though ...

play '' Yotsuya Kaidan'' took place there, as did the novel ''Teisō Mondō'' by

Kan Kikuchi , also known as Kan Kikuchi (which uses the same kanji as his real name), was a Japanese author. He established the publishing company Bungeishunjū, the monthly magazine Bungeishunjū (magazine), of the same name, the Japan Writer's Association ...

. Yotsuya was the setting for the

Shōtarō Ikenami was a Japanese author. He wrote a number of historical novels. He won the Naoki Award for popular literature in 1960. Many of his historical novels were adapted for TV and cinema. Early life Born on January 25, 1923 in Sintencho, Asakusa-ku, ...

historical novel ''Kenkaku Shōbai'' and the ''

jidaigeki is a genre of film, television, video game, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "period dramas", they are most often set during the Edo period of Japanese history, from 1603 to 1868. Some, however, are set much earlier—'' Portrait of H ...

'' television series based on it. It was also featured in the novel Norwegian Wood by

Haruki Murakami is a Japanese writer. His novels, essays, and short stories have been bestsellers in Japan and internationally, with his work translated into 50 languages and having sold millions of copies outside Japan. He has received numerous awards for his ...

References

External links

Shinjuku City official site

{{Authority control Neighborhoods of Tokyo Shinjuku