Hillside paths in Tokyo
Slope paths ( Japanese 坂 道 , sakamichi , or saka for short ) are numerous in Tokyo, which is laid out on hills around the center. Several hundred of them were given names by the Edo period at the latest , which were used for orientation in the vast city.
Overview
Streets and paths in Japanese towns traditionally have no names: addresses are not defined along lines , but rather by subdividing areas . So localities are divided into districts ( 区 , ku) and sub-districts ( 丁 , chō), with the latter bearing property numbers ( 番 , ban), according to the time of development, i.e. not ascending or descending around the sub-district.
Named hillside paths supplemented these addresses. They are often the shortest connection between the important main roads along the ridges and the paths in the valleys. District maps show many of these hillside paths, mostly indicated by hatching, some of them are also marked with names.
Naming
The naming does not follow any system. There are easy-to-understand names such as "Fujimi-saka" for a hillside path with a view of Mount Fuji, and there are names that are named after a temple or shrine. A slope path rarely bears a family name like Shimizu. Some names appear several times, the aforementioned Fujimi-zaka at least 16 times, the Jizō -zaka at least 10 times. Some names are not very meaningful, such as "Shin-saka", "New slope path", which still occurs at least 13 times. Overall, the naming of the several hundred hillside paths shows an extraordinary creativity, although the exact origin of the name is not always clear.
The Minato district has made efforts to mark many of the hillside paths by placing wooden posts with names on them.
Individual districts
Minato
- Katsura-zaka ( 桂 坂 )
- Isarago-zaka ( 伊 皿 子 坂 )
- Yūrei-zaka ( 幽 霊 坂 )
- Kuwabara-zaka ( 桑 原 坂 )
- Shokko-zaka ( 蜀 江 坂 )
- Aoki-zaka ( 青木 坂 )
- Yakko-zaka ( 奴 坂 )
- Zekkō-zaka ( 絶 江 坂 )
- Tanuki-zaka ( 狸 坂 )
- Ōyokocho-zaka ( 大 横 町 坂 )
- Ushi-zaka ( 牛 坂 )
- Nadare-zaka ( 長 垂 坂 )
- Otafuku-zaka ( 於 多 福 坂 )
- Torii-zaka ( 鳥 居 坂 )
- Udon-zaka ( 饂 飩 坂 )
- Ipponmatsu-zaka ( 一 本 松 坂 )
- Tsuna-saka ( 綱 坂 )
- Ichō-zaka ( 銀杏 坂 )
- Reinan-zaka ( 霊 南 坂 )
- Dōgenji-zaka ( 道 源 寺 坂 )
- Gazenbōdani-zaka ( 我 善 坊 谷 坂 )
- Mamiana-zaka ( 狸 穴 坂 )
- Tango-zaka ( 丹 後 坂 )
- Yagen-zaka ( 薬 研 坂 )
- Nambu-zaka ( 南部 坂 )
- Anchin-zaka ( 安鎮 坂 )
Images of Minato
Torii-zaka (below)
Katsura-zaka
Isarago-zaka
Yūrei-zaka
Nambu-zaka
Kuwabara-zaka
Tsuna-zaka
Bunkyō
- Teppō-zaka ( 鉄 砲 坂 )
- Munetsuki-zaka ( 胸 突 坂 )
- Kobuse-zaka ( 小 布施 坂 )
- Hinashi-zaka ( 日 無 坂 )
- Hachiman-zaka ( 八 幡 坂 )
- Hattori-zaka ( 服 部 坂 )
- Kirishitan-zaka ( 切 支 丹 坂 )
- Hori-saka ( 堀 坂 )
- Zenkōji-zaka ( 善 光寺 坂 )
- Kongō-zaka ( 金剛 坂 )
- Sambyaku-zaka ( 三百 坂 )
- Abumi-zaka ( 鐙 坂 坂 )
