Kappabashi Main Street Asakusa Kappa Legendary Area

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【Shortcut connecting Ueno and Asakusa】

Kappa Bridge Main Street is a 1.2 kilometer road from Asakusa’s international street to Showa Dori close to Ueno station Iriya. The high priest of Kanai-ji Temple was established as “Miyogeno” to visit Asakusa Temple. Asakusa was the center of entertainment for the common people as a downtown area since Edo. As the main line connecting Asakusa and Ueno, Meiji and Taisho era showed bustle all day. In the Meiji era, “horse-drawn carriage” operated by a horse running a car on the track also operated.

Currently the development of transportation means such as subway, the meaning as a way of Asakusa – Ueno is apt to be diminished, but the way that the oldest way that was the shortest path remains. There are many shops that are rich in personality and history, and there are wonderful discoveries as they walk. There is a statue of Kappa everywhere in the shopping area. Watching the Showa era slowly while looking for kappa inhabiting the streets, how about?

【Origin of “Kappabashi”】

There are two theories as to the origin of “Kappa”.

The first is a story of a rainbow merchant, Kihachi Tsunemi who did maintenance of the Shinbororagawa.
An era of cultural years about 200 years ago from now. This area was a poorly drained lowland, flooded every time it rained, people were in trouble. Therefore, Kihachi Takuya throws out personal property and started construction to create a waterway. However, the construction work was scandaled besides this. The sympathy of Kappa of Sumidagawa who saw this, was struck by the conscience of Kihachi, helped with the construction of the evening night and the construction was said to have been completed successfully. There is a grave of Kihachi Takaya in Sogenji called a so-called Kappa Temple.

Another theory was near the bridge, Iyo Shintaniya Kato house A story related to Shimoyashiki. The lower samurai who lived in the mansion seemed to have been making rainbow for internal job. It is said that it began to be called “Kappabashi” because that rainbow was dried on this bridge.

The Kappabashi intersection is the view point of the sky tree.

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