There are an unusual number of named slopes in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, including Yurei-zaka slope, Sanbyaku-zaka slope, Kurayami-zaka slope, and so on. In fact, there are more than 100 of them, the second most in the capital's 23 wards, according to enthusiasts. Why were all these slopes named?
After walking along the Kanda River for about 5 minutes from Edogawabashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Line, I turned at the remains of the poet Matuo Basho's residence and hit a narrow, steep slope. The path up the slope strongly evokes the Edo period (1603-1867) with the former residence of the Hosokawa family, who ruled over the Kumamoto Domain, on one side and the trees of a shrine on the other.
"It's called 'Munatsuki [chest touching]-zaka [slope]' because you can't go up unless your chest touches the slope," said Takao Matsumoto, 76, chairman of the Slope Society of Japan based in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, which is made up of about 50 slope enthusiasts.
It's true that walking on the slope of about 100 meters made me breathless. There's a place to sit down and rest along the way.
Bunkyo Ward has five plateaus and valleys in a narrow area of about 10 square kilometers. In the Edo period, many samurai residences, temples and shrines were built, but there weren't the lot numbers that we have today, so the residents named the slopes as landmarks. It was dark even in the daytime because the trees were so thick at Kurayami-zaka (darkness) slope. One theory about Sanbyaku-zaka (300) slope is the name stems from the fact that lower-ranking samurai newly hired by daimyo ran when the lord came to the castle, and if they could not catch up with the procession, a fine of 300 mon (currency in the Edo period) was imposed.
According to a survey by the group, there are more than 900 slopes with names in the 23 wards, including 127 in Bunkyo Ward and 130 in Minato Ward.
"Bunkyo no Sakamichi," a booklet published by Bunkyo Ward, contains the names and origins of 115 slopes. It is a long-selling book that has been revised 11 times since the first edition was published in 1980, and the latest edition was published in late March.
After the Meiji era (1868-1912), many writers and poets lived in the ward, and slopes appeared in their works. There are slopes known from scenes of novels, such as Muen-zaka slope, where the main character of Mori Ogai's masterpiece "The Wild Geese" meets the heroine. There are wooden houses and old wells around Abumi-zaka slope near the ruins of the former residence of Higuchi Ichiyo, a Meiji era writer. It has an atmosphere like you have traveled back in time to the period.
More recently, there are ways to enjoy the slopes on your smartphone. In 2018, a research institute on walking developed a free app called "Bunkyo Ward slope App" that -- when you climb a hill and collect all the stamps -- records your ranking. The texts from the "Bunkyo no Sakamichi" booklet are also quoted, so you can easily enjoy going up and down the hills.
Munatsuki-zaka IPA is a brew characterized by a strong bitterness like a blow to the chest. Hinashi-zaka Cacao Nut Porter is black with fragrance, moderate bitterness and does not let light through. A three-story wooden brewery, Kanpai! Brewing, where craft beer is made and named the slopes, is located along the Kanda River near Munatsuki-zaka slope.
About 25 kinds of beer have been brewed on a small scale of about 900 to 1,200 liters per month, and about eight kinds are usually served at the beer bar on the first floor. Yoshiro Arai, 47, who established the brewery in May 2019 and works alone from stocking to shipping, said: "The recipes are all original. I had lived in the ward for a long time, so I wanted to name them after my hometown."
Arai says he sometimes gets inspiration for a new beer by walking down a hill without doing anything. "The charm of Bunkyo Ward is that it has slopes with various 'facial expressions.' I hope customers get interested in the slopes together with craft beer," he said.
It was also a slope to quench thirst and heal a weary body.
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