Exploring Japanese Landmarks in Nishiki-e and Photographs

Hongo / University of Tokyo

The origin of the area name is assumed to be from the fact that it was the Yushima Hongo, meaning the center of Yushima. The area had a large number of temples and shrines as well as samurai residences, and the spacious Kaga Clan residence became the grounds for The University of Tokyo at the start of the Meiji Era, and the ruins of the Gojyuden-mon Gate (red gate) still remain. This was permitted to be constructed for the family into which the daughter of the Shogun married, and was constructed in 1827, when Yohime, the daughter of the 11th Shogun Ienari, married into the Maeda family. This was near the Nakasendo highway and the area quickly became an area with many residences and shops, and there were a large number of restaurants, bamboo and lumber shops. During 1716-36, the doctor Kaneyasu Sukeyoshi opened a drugstore and haberdashery in Hongo 3 chome and was very successful.