Edo Tokyo History and Culture

Edo-Tokyo: History & Culture

Edo-Sakariba and Ginza/Asakusa: A comparison of similarities and differences

Instead of an economic or sociologic determination, [Seidensticker] focuses on the effect upon society of the disappearance of this theater building, that cafe, those geisha houses, markets, and other landmarks, and their replacement stores, subways, and so on... Packed with original material and insights, [this book is] invaluable to scholars, students, and Tokyophiles."

-- Kirkus Reviews

http://www.hup.harvard.edu/reviews/SEITOX_R.html

Are Ginza and Asakusa representative at all of Edo sakariba? If so, how? The two are certainly related to one another. Each boasts many "seething" crowds; nightlife and entertainment for would be passers by. Edo sakariba was a romantic and social community, one where people would gather in the streets a hundred years ago to socialize and discuss the goings on. The streets themselves were alive with vendors and entertainers, a welcome site for community members. Public baths and communal gatherings certainly were not uncommon. The community was the center of Edo-sakariba. How has this changed, and how does it compare to Ginza and Asakusa, modern and old?

Ginza and Asakusa, though thriving in the sense that they attract thousands of visitors, and offer entertainment and shopping, are very different from their traditional Edo ancestor. A once grand landscape based on the ideas of vastness an openness is now cluttered with a more cosmopolitan face, one that is characteristically Westernized in nature. Many have in fact regarded the change as "ugly" and unappealing. Of the two, Asakusa is definitely most compatible with its traditional Edo ancestor, even though cosmetically the area has changed over the last fifty years.

In "Low City, High City" Seidensticker discusses the folklore, culture, architecture and entertainment of the great city of Tokyo. Ginza and Asakusa represent to Tokyo places that most vividly capture the "modernization of sakariba" (udel, 2003). Ginza is more often represented as a cosmopolitan, very urban, popular and modern culture. Asakusa however is more often representative of deeper Edo roots and still has many stage shows, movie houses and cabaret attractions (udel, 2003). Ginza has a very modern look, which some may consider very exotic as related to Japanese culture. Ginza and Asakusa, as depicted in the readings and lectures, compare very similarly to Edo's sakariba. They are alive, exhibiting much activity and attraction for visitors and natives, simply in different manners.

Much of the character of Ginza may be attributed to modernization, which occurred in the mid to late 1800's (Smith). Many people stroll the streets of Ginza shopping and meandering. The Ginza or "Silver Seat" takes its name from the silver mint that the Edo government founded in the 17th century (udel, 2003). The town has often been considered unfortunately somewhat of a "pseudo-westernized" place, very typical of much modernization that occurred in Japan. For natives, the western flare seemed exotic and alluring.

Change is often associated with Westernization in many Asian countries. After the Meiji Restoration in 1865, many western influences and "trinkets" flooded Tokyo (Pocorroba, 2003), even though interest in things Western among the Japanese has "waxed and waned" (Seidensticker). In the readings, the following was pointed out regarding Western influences, "It goes in cycles. Of course, there were times when Western things were officially frowned upon and every attempt made to squelch them...during the 1930's and '40s" (Seidensticker).

Ginza may be associated with Edo's sakariba, but not the sakariba of old. Rather Ginza is a cosmopolitan thriving venue of Western influence and architecture. The cityscape reflects this. Seidensticker comments that such influence has resulted in the loss of beauty, saying, "Edo- in a restrained, monochrome fashion - must have been a rather beautiful town, but not it's very ugly" (Seidensticker).

The Asakusa area had centered on a Sansoji Temple (udel, 2003). By the end of the 19th century many main theaters had been relocated to the area, and many street performers and show houses also became prevalent among the streets of Asakusa. According to one article, "Asakusa Rokku was clearly a successor of the Edo-period sakariba" (udel, 2003). Though similar to Ginza by it's activity, rather than refer to it as cosmopolitan one might say the area is "quaint."

The following amusements are available in Asakusa: rare shows, performing monkeys, cheap photographers, street artists, jugglers, wrestlers, toy vendors and a huge crowd (Smith). Asakusa if representative of Edo-sakariba in it's ability to attract enormous crowds of pleasure seekers and entertainers, to a street-side venues that have not yet been as tarnished by Western influences as those of the Ginza.

In "Sky and Water: The Deep Structures of Tokyo," Henry Smith says that though the city of Tokyo today is extraordinarily modern, so much so it may seem at first to find the sky and water, originally by looking back through the history of the city "its Edo origins reveal that "sky" and "water" in fact control the form and spirit of Tokyo." Smith tells of the history of Edo, that it was "oriented toward hills and mountains" at the intersection of three landscapes.

How do Ginza and Asakusa related to Edo-sakariba? The original Edo was oriented much toward the hilly landscape, the appearance of "sky" vs. "water" most likely much more acute than today. The city may have been described as one of "pictorial imagery" (Smith). Early one, a great five-story Edo Castle dominated the city as a central monument, rising 275 feet above Edo Bay (Smith). This great landmark was eventually destroyed in fire, however many new architectural creations now lay upon the hillsides of the city. Traditional forms of Japanese architecture were much different than the westernized versions in present day Ginza.

Edo had represented a traditional sense of "flatness and expanse" in Tokyo (Smith). Mount Fuji used to be seen until early in the twentieth century when the prevalence of smog cluttered the ability of passersby to find the monument on but one day in ten (Smith). Nowadays the city of Tokyo is cluttered with "utility poles and wires," making for some a "horrid impression" of a city they once considered esthetically pleasing (Smith).

As Seidensticker relates, the Edo of old "in a restrained, monochrome fashion - must have been a rather beautiful town, but now it's very ugly."

The "diversions and entertainments" of old Edo Sakariba are certainly changed in modern Asakusa, but the purpose is the same: to entertain the masses. In Edo, Ginza and Asakusa of old were considered the "center" of entertainment and shopping (Seidensticker). Museums and concern halls still serve as cultural centers today, much as similar structures served in Edo. In Edo sakariba, there were not however the distractions of the modern hubbub, such as automobiles, cell phones and televisions, a constant source of distraction and noise in a modern city, accompanying also many lights and similar attractions (Pocorroba).