Koishikawa- Historic Charm and Industry Nurtured by Water - Dive in Tokyo

This time on Dive in Tokyo, we explore Koishikawa. It's a quiet residential neighborhood in the city center that remains rich in nature. It has deep historical roots connected to the Tokugawa family, which founded the Edo Shogunate. Oh dear, another slope. This is the town of slopes. The hilly terrain is defined by complex lowlands and plateaus. Nestled in the landscape is a botanical garden associated with the Tokugawa family, where visitors can enjoy classic views that have been preserved for centuries. I expected this to be a residential area, however, it seems there are so many factories here. We'll also discover 100-year-old bookbinding techniques cultivated along the banks of a river flowing through the lowlands. Join us as we unravel the history of Koishikawa. Koishikawa is located roughly 3 kilometers north of the Imperial Palace, which sits on the former site of Edo Castle. The area is served by four subway lines with easy access to Tokyo and Ikebukuro stations. It's home to several universities and other educational facilities and is a popular residential area for parents with young children. Hello, my name is Maria Laura Brandmann and I'm from Hamburg in Germany. I'm living in Tokyo for six years, however, this is the very first time I've been to a place called Koishikawa. Koishikawa is very different from the Tokyo I know. It's calm and peaceful and I heard that you can learn a lot about Japanese history. So let's dive into it. Maria is a history buff interested in Japan's past, in particular samurai warlords. She currently works at a Japanese bookstore. Our first stop today is one of Koishikawa's best-known spots. Wow, look at this building. It's so beautiful. Let's take a closer look. Denzuin, a Buddhist temple with over 400 years of history. It's associated with Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Edo shogunate. The shogun built a grave here for his mother, Odainokata, in 1603. It's huge. The biggest grave here is for Tokugawa Ieyasu's mother, Odainokata. It is said that when Tokugawa Ieyasu was young, he became a captive and had to leave his mother. However, Tokugawa Ieyasu always remembered his mother and gave her kimono and sweets. Tokugawa Ieyasu was loved by his mother. Tokugawa Ieyasu's mother, Odainokata, must have felt that Tokugawa Ieyasu was a grave and a temple for his mother So why did Ieyasu decide to bury his mother at this temple? At that time, there was a place called Gokurakusui in this neighborhood. Gokurakusui, literally paradise water, was a cherished resource that was used by many people for centuries. So he wanted to make this grave and return the love he received. That's right. That's wonderful. Denzuin became one of the family temples and burial places for women and children of the Tokugawa family. Thanks to the shogunate's support, the complex also developed as a sanctuary where monks could devote themselves to spiritual training. At its peak, it was one of the largest temples in Japan, housing around a thousand scholar monks on the grounds. At that time, there was a very talented monk called Takuzosu. He was right in front of us. There is a soba shop right in front of us now. The soba shop makes a profit from Takuzosu and offers soba noodles every day. It's said Takuzosu was a regular at this time-honored establishment, which was founded over 400 years ago. It turned out Takuzosu was a god in the guise of a monk, and thus he became the guardian deity of Denzuin in 1620. The practice of offering soba to Takuzosu began around that time. Each morning, the restaurant dedicates the first batch of freshly boiled noodles with gratitude and prayers for business prosperity. They've upheld this daily ritual for over 400 years. The first thing we ask of our customers is that they eat our soba noodles every morning. That's the rule of this restaurant. Itadakimasu! Oh, this is so delicious! This is so good! I'm eating soba in a shop that is around more than 400 years. I think this feeling has to sink in. But it's amazing. Koishikawa is a town defined by slopes. Here's a woodblock print made in the mid-1800s. It depicts a group of people scrambling to pick up oranges scattered along a steep incline. The hilly terrain was a part of local life. Look, this is a very cute sign. From now on it's very steep, so the sign says that we should help each other. I think this is a very cute idea. Koishikawa's slopes were carved out of plateaus by a series of streams, resulting in many intricate valleys. The high ground offered a spectacular view of Mount Fuji, immortalized in this woodblock print by renowned ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai. There's a botanical garden that was designed to nestle within the landscape. Wow, that's amazing! There's so many different kinds of plants. Konnichiwa! The garden is headed by botanist Tsukaya Hirokazu. There are so many different kinds of plants and trees. I thought it was like a novel. Has this garden been around for a long time? Yes, this is the oldest botanical garden in Japan, with a history of about 300 years. Koishikawa Botanical Garden covers an area of roughly 160,000 square meters. The grounds, which stretch across low-lying areas and upland, have been designated a special historic site. Doesn't it feel a bit German? Yes, it does. I like forests, but I feel like I'm being watched over by trees. I really like that feeling. The oldest part of the garden sits in a low-lying area. This is a typical Japanese garden. Wow, the atmosphere is completely different. It's a new world. Yes. It's beautiful. There are also animals. Yes, there's a turtledove. A turtledove. It's very spacious. It used to be a bit low, but now it's low. It's beautiful, isn't it? Yes, this area used to be part of the Daimyo Residence, but this area used to belong to the son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, Tsunayoshi. At that time, a Japanese garden was built, and it has a history of over 200 years. There's a reason this garden was created in a lowland. That's the side entrance. This is the side entrance. The water flows out from here. This is the boundary between the ground and the ground, so the water that flows through the ground comes out from the ground here. I see. When it comes to spring water, it's important to have a pond in the garden, so it's used here. This is where the herbs were collected. This is where the herbs were collected when Tsunayoshi became the Shogun. Prior to that, many medicinal herbs had been imported from overseas. Later, the 8th Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, who had a deep interest in medicine, expanded the herb garden to cover the entire grounds. Today, about 120 species that were cultivated at the time are on display here. Gardenia, used to reduce fever. Japanese silverleaf, known as a remedy for eczema. This is a plant called Goshu. It's a medicinal plant that's been around since the Edo period. It was imported from