
is an area in
Shinjuku,
Tokyo
Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, that previously was a ward (四谷区 ''Yotsuya-ku'') in the now-defunct
Tokyo City. In 1947, when the 35 wards of Tokyo were reorganized into 23, it was merged with
Ushigome ward of Tokyo City and
Yodobashi suburban ward of
Tokyo-fu 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 a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
, 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; 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
Yotsuya Station.
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 Tokugawa Tsunayoshi 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
file:Autumn colors in Showa memorial park.jpg, 250px, Showa Memorial Park
is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western Tokyo, western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 househ ...
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 (, ), affiliated with the Embassy of South Korea, is inside.
Education

The Shinjuku City (the Shinjuku Ward) Board of Education (新宿区教育委員会) operates public elementary and junior high schools.
Most portions of Yotsuya are zoned to Yotsuya Elementary School (
四谷小学校), which is in Yotsuya 2-chōme. Sections zoned to Yotsuya ES include all of 1 and 2-chōme and portions of 3 and 4-chōme. The remainder of Yotsuya 3 and 4-chōme are zoned to Yotsuya 6th (Dairoku) Elementary School (四谷第六小学校) in
Daikyōchō. All sections of Yotsuya, 1 to 4-chōme included, are zoned to Yotsuya Junior High School (
四谷中学校) in Yotsuya 1-chōme.
[ - Yotsuya is listed under "よ", with the chōme delineated.]
Most area public high schools are operated by the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
File:Yotsuya_Elementary_School-1.jpg, Yotsuya Elementary School ( 四谷小学校)
Notable people
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 notable residents include:
*
Futabatei Shimei, author
*
San'yūtei Enchō, writer and ''
rakugoka''
In fiction
Yotsuya has figured prominently in various works of fiction. The
kabuki
is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
play ''
Yotsuya Kaidan'' took place there, as did the novel ''Teisō Mondō'' by
Kan Kikuchi. Yotsuya was the setting for the
Shōtarō Ikenami historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...
''Kenkaku Shōbai'' and the ''
jidaigeki
is a genre of film, television, and theatre in Japan. Literally meaning "historical drama, period dramas", it refers to stories that take place before the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
''Jidaigeki'' show the lives of the samurai, farmers, crafts ...
'' television series based on it. It was also featured in the novel
Norwegian Wood by
Haruki Murakami.
References
External links
Shinjuku City official site
{{Authority control
Neighborhoods of Tokyo
Districts of Shinjuku