Thank you for this inspiring history lesson! That Shibusawa firmly believed “morality and economics were inseparable, and that the ultimate objective of business should be to serve the public good. His guiding principle can be summarized as: “public interest first, private profit second,” is sorely needed in current leaders worldwide.
I thought exactly the same thing. Originally, I had planned to mention Shibusawa only briefly, but it felt important to give him more space because his ideas are so relevant to our world today.
I had planned to write more about the people working in the factories, but that will be another article!
Very observant question! That is the Kaiunkyo Bridge (海運橋) over the Momijigawa River (楓川).
As it happens, this bridge is extremely important to this image because it dates it!
The Kaiunkyo was converted from wood to stone in June 1875 (Meiji 8), dating this image to between 1872 and 1875. The building was torn down in 1897 (Meiji 30).
There are quite a few photos of this building, but usually with a stone bridge. So, this photo is actually a bit rare. I am very proud to have it in my collection.
Thanks for asking! I love answering these kind of questions 😊
Thank you for that important lesson! Should have known that! The BoJ is at Tokiwabashi (常盤橋). I found a bit of information that puts this (海運橋) into more perspective. Would love to see a series on Edo-jo bridges and gates!
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Chuo Ward, which faces the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay, is made up of more than 18 percent water, making it the largest water area among Tokyo's 23 wards. Going back to the Edo and Meiji periods, when water transport supported the city's economy, canals were crisscrossed in all directions as routes for transporting goods from various countries, creating a space worthy of being called a "water city" that required a larger water area than it does today.
In the modern era, when the transportation of goods changed from water to rail and road, many canals that had outlived their usefulness were filled in during the process of urban reconstruction (reconstruction of the imperial capital after the Great Kanto Earthquake, reconstruction after the war, and preparations for the Tokyo Olympics).
One of these was the "Kaede River," which was filled in as part of road construction for the Tokyo Olympics, and the Metropolitan Expressway Inner Circular Route (currently about 1.2 kilometers from Edobashi JCT to Kyobashi JCT) runs over the former canal. Today, two "Kaiun Bridge Pillars" remain as remnants of a bridge that shows the remains of the Kaede River.
The "Kaiun Bridge" that spanned the Kaede River is marked as "Takahashi" on drawings from the early Edo period, and later drawings show names such as "Shogen Bridge" and "Kaizoku Bridge." The name of the bridge is thought to come from the fact that the mansion of Mukai Shogen, a pirate (and boatman after the establishment of the shogunate), was located at the east end of the river.
Furthermore, early Edo maps show that the mansions of the boatmen (subordinate officers of the wakadoshiyori responsible for storing and patrolling ships for the shogunate) (Mukai, Mamiya, Kuki, Obama, and Ogasawara) were located on the east bank of the Kaede River, suggesting that the area was a key point in the defense of Edo Castle.
The bridge was later renamed to the auspicious "Kaiun Bridge" in 1868, and was reconstructed into a stone arch bridge in 1869. In addition, the eastern end of the bridge was home to the First National Bank (the predecessor of Mizuho Bank), a pseudo-Western-style building that opened in 1873, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (the predecessor of the Tokyo Stock Exchange), which opened in 1878, and the appearance of the land changed dramatically.
The Kaiun Bridge, which was rebuilt in 1927 as a bridge to be used for reconstruction after the earthquake, was removed when the Kaede River was filled in, but only the stone main pillars (the ends of the balustrades) built in 1875 were preserved as a monument. Now that the bridge has been removed, it casually welcomes people passing by and tells the story of the past.
Chuo Ward Chief Cultural Property Research Instructor
A series on Edo-jo bridges and gates would be interesting. I'll have a look at that. I have to figure out how I would be able to do that as I focus on the period from the 1850s through 1960s.
I had no idea that Chuo Ward is the largest water area among Tokyo's 23 wards. Thanks for sharing. I will have to find out more about Masuyama-san!
This is what kept me awake and made me slow to respond to my emails. The full story is rather intricate and has lots of nuances, so it was quite challenging to distill its essence. It also took lots of digging to find all those numbers and get them right. Hooray for the National Diet Library!
I dug up a tons of additional fascinating tidbits. Hope to write that up a bit more quickly 😅
Osaka also used to have a lot of cotton farms, but this is not very well known anymore. And yes, Kurashiki also had cotton mills. Osaka was however Japan's cotton capital, with Toyobo becoming the world's largest cotton mill in the 1930s.
Incidentally, I love how the old town of Kurashiki has survived. It is such a wonderful place to stroll around in.
Knowing how a place developed over the years really brings it to life, doesn't it!
I lived and worked in Kansai for three decades before moving to Tokyo in 2011, and I wasn't aware that cotton played this crucial a role in the city. After all these years it makes me look anew at the city again. I love that. The city has so many varied aspects in its character.
Thank you for this inspiring history lesson! That Shibusawa firmly believed “morality and economics were inseparable, and that the ultimate objective of business should be to serve the public good. His guiding principle can be summarized as: “public interest first, private profit second,” is sorely needed in current leaders worldwide.
Thank you, Kristin!
