【街歩き#2】文化の森・上野公園の400年を巡る旅【字幕付】
This is Ueno Park which is in Tokyo, Japan There are a lot of cultural facilities here that everyone around the world can enjoy. In this video, I walk through this place and explore its 400-year history. 1625: Founding of Kan-Eiji temple
In the early Edo period, a temple called “Kan-Eiji” was built in this place. This temple was designed by a monk named Tenkai who was a close aide to Tokugawa Ieyasu. He not only contributed to the establishment of the Edo Shogunate, but also boasted a long life span of over 100 years.
He built Kan-Eiji Temple in this place to protect Edo Castle, the center of politics, from evil spirits. This place was called “Kimon” and was a place where evil spirits entered. This ritual, known as “Kimonfuji”, is said to have begun at Enryakuji Temple on Mt. Hiei, which was built during the Heian period.
For this reason, Tenkai named this temple “Higashieizan” which means “Mt.Hiei of the east” and Kan-Eiji, taking the name of the area at the time of its founding. During the Edo period, Kan-Eiji Temple had a large grounds. The grounds of Ueno Park are part of it.
Many subsidiary temples were built within the precincts of Kan-Eiji Temple. Such as Shinobazu Benzaiten Hall, Kiyomizu Hall, Ueno Toshogu shrine, etc. The fact that such a large terrutory was given to the temple by the Shogun shows how much Buddhism was valued during the Edo period.
Similarly, we can see that Tenkai was a very trusted person. 1868: The Boshin War breaks out and becomes Meiji government territory At the end of the Edo period, the “Boshin War” broke out between the Meiji government forces seeking reform and the Tokugawa shogunate forces wanting to preserve the Tokugawa shogunate.
The precincts of Kan-Eiji temple were devastated by the war And most of it was destroyed by fire. After this war, this place became the territory of the Meiji government, which won the war. 1870: University East Campus relocation plan and its suspension
The Meiji government planned to relocate the University East Campus and build a hospital on this land. One day when construction was progressing toward completion, Antonius Baudouin, a Dutch military doctor who was a professor at the University East Campus at the time, visited Ueno.
The doctor saw the forest surrounding the devastated land argued to the Meiji government that is should be left as a park instead of cutting down the trees and buildings. That claim moved the Meiji government, who suspended the plan and decided to turn the land into a park. 1873: Ueno Park opened
1877: Educational Museum (currently National Museum of Nature and Science / The first National Industrial Exhibition was held The Educational Museum was built where Tokyo University of the Arts is currently located.
In August of the same year, the first National Industrial Exhibition was held as part of the industry promotion policy. The location of the current Tokyo National Museum was used as the venue. Literally, It was not an exposition aimed at viewing famous treasures and curiosities,
But an exposition aimed at promoting industry. It was held for 102 days, with over 16,000 exhibitors and over 450,000 visitors. 1879: General Grant visits Japan General Grant, the 18th and 19th president of the United States, visited Japan and a welcome party was held.
On that occasion, he planted a Lawson cypress tree as a commemoration. Currently, a monument to the tree planting stands in Ueno Park, where flowers are laid every year. 1882: Tokyo National Museum opens / Ueno Zoo opens
The Tokyo National Museum opened in a building built as a venue for the National Industrial Exhibition. Ueno zoo has also opened as a zoo attached to the museum. Tokyo National Museum is a museum that exhibits many cultural assets and works to prevent and pass on culture.
There are approximately 120,000 items in the collection So, you can enjoy a different exhibit every time you visit. When Ueno Zoo opened, its main exhibits were Japanese animals. However, since it came under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Ministry, rare foreign animals such as tigers begun to gather here.
Currently, they are breeding about 300 species and 3000 animals. It is also one of Japan’s most representative zoos, and the best example is the giant panda that visited the zoo to commemorate the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and China. 1890: Founding of the former Tokyo Music School Sogakudo
The former music school Shogakudo was built as the school building for the Tokyo School of Music. The Shogakudo is the first place in Japan where symphonies by Mozart and Beethoven were performed And where operas were performed. Currently, its role as a school building has ended.
But, concerts by Tokyo University of the Arts students and mini pipe organ concerts are held every month. 1898: Statue of Saigo Takamori erected In December of that year, an unveiling ceremony was held to celebrate the completion of the Saigo Takamori statue.
Saigo Takamori was one of the leaders of the Meiji Restoration, a revolution at the end of the Edo period. After the Boshin War, he supported the modernization of Japan as part of the Meiji government and worked on numerous reforms.
But, he clashed with the government, which was on an overseas inspection tour, And started the Seinan War, known as the last battle for the Samurai. He fought against his former comrades as a leader in the war and died in battle.
