Koishikawa Dentsu-in

Hiroshi Fukumitsu
In his essay "Dentsu-in" (written around 1909), Kafu Nagai (1879-1959) states that just as Paris has Notre-Dame Cathedral, "that Dentsu-in" is what "makes my birthplace of Koishikawa feel thoroughly like Koishikawa."
Words of praise follow: "In the vanished Edo period, it was revered as one of the three great sacred mountains of Great Edo, alongside Zojo-ji in Shiba and Kanei-ji in Ueno." "The ancient temple of Dentsu-in is, even from the perspective of its topography, the summit and likely the center point of the high ground known as Koishikawa."
The temple's origins lie in the burial of Tokugawa Ieyasu's birth mother, Odai-no-kata, at this site (1603), where the Jukyo-ji Temple was established (Muryozan Jukyo-ji). Later, Senhime (1597-1666) was also buried here. Unfortunately, the temple buildings were completely destroyed by fire during World War II, so the main hall and mountain gate are recent structures. The old graves, however, remain.
It is also well known that the temple appears in Natsume Soseki's (1867-1916) novels "And Then" (1909) and "Kokoro" (1914).
"Daisuke walked straight toward the moat in front of the military academy, and after coming two or three cho, instead of turning toward Sunadaharacho, he deliberately followed the streetcar tracks." "When he reached Ushigome-mitsuke, he spotted several lights in the distant forest of Koishikawa. Without a thought for dinner, Daisuke walked toward the direction where Michiyo was. About twenty minutes later, he climbed Ando-zaka slope and emerged in front of the ruins of Dentsu-in. After passing to the left between large trees hanging over from both sides, he arrived near Hiraoka's house." (From "And Then" (1909)). Note that the fire Soseki describes here occurred in the winter of 1908. Kafu Nagai's essay "Dentsu-in" states that the main hall of Dentsu-in burned down on the very night he returned from abroad and saw the temple for the first time in a long while.
Soseki immediately incorporated this fire into his newspaper serial novel "And Then" the following year, 1909. In contrast, in his 1914 newspaper serial novel "Kokoro," he inserted information into the story about how the area in front of Dentsu-in had transformed between 1908 and 1913 into a terminal for streetcars (city railways).
"I, who had no shortage of money, felt the urge to leave my noisy boarding house and set up a new home." "One day, out of a whim to at least look for a house, I walked down from the Hongo plateau to the west and climbed straight up the Koishikawa slope toward Dentsu-in. Since it became a streetcar route, the appearance of that area has changed completely." (From "Kokoro")
The progress of the city railway construction was as follows: In April 1908, the Tokyo Railway Tomisaka Line opened from in front of Dentsu-in to Hongo 3-chome. In April 1909, the Tomisaka Line was extended down Ando-zaka in front of Dentsu-in to Magari. Furthermore, in October 1910, the Tokyo Railway Otsuka Line opened from in front of Dentsu-in to Otsuka 3-chome. In April 1913, the Otsuka Line was extended to Otsuka. In other words, the area in front of Dentsu-in became the starting point of the Otsuka Line and a transfer station for the Tomisaka Line. These city railways were abolished between 1968 and 1971.
Kishu Nomura (1886-1983), who worked at the Koishikawa Artillery Arsenal, composed the following haiku about Koishikawa. They differ from the perspectives of both Kafu and Soseki. Perhaps they represent the perspective of someone living in Koishikawa.
Kite flying, in a corner of the Koishikawa plateau
Tsubo-sumire (violets) on the grave at Dentsu-in
Koishikawa, too, the sky of Otowa and birds of passage
Reference Hongo and Koishikawa until the early modern period (includes old photos of the area in front of Dentsu-in)
Takuzoshi Inari
Access: 10-minute walk from Korakuen Subway Station. Just past the Tomisaka Police Station after climbing Tomisaka slope.