Japan in 1720, and it's a herb. It's getting more and more popular, so they increased it and distributed it all over Japan. It's still alive. So it's been around for a long time. This is a well. It's a well. How was it used? In 1722, a well was built here. It was a treatment well. It was free of charge. That's how the treatment well was built. The medicine was prescribed here, and the medicine was made here. That's how it was used. This is the site of the treatment center. Back then, many people couldn't afford to see a doctor, so Tokugawa Yoshimune built a government-sanctioned free clinic here. In the early 20th century, the well served a different purpose. After the Great Kanto Earthquake, this area became a 100-year-old field. At that time, this was an evacuation center. It was also used for the lives of many people who had evacuated. So it was used to save lives. By the second half of the 19th century, the medicinal herb garden became affiliated with the University of Tokyo, serving as a vital hub of botanical research. The main building houses many valuable historical materials. There are so many shelves. I can't even reach the top. The files are so thick. There are a lot of specimens here, and they are sorted by plant type. Let's open this. Wow, that's amazing. This is the Tanpopo. It says it was collected in Tokyo. It's from 1893. It's more than 200 years old. That's impressive. If this is a picture or a photo, you can't even reach it. But the name is still there, so you can take a DNA sample. You can also use your current analysis skills here. That's right. When you think of Tokyo, you think of buildings and concrete. But by having a large green space here, you can provide services provided by nature. I think it's a great contribution to the area. It's a relaxing atmosphere. Thank you. Please come again. In the second half of the 19th century, Koishikawa entered a new phase of its development. I'm Maria. Inatomi Shigeru is well-versed in the local history. If you look this way, it's a hill. If you look that way, it's a hill. It's a hill. Right now, we're in a valley between Koishikawa and Hakusan. We're around here. There's a relaxing river here. There was plenty of water, so there were many paddy fields around here. A river once flowed through this valley, but heavy rains led to repeated flooding, and about 90 years ago, it was redirected underground. The road is twisted. The old river used to flow like this. So this road used to be a river? Yes, it used to be a paddy field. But factories were built, and people started living around here. This is a dye factory. It's still open. I'd like you to come and talk to me. Hello. Uchida Mitsuharu is the third-generation owner. Why was this place chosen? My grandfather came to Tokyo, and there were a few dye factories along the river. He trained at one of them, and opened a shop here. Dyeing requires water, so he probably washed clothes after dyeing. You have to wash clothes after dyeing, right? Yes. This is Koishikawa's only remaining dyeing factory. Founded in 1909, they've been refining their craft for over a century, and take pride in the unique beauty of handmade products. What we're doing here is gradation. This time, it's not dyeing, it's coloring. It's called a gradation bleach. It's a product that's originally dyed black, but this time, it's colored only on the hem, so you can enjoy the color change. It's dyed from white. It's a beautiful gradation. It's originally gray, but it's dyed green and black. There's a little bit of work involved, so you can see the individual differences. It's like a different flavor. I'm looking forward to it. I hope the customers will enjoy it, too. This is a big printing company. When the printing company was established, printing factories and companies were built along this road. In 1998, seeking ample space, they opened a factory along the river. The massive facility was said to be the largest in East Asia, and its presence led other affiliated factories to set up in the neighborhood. Today, there are over 400 printing-related businesses in Bunkyo Ward, where Koishikawa is located, making it a significant local industry. That includes bookbinding. Yokota Shigeru has been in the bookbinding business for over 50 years. Paper folding is the first step in bookbinding. Large printed sheets are aligned in an orderly stack and folded in a specific order. The delivered data is printed with multiple pages on a single sheet. They're arranged on both sides with the folding process in mind. Next, 5, 4, 12, 13. Next, 8, 9. This is 16. Slice away the edge and... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. It's done. We've finished paper folding. What's next? Just a two-minute walk away is a factory belonging to Shimakawa Kenji, whom Yokota's been working with for over 20 years. This is where the final steps are completed. The folded pages are bound together with the cover. How many pages are there? Just one. I've never seen that before. Yokota's folding factory was right next door. Do you get any benefits from it? We get a lot of help from it. If it's true, we'd have to bring it by car. It's easy to deal with small details. It's easy to deal with problems. What do you mean by that? It's easy to communicate. A lot of people work together There are many stages. I think that's great. Books are part of a culture. I don't want to lose that culture. I want to make good books Hello! Finally, we visit a local factory that's trying something new. Niizato Tomoyuki is the third generation owner. For over 90 years, this company has specialized in hardcover bookbinding. Five years ago, they launched their own brand, featuring hardbound notebooks and diaries with covers made from wallpaper, plastic, and more, in the spotlight. What we're working on right now is this tweed fabric. It's so cute! It's a notebook or diary. These diaries, which feature tweed fabric designed for high fashion, have been a hit with young customers. It's a high-end fabric, so we make them one by one by hand. I'm going to start now. It's a time-intensive process, and they can only produce about 50 of these per day. I'm so happy! Look at this! This is amazing! It looks like out from a fairy tale. I think when you have this kind of notebook, you're the most fashionable girl on the planet. This is a diary. You can read other people's stories, but you can also write your own story in this unique design. That's right. It's analog, so you can hold it in your hand and change the fabric outside to preserve the culture. That's how we make this system. Today, I experienced Koishikawa for the very first time, and it was such an exciting experience. On one hand, you have this spiritual layer with the temples and the historical sites as well. In recent years, the river played an important role for the development of the industry of Japan. So I hope that someday, I will get the opportunity to come back to Koishikawa and to learn even more about this very unique place and about the many different layers.