Spotlight
Jūnisō Pond Chronology

A Pond Lost to History Tells Tokyo’s Story

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3
PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6
PART 7 | CHRONOLOGY | DISCOVERY

This visual chronology uses rare images to show how Nishi-Shinjuku’s Jūnisō Pond changed between the 1860s and 1960s. Maps display the viewpoints.

This article is a supplement to the essay Shinjuku’s Lost Paradise about the history of Jūnisō Pond and Nishi-Shinjuku.

From July 30 through November 19 we explored the extraordinary story of Jūnisō Pond—a pond lost to history—in what is today the famed skyscraper district of Tokyo’s Nishi-Shinjuku.

We covered over four centuries in seven articles, each one brimming with extremely rare images. Quite a few of those images were actually so rare that even people who study the history of Nishi-Shinjuku had never seen them before.

Because the images are so important to the story, I have created a visual chronology with the images superimposed on custom-made maps.

Finding original documentation to make these maps historically accurate was exceptionally challenging, and took me to several museums, libraries and archives. Based on the available information they are as accurate as they can possibly be.

About this Chronology

I have created maps for Jūnisō in the 1800s, 1900s–1910s, and 1930s. The images in the slideshow below each map are from that particular time period. The likely location where the artist stood when photographing or sketching is represented with a dot on the map. An indented triangle represents the direction of the view to the subject shown in the image. The indented part points to the subject. Like this:

Each map is based on historical maps and other data. The locations in the images have been determined by meticulously comparing the images with each other as well as maps, including ones not published in the essay.

Note that the map is from a specific year, but the images on that map are from a range of years. So the situation on the map does not always fully agree with the situation shown in the images.

The left side of each map points north. The maps are approximate and not in the same scale. So, even though the pond looks smaller in an earlier map, it was actually larger. The pond shrank as it was filled in to construct buildings and roads.

A star in the slideshow below the map marks a photo as a new discovery, or so little known that it is comparable to a discovery.

1. Jūnisō in the 1800s

Natural Retreat

In the 1700s, Jūnisō became famous for its pond and waterfalls, clustered around a small thatched shrine known as Kumano Jūnisō Gongen. Jūnisō experienced the peak of its popularity in the first half of the 1800s. In 1851 (Kaei 4), Buddhist monk Fukyū Dōjin described Jūnisō as an almost sacred natural sanctuary where “worldly desires vanish”. The first innocent step towards Jūnisō’s commercialization started with renovations in 1885 (Meiji 18).

I found three unknown (and unidentified) photos of Jūnisō from the 1860s. This is described in DISCOVERY. Two are in the slideshow below the map. No photos of the pond before 1900 were believed to exist.

For more information about these images click on one of the following links:
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | DISCOVERY

2. Jūnisō in the 1900s–1910s

Nature to Nightlife

Jūnisō ‘s commercialization as a playground started after Japan’s victory in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). The shoreline was lined with teahouses and entertainment features were added, such as a fishing pond, an archery range, and a public flower garden. Meanwhile, Shinjuku became Tokyo’s most important railway hub, while Yodobashi’s population exploded. By the 1920s, Jūnisō Pond was no longer remote, nor rural.

This section features five previously unknown photos of Jūnisō, all in the Duits Collection. They are marked with a star. I later found one of them in a 1919 book and a Japanese collection. The others might hide in collections as well.

This period is described in PART 5 and PART 6.

3. Jūnisō in the 1930s

Popular Geisha District

In 1924 (Taisho 13) Jūnisō became an official hanamachi with 32 machiai and 27 geisha houses. By the mid-1930s it had become a great success. At the height of its popularity there were nearly 100 restaurants and machiai, and some 300 geisha. This period ended in 1944 (Showa 19) when the government ordered restaurants, teahouses, geisha houses, cafes, and bars to close for business.

This period is described in PART 7.

4. Post-WWII Jūnisō

Farewell

After the end of WWII, Jūnisō’s hanamachi was rebuilt on a smaller scale. It briefly flourished, culminating in 1958 (Showa 33) when a hot spring was excavated and opened as Jūnisō Onsen. In 1968 (Showa 43) Jūnisō Pond was filled in.

This period is described in PART 7.

Jūnisō in Japanese Art

During the last eight decades of the Edo Period (1603–1868) Jūnisō inspired several acclaimed Japanese artists—including giants Hokusai and Utagawa—to create woodblock prints. This slideshow displays a selection.

Shinjuku's Lost Paradise

All articles in this essay about the history of Jūnisō Pond and Nishi-Shinjuku.

Sources for Maps

1. Jūnisō in the 1800s

¹ 角筈村熊野神社絵図面, early Meiji Period, 819-1-175, National Diet Library.

² 淀橋浄水工場平面圖, 東京市水道要覧, 東京市水道改良事務所, 明治26年10月, 5001141601, 東京都立図書館デジタルアーカイブ.

³ 野崎正興; 中垣創三 (2018). 『角筈十二社の大瀧に関する一考察（神田川助水堀内の大瀧）』新宿つつじの会.

⁴ Original research.

2. Jūnisō in the 1900s–1920s

⁵ 中野 一万分一地形圖, 日本帝國陸地測量部, 明治43年3月30日發行, 5013038668, 東京都立中央図書館.

⁶ 中野 二万分一地形圖, 大日本帝國陸地測量部, 明治44年7月30日發行, 1112923843, 東京都立中央図書館.

⁷ 中野 一万分一地形圖, 大日本帝國陸地測量部, 大正6年12月15日發行, 5001301367, 東京都立中央図書館.

⁸ 東京西部 二万五千分一地形圖, 大日本帝國陸地測量部, 大正8年10月30日發行, 7100543109, 東京都立中央図書館.

⁹ Original research.

3. Jūnisō in the 1930s

¹⁰ 火災保険特殊地図 (Special Fire Insurance Map) 淀橋区 (Yodobashi-ku) No.34, 昭和13年2月28日.

Credits

1. Jūnisō in the 1800s

1. 函館の幕末・維新・フランス士官ブリュネのスケッチ100枚.
2. COMING SOON.
3. 2007.26.43, J. Paul Getty Museum.
4. 2007.26.87, J. Paul Getty Museum.
5. 241220-0260, MeijiShowa.
6. MeijiShowa.
7. COMING SOON.
8. 函館の幕末・維新・フランス士官ブリュネのスケッチ100枚.
9. 11.26432, Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

2. Jūnisō in the 1900s–1920s

1. 221215-0047, MeijiShowa.
2. 221215-0046, MeijiShowa.
3. 221215-0048, MeijiShowa.
4. 2002.6245, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
5. MeijiShowa.
6. 241001-0021, MeijiShowa.
7. MeijiShowa.
8. 221215-0049, MeijiShowa.
9. 241001-0001, MeijiShowa.

3. Jūnisō in the 1930s

1. 2965, 新宿歴史博物館.
2. MeijiShowa.
3. 241001-0022, MeijiShowa.

Jūnisō in Japanese Art

1. 21.7515-7, Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
2. CI-127, 東京都公文書館.
3. 21.6677, Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
4. 加256-11/加00256-011, 東京都立中央図書館.
5. ibid
6. 1963.30.5063, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts.
7. 2018_WA_007, 台東区立図書館／デジタルアーカイブ.
8. ibid
9. 3391-C9/東C3391-C009, 東京都立中央図書館.
10. 131003-0050.1-OS, MeijiShowa.
11. 3356-C1, 東京都立中央図書館.
12. 11.26432, Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
13. RV-2552-11, Wereld Museum.

Published December 3, 2024