Since old times many people have come to visit Asakusa to see the shrine. Because it is a temple for commoners it has always been a downtown associated with more obscenity rather than holiness.
For example, during the Edo period, stretched around the Temple were small wooden plaques on which people would write their prayers. On the wooden plaques was an opportunity for the artists of the day to showcase their paintings. It was a place to gather the artists and to compete over who had the best work.
In Asakusa there is also an area called Okuyama, which was a place where street performers gathered from all around the country. In the Sarukawa area there were also a line of various theaters, and it was a place where Kabuki actors and artists lived. In short, it was a road of stars where you could meet the famous entertainers of the day. If you walk just a little further you could also find one of the largest red light districts called Yoshiwara.
Why was this all in Asakusa, and not Ginza or Shinjuku? Let's elaborate a little bit more on this story.
There is some distance between Asakusa and the middle of Edo. For that reason Asakusa was originally labeled as the outskirts. But between the middle of Edo and Asakusa, a financial center and district was born called Kuramae. It was because of this new district that the development of Asakusa started to change.
In the Edo Period, fiat money was not used and instead wages were paid in rice. So near the banks of the Sumida river, rice storehouses served a dual purpose and also functioned as banks. Boats were needed to transport goods and money, thus Kuramae was chosen as a financial center because people, goods, and money could be transported quickly from Edo. Eventually, in Kuramae, small checks were issued to loan money, and some people vastly profited off this new system.
It was around this time that a large conflagration engulfed central Edo. It was a fire so large that the remnants of the city looked as if it were simply a burned field. The Bakufu government saw this as an opportunity to drive away the Yoshiwara red light district from the city center and move it into the outskirts of the city. During the Edo period the red light district, theater houses, and Kabuki were thought of as places that disturbed the peace. So the Bakufu government decided to drive all these industries to the outskirts in Asakusa.
Asakusa Temple, the red light district, and Kabuki. Together these made Asakusa one of the major entertainment hubs. Asakusa was also where money could be used from the lenders and industries of Kuramae. From this period is when Asakusa really continued to develop.
As the Meiji restoration occurred the government divided asakusa into six separate districts. In the Okuma district, home to street performers, all of the culturally cutting edge fields such as electricity, trains, opera, and strip clubs were consolidated into this place. The symbol of this was the “Ryonankaku”, also known as the twelve floors of Asakusa. This was the first elevator in all of Japan, and you can think of it as the Skytree of the Meiji period. It was also the place of the first theater, and after the war over thirty movie theaters were built. All of the movies of the time were first released in Asakusa, and based on the review and response it would be distributed to other parts of the country.
Of course during the Meiji period Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ginza were bustling, but Asakusa was the younger generation’s scene, and the center of culture. This continued until the end of World War II.
However, with a law barring prostitution, Yoshiwara became obsolete, and the small theaters and Kabuki moved to the Kabuki-za theater. The six districts of Asakusa also lost popularity as movie theaters and entertainers were replaced by the widespread growth of the television. You may long to say that Asakusa has become a lonely place, but recently Asakusa has once again come back.
Instead of giving way to the Shibuya and Shinjuku, places that are on the forefront of our current age, the old fashioned retro lifestyle of these streets remain the same as before. Due to this reason, people will continue to come to Asakusa as they always have in the past.
“Your 10 yen will help re-build Asakusa.”
These were the words of a sign in Asakusa after the Great Kanto Fire turned Asakusa into a mountain of rubble. I think that Asakusa will continue to be Asakusa, with the spirit of the everyday people filling this place.
“Because I cannot go to Kyoto or Nara I will go to Asakusa.” Those who have this thought are possibly lucky, because Asakusa is uniquely Japanese, and is a place where you can see Japanese things in a rather compact area. Temple, shrines, festivals, Kabuki, traditional comedy, and even prostitution. The Japanese foods sushi, tempura, soba and sukiyaki. These are things always present in Asakusa. Now is the start of your trip in Asakusa, let’s try turning to the next page.
ON THE TRIP Editing Department
Author:
Akihito Shiga
Translator:
Cory Baird
Photographer:
Yuki Naruse
Akihito Shiga
Auido:
Kate Beck