After the Seinan War, Saigo Takamori was labeled as an “enemy of the government” However, five years later, his evaluation was reconsidered and he was restored to power with the promulgation of the Constitution of the Empire of Japan. The following year, there was talk of erecting a bronze statue.
Afterwards, a fundraising campaign began, and the statue was erected with the donations raised The fact that he was restored to power 21 years after his death And a bronze statue was erected shows that he was admired by many people 1902: Statue of Prince Komatsu erected
Statue of Prince Komatsu was proposed by the first president of the Japanese Red Cross Society to be erected to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Japanese Red Cross Society Prince Komatsu was a person who has achieved many achievements as a member of the Japanese imperial family and military
During the Boshin War, he commanded the Meiji government forces as the governor-general of the Ouu conquest And during the Meiji era, he led the government forces in the Saga Rebellion and Seinan War and quelled the wars. He encouraged the imperial family to take the lead in military service,
Following the example of European monarchies at the time. In addition to his military service, he also served as president of the Japanese Red Cross Society, The Japan Fisheries Association, and the Japan Forestry Association, and left many achievements in social work
These social activities continue into the current official duties of the imperial family 1906: Imperial Library opened The imperial Library is currently known as the International Library of Children’s Literature Aiming to be the best library in the East, it was designed after the Newberry Library in Chicago
When it first opened, it was affectionately known as the “Ueno Library” and was visited by many writers Currently, it provides domestic and international children’s books and related materials under the name “International Children’s Library” 1923: the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred
When the Great Kanto Earthquake, many people evacuated to Ueno Park to escape the fire This earthquake caused major damage to the Imparial Museum, and all of the Tokyo Science Museum’s facilities and specimens were destroyed in a fire 1924: Restarted as “Ueno Onshi Park”
Ueno Park was transferred from the Imperial Household Ministry to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and was renamed “Ueno Onshi Park” 1926: Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum opened Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum in Japan’s first public art museum, and its construction was made possible by a businessman who donated all of the construction funds
At the time of its opening, it was popular as a gateway to success for artists and a temple of art Currently, they are developing a variety of projects with the aim of becoming an art museum that anyone can visit without hesitation
1931: New wing of Tokyo Science Museum (currently National Museum of Nature and Science) opened The Tokyo Science Museum, which was damaged by the Great Kanto Earthquake, has been rebuild Currently called the National Museum of Nature and Science, it operates as one of Japan’s leading science museums
I have been here four times and still have not been able to visit all the exhibition rooms That is how wide it is 1948: 1,250 cherry trees was planted Ueno Park suffered from the devastation of the Pacific War Wild animals were culled at Ueno Zoo due to intensified air raids
And evacuation was carried out at the Tokyo National Museum Ueno Park fell into disrepair due to the war As part of the reconstruction project of Ueno Park, 1,250 cherry trees were planted 1951: Statue of Noguchi Hideyo completed Noguchi Hideyo is a world-renowned bacteriologist
He conducted research on snake venom, syphilis, and yellow fever, and achieved results in identifying pathogens and developing vaccines He is depicted on the Japanese 1,000 yen bill because he is a world-renowned scientist In 1947, a statue was planned to be erected to commemorate his accomplishments
Fundraising activities were held for the construction, but due to post-war poverty, funds were not collected as expected After that, the statue was erected with the cooperation of the Japan Medical Association, The Noguchi Hideyo Memorial Society, and others 1959: National Museum of Western Art opened
The National Museum of Western Art is known as one of the world heritage sites As the only national art museum that focuses on Western art in general, it collects, preserves, researches, and exhibits works of art 1961: Tokyo Bunka Kaikan opened
Tokyo Bunka Kaikan is a facility built to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the founding of Tokyo It was widely recognized around the world as it featured performances by famous artists from around the world Maekawa Kunio, a disciple of Le Corbusier, was in charge of the architectural design
For this reason, the architecture is in harmony with the National Museum of Western Art, which stands across the street 1972: The Ueno Royal Museum opened The Ueno Royal Museum is a facility that not only exhibits important cultural properties but also introduces various genres of art such as Western art and manga
1973: 100th anniversary of the opening of Ueno Park / Dr.Baudouin statue erected 1999：Tokyo University of the Arts Museum opened This is an art museum that displays art works and related materials owned by the university In 2023, Ueno Park celebrated its 150th anniversary
Ueno Park, which began as a temple, has experienced various hardships and developments, and now attracts many visitors from all over the world And everyone enjoys nature and art here In 2025, Kan-Eiji temple will celebrate its 400th anniversary
I hope this place continues to be loved by many people from all over the world Thank you for watching till the end
※字幕をオンにしてご覧ください
今回は「上野恩賜公園」を歩いてきました
南光坊天海が開いた東叡山寛永寺から始まった400年の軌跡をお楽しみください。