I thought exactly the same thing. Originally, I had planned to mention Shibusawa only briefly, but it felt important to give him more space because his ideas are so relevant to our world today.
I had planned to write more about the people working in the factories, but that will be another article!
Great information and research! Thank you! Do you know which bridge is in the photo of the First National Bank of Japan? Is it the Tokiwamon?
Thanks!
Very observant question! That is the Kaiunkyo Bridge (海運橋) over the Momijigawa River (楓川).
As it happens, this bridge is extremely important to this image because it dates it!
The Kaiunkyo was converted from wood to stone in June 1875 (Meiji 8), dating this image to between 1872 and 1875. The building was torn down in 1897 (Meiji 30).
There are quite a few photos of this building, but usually with a stone bridge. So, this photo is actually a bit rare. I am very proud to have it in my collection.
Thanks for asking! I love answering these kind of questions 😊
Thank you for that important lesson! Should have known that! The BoJ is at Tokiwabashi (常盤橋). I found a bit of information that puts this (海運橋) into more perspective. Would love to see a series on Edo-jo bridges and gates!
————-
Chuo Ward, which faces the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay, is made up of more than 18 percent water, making it the largest water area among Tokyo's 23 wards. Going back to the Edo and Meiji periods, when water transport supported the city's economy, canals were crisscrossed in all directions as routes for transporting goods from various countries, creating a space worthy of being called a "water city" that required a larger water area than it does today.
In the modern era, when the transportation of goods changed from water to rail and road, many canals that had outlived their usefulness were filled in during the process of urban reconstruction (reconstruction of the imperial capital after the Great Kanto Earthquake, reconstruction after the war, and preparations for the Tokyo Olympics).
One of these was the "Kaede River," which was filled in as part of road construction for the Tokyo Olympics, and the Metropolitan Expressway Inner Circular Route (currently about 1.2 kilometers from Edobashi JCT to Kyobashi JCT) runs over the former canal. Today, two "Kaiun Bridge Pillars" remain as remnants of a bridge that shows the remains of the Kaede River.
The "Kaiun Bridge" that spanned the Kaede River is marked as "Takahashi" on drawings from the early Edo period, and later drawings show names such as "Shogen Bridge" and "Kaizoku Bridge." The name of the bridge is thought to come from the fact that the mansion of Mukai Shogen, a pirate (and boatman after the establishment of the shogunate), was located at the east end of the river.
Furthermore, early Edo maps show that the mansions of the boatmen (subordinate officers of the wakadoshiyori responsible for storing and patrolling ships for the shogunate) (Mukai, Mamiya, Kuki, Obama, and Ogasawara) were located on the east bank of the Kaede River, suggesting that the area was a key point in the defense of Edo Castle.
The bridge was later renamed to the auspicious "Kaiun Bridge" in 1868, and was reconstructed into a stone arch bridge in 1869. In addition, the eastern end of the bridge was home to the First National Bank (the predecessor of Mizuho Bank), a pseudo-Western-style building that opened in 1873, and the Tokyo Stock Exchange (the predecessor of the Tokyo Stock Exchange), which opened in 1878, and the appearance of the land changed dramatically.
The Kaiun Bridge, which was rebuilt in 1927 as a bridge to be used for reconstruction after the earthquake, was removed when the Kaede River was filled in, but only the stone main pillars (the ends of the balustrades) built in 1875 were preserved as a monument. Now that the bridge has been removed, it casually welcomes people passing by and tells the story of the past.
Chuo Ward Chief Cultural Property Research Instructor
Masuyama Kazunari
A series on Edo-jo bridges and gates would be interesting. I'll have a look at that. I have to figure out how I would be able to do that as I focus on the period from the 1850s through 1960s.
I had no idea that Chuo Ward is the largest water area among Tokyo's 23 wards. Thanks for sharing. I will have to find out more about Masuyama-san!
Nice work, very informative!
Thank you, Peter!
This is what kept me awake and made me slow to respond to my emails. The full story is rather intricate and has lots of nuances, so it was quite challenging to distill its essence. It also took lots of digging to find all those numbers and get them right. Hooray for the National Diet Library!
I dug up a tons of additional fascinating tidbits. Hope to write that up a bit more quickly 😅
I had always thought that Kurashiki was the home of cotton. Maybe just the place it was grown? though I know there were mills there too.
Kurashiki is good at promoting itself! 😉
Osaka also used to have a lot of cotton farms, but this is not very well known anymore. And yes, Kurashiki also had cotton mills. Osaka was however Japan's cotton capital, with Toyobo becoming the world's largest cotton mill in the 1930s.
Incidentally, I love how the old town of Kurashiki has survived. It is such a wonderful place to stroll around in.
This is the sort of thing I like learning.
I have a half written Less Known Japan post about Kojima which now needs a bit of correcting in the intro
Knowing how a place developed over the years really brings it to life, doesn't it!
I lived and worked in Kansai for three decades before moving to Tokyo in 2011, and I wasn't aware that cotton played this crucial a role in the city. After all these years it makes me look anew at the city again. I love that. The city has so many varied aspects in its character.