Tsuki no Misaki

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Tsuki no Misaki (月の岬, lit. "promontory of the moon") is a plateau extending through the Mita and Takanawa districts of Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Buddhist temple of Saikai-ji, Shinto shrine of Mita Hachiman Jinja and Kamezuka Park extend from the slope on the seaward side, while the Mita Elementary School stands on the inland side.

Night scene of Tsukinomisaki

Tokyo Bay could be seen from this overlook a long time ago, and so Tsuki no Misaki was famous as a location to see the moon over the bay. In the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu named this place Tsuki no Misaki. However, temples and daimyos' mansions occupied the area in the Edo period, and common people were not able to enter.

1 Hill roads of Tsuki no Misaki
2 Temples which exist on the hill
3 Shinto shrine which exists on the hill
4 Parks which exist on the hill
5 Parks which exists bottom of the hill
6 schools which exist on the hill
7 Schools at the foot of a hill
8 Hotel which exist on the hill
9 See also
10 External links

[edit] Hill roads of Tsuki no Misaki

Top of Shiomizaka

Shiomizaka (潮見坂) is a slope in Mita 4-chome. It intersects Hijirizaka, which runs southwest from the head of the promontory. In the Edo period, one could look out from the slope and see Tokyo Bay. This caused the slope to become a well-known scene of Edo-era Japan It is often used in ukiyo-e prints. Many hill roads in Japan bear the name "Shiomizaka". The name carries a dual meaning in Japanese; the most common is one is "watch the tide" (潮を見る) and another is "see death" (死を見る). (Similar dual meanings occur in Japanese, for example Fujimi has two meaning, one is "look at Mt. Fuji"(富士山を眺める), another is “become immortal”(不死身になる). The names of the roads are attributed to Edo Shogunate founder Tokugawa Ieyasu who was given the territory by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. It is said that he gave the slopes the names "shiomi" and "fujimi" because had faced the many crisis and overcame it in his life, that is Shi wo mite (死を見て), and Fujimi ni naru (不死身になる).

Top of Yūreizaka

Yūreizaka (幽霊坂) is a hill road located in Mita 4-chome. The slope climbs the promontory from east to west, and climbs along busy Sakurada Avenue and terminates at the intersection with Hijirizaka. There are two possible sources for the name of the avenue: "Yūrei" (幽霊), meaning ghost, due to the presence of numerous temples along the street, giving it a desolate atmosphere such that ghosts might appear and "Yūrei" (有礼), an alternate reading for the given name of the first Minister of Education in Japan, and scholar Mori Arinori, who lived in the vicinity.

Gyoranzaka (魚藍坂) is a hill road in Mita 4-chome. It reaches the promontory from Gyoranzaka Crossing which results from the summit in Isaragozaka.

Isaragozaka

Isaragozaka (伊皿子坂) is a slope which crosses between Mita 4-chome and Takanawa 2-chome. It goes up the promentory from the direction of Sengakuji and connects with Gyoranzaka on the summit of the promontory. In the Edo period people could see Tokyo Bay from this slope. The residence of Takamatsunomiya is located nearby. The slope is said to be named after a Chinese person who lived in the area with the name of Inpeisu. Inpeisu was changed to the Japanese pronunciation of Isarago'.' In the Meiji Era, the Takayama Dental School, predecessor of the Tokyo Dental College was located near the Isarago crossing.

Tenjinzaka

Tenjinzaka (天神坂) is a hill road that runs along the promontory through many districts of Takanawa. It crosses Sakurada Dori. It is said that this name given to the slope because of a small shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a scholar who is venerated as the patron deity of scholarship, Tenjin. A Calyx field (葭原, yoshihara^?) could be seen from this slope in the Edo period, therefore sometimes it is referred to as Yoshimizaka (葭見坂) which also had a secondary meaning of "Good Luck" slope (吉見坂, yoshimizaka^?).

Katsurazaka (桂坂) is a hill road which lies between Takanawa 2-chome and 3-chome. A long time ago, ivy and vines covered the surface of this hill, though an alternate etymology says that a Buddhist priest who wore a wig (鬘, katsura^?) died along this slope suddenly on a return trip from Shinagawa.

bottom of Zakurozaka

Zakurozaka (石榴坂) is a hill road which crosses between Takanawa 3-chome and 4-chome. The area has many hotels. The street was probably named because there was a pomegranate tree (石榴, zakuro^?) in the middle of a slope a long time ago.

Hebizaka (蛇坂) is a slope which is in district four of Mita. Hebi means snake.

Anzenjizaka (安全寺坂) is a hill road crossing between Mita 3-chome and 4-chome. The temple of Anzenji was built here in the Edo era.

Horazaka is a hill road in Takanawa 3-chome. The name means "cavernous slope," in Japanese. It is alternaively called Horazaka (法螺坂) or "conch shell slope" and Borazaka (鯔坂坂) or "herring slope."

Hijirizaka (聖坂) is a hill road in Mita 4-chome. The slope runs from the south to the north on the ridge the promontory. Mita Junior High School and the Kuwaiti Embassy sit on the inland side of the road. It intersects Shiomizaka and Yureizaka. Kamezuka Park and a Shinto shrine sit on the seaward side of the slope. This slope is a traffic road of ancient times and the middle ages where Koya Hijiri, a place where Buddhist monks were sent from to teach, opened. It is assumed that this name was used because their inns were on the side of the slope. This slope was also called Takeshiba no saka (竹芝の坂) or "Takeshiba slope."

Yoshimizaka

Yoshimizaka (葦見坂) is a hill road running between Takanawa 2-chome and 3-chome. Teizo Ishikawa describes the road in the encyclopedia of hill roads of Edo and Tokyo (江戸東京坂道事典):

In Tokyo-fu Shiryo (東京府志料) it was described as Yoshimizaka, a hill which goes down the west side of town to the north, toward the field of Shirokane Village, previously reeds had grown in the whole place, and people were able to look down on the reed fields; because of this it was given the name.

Hiyoshizaka (日吉坂) is a hill road which forms the border of Shirokane 2-chome and 4-chome. It goes from Meguro-dori in the southwest to Sakurada-dori in the northeast, and goes past the Kuwaharazaka (桑原坂) to the south. The name originates from the Noh actor Hiyoshi Kahei who lived nearby.

Gyoran zaka	Monument of Takayama dental school	Bottom of Anzenji zaka	top of Hora zaka
Katsura zaka	Bottom of Hiyosi zaka

[edit] Temples which exist on the hill

Gyoran ji 「魚藍寺」
Tōzen ji 「東禅寺」
Saikai-ji 「済海寺」

[edit] Shinto shrine which exists on the hill

Mita Hachiman Jinja「御田八幡神社」
Takanawa Jinjya「高輪神社」

[edit] Parks which exist on the hill

Kamezuka Kohen「亀塚公園」
Mitadai Kouen　「三田台公園」

[edit] Parks which exists bottom of the hill

Toyouka cho Jidou Yuuen　「豊岡町児童遊園」,formaly name is Toyooka Kouen「豊岡公園」
- children's park which exists in Mita 5-11-6 Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its former name is Toyooka kōen 「豊岡公園」.
- Area:191㎡
- Nearby station: Shirogane Takanawa 「白金高輪」 Subway station
- Although a swing, sandbox, launching platform, box type swing, and drinking fountain place existed before, but it is removed now except drinking fountain place.