Tokyo 1872
Edo: Japan's New Center of Power
The residence of the Owari Tokugawa clan in Ichigaya, ca. 1872. During the 1600s, over 250 feudal lords built multiple estates like this in Edo (present-day Tokyo). They transformed a marshy wetland into Japan’s new center of power and a sprawling metropolis.
Tokyo 1870s
A Castle in a Marsh
Edo Castle between 1872 and 1874. In the center is the Sakashita Gate; in the background, the Fujimi Yagura turret. Both still exist today. The massive castle, built in a marsh, was the heart of a new social order from which the unique culture emerged of Tokyo’s Ueno district.
Tokyo 1920s
Ueno before the Quake
Before it was razed by the terrifying fires of the 1923 quake, the area in front of Tokyo’s Ueno Park was a vibrant maze of geisha houses, rendezvous teahouses, and top-class restaurants, many with a breathtaking view of the lotus-filled Shinobazu Pond. It was a place where geisha, art, and power met and mingled.
Tokyo 1907
The Forgotten Horse Races of Ueno Park (3)
The 1907 Tokyo Industrial Exhibition’s ornate buildings stand where the grandstand of the Shinobazu Horse Racetrack once stood at Tokyo’s Ueno Park. Its sober traditional architecture replaced by the vibrant Taiwan Pavilion and an eclectic Westernized architecture.
Tokyo 1880s
The Forgotten Horse Races of Ueno Park (2)
A spectacular view of thousands of lotus flowers surrounding Bentenjima Island in Shinobazu Pond. From 1884 to 1892, the pond was the location of Japan’s most important horse racing track, strongly supported by Emperor Meiji and the government.