- Tadon-zaka ( 炭 団 坂 )
- Takebe-zaka ( 建 部 坂 )
- Shin-zaka ( 新 坂 )
- Aioi-zaka ( 相 生 坂 )
- Tsumagoi-zaka ( 妻 恋 坂 )
- Muen-zaka ( 無 縁 坂 )
- Munatsuki-zaka ( 胸 突 坂 )
- Goten-zaka ( 御 殿 坂 )
- Yutate-zaka ( 湯 立 坂 )
- Shirasagi-zaka ( 白 坂 )
- Shin-zaka ( 新 坂 )
- Ōgyū-zaka ( 大 給 坂 )
- Dō-zaka ( 働 坂 )
Shinjuku
- Shinsuke-zaka ( 新 助 坂 )
- Kurayami-zaka ( 暗闇 坂 )
- Kannon-zaka ( 観 音 坂 )
- Samegahashi-zaka ( 鮫 河橋 坂 )
- Tsunokami-zaka ( 津 の 守 坂 )
- Jishōin-zaka ( 自 証 院 坂 )
- Anyōji-zaka ( 安 養 寺 坂 )
- Hashigoi-zaka ( 梯子 坂 )
- Sanai-zaka ( 左 内 坂 )
- Jōruri-zaka ( 浄 瑠 璃 坂 )
- Yurei-zaka ( 庾 嶺 坂 )
- Kagura-zaka ( 神 楽 坂 )
- Hyōtan-zaka ( 瓢 箪 坂 )
- Akagi-zaka ( 赤城 坂 )
- Sodesuri-zaka ( 袖 摺 坂 )
- Hōryūji-zaka ( 宝 竜 寺 坂 )
- Shimototsuka-zaka ( 下 戸 塚 坂 )
- Nanamagari-zaka ( 七 曲 坂 )
- Nishi-zaka ( 西 坂 )
- Shokko-zaka ( 蜀 江 坂 )
Chiyoda
- Shiomi-zaka ( 潮 見 坂 )
- Kioi-zaka ( 紀 尾 井 坂 )
- Miyake-zaka ( 三 宅 坂 )
- Sannen-zaka ( 三年 坂 )
- Sambe-zaka ( 三 べ 坂 )
- Gomi-zaka ( 五味 院 坂 )
- Minamihōgen-zaka ( 南 法眼 坂 )
- Mochinogi-zaka ( 冬青 木 坂 )
- Fujimi-zaka ( 富士 見 坂 )
- Awaji-zaka ( 淡 路 坂 )
- Kōbai-zaka ( 紅梅 坂 )
Ōta
- Kurayami-zaka ( 闇 坂 )
- Ukon-zaka ( 右 近 坂 )
- Oihagi-zaka ( お い は ぎ 坂 )
- Shiomi-zaka ( 潮 見 坂 )
- Daibō-zaka ( 大 坊 坂 )
- Numeri-zaka ( ぬ め り 坂 )
- Sakura-zaka ( 桜 坂 )
- Hananuki-zaka ( 花 抜 き 坂 )
- Senzoku-zaka ( 洗 足 坂 )
- Saru-zaka ( 猿 坂 )
Day care center
- Yorakuji-zaka ( 与 楽 寺 坂 )
- Hachiman-zaka ( 八 幡 坂 )
- Kitsunezukano-saka ( 狐 塚 坂 )
- Semi-zaka ( 蝉 坂 )
- Inari-zaka ( 稲 荷 坂 )
- Jizō-zaka ( 地 蔵 坂 )
- Shimizu-zaka ( 清水 坂 )
- Hōshōji-zaka ( 鳳 生 寺 坂 )
- Utsuri-zaka ( う つ り 坂 )
- Inarino-saka ( 稲 荷 の 坂 )
Meguro
- Kyūō-zaka ( 旧 大 坂 )
- Bessho-zaka ( 別 所 坂 )
- Mekiri-zaka ( 目 切 坂 )
- Inari-zaka ( 稲 荷 坂 )
- Nabekoro-zaka ( な べ こ ろ 坂 )
- Gyōnin-zaka ( 行人 坂 )
- Miori-zaka ( ミ 折 坂 )
- Teppi-zaka ( 鉄 飛 坂 )
- Teragō-zaka ( 寺 郷 坂 )
Shibuya
- Doge-zaka ( 道 玄 坂 )
- Naiki-zaka ( 内 紀 坂 )
- Hanezawa-zaka ( 羽 沢 坂 )
- Nekko-zaka ( ネ ッ コ 坂 )
- Enoki-zaka ( 榎 坂 )
- Hatsudai-zaka ( 初 台 坂 )
Shinagawa
- Gotenyamano-saka ( 御 殿 山 の 坂 )
- Zēmusu-zaka ( ゼ ー ム ス 坂 )
- Inu-zaka ( 犬 坂 )
- Hachiman-zaka ( 八 幡 坂 )
- Kamuro-zaka ( 禿 坂 )
- Kaburagii-zaka ( 鏑 木 坂 )
Setagaya
- Ryōno-saka ( 寮 の 坂 )
- Todorokino-saka ( 等 々 力 の 坂 )
- Inari-zaka ( 稲 荷 坂 )
- Gyōzenji-zaka ( 行善 寺 坂 )
- Dōgayato-zaka ( 堂 ヶ 谷 戸 坂 )
- Miyano-saka ( 宮 の 坂 )
Taitō Arakawa
- Miura-zaka ( 三浦 坂 )
- Fujimi-zaka ( 富士 見 坂 )
- Momiji-zaka ( 紅葉 坂 )
- Shimizu-zaka ( 清水 坂 )
- Shinobu-zaka ( 忍 坂 )
- Tengu-zaka ( 天狗 坂 )
Toshima
- Somei-zaka ( 染 井 坂 )
- Shuku-zaka ( 宿 坂 )
- Saitō-zaka ( さ い と う 坂 )
literature
- Yamamoto, Masaru: Edo no Saka . Asahi Shimbun Shuppansha, 3rd edition 2011, ISBN 978-4-02-250230-8 .
- Kuroda, Toshio (Ed.): 1: 10,000 Tokyo kotsu kisei doro chizu. Shobunsha Publications, 1991, ISBN 4-398-62511-9 .