Visit Architecture

銀座たてもの探訪

Visiting Ginza’s Architecture Vol.6 Ginza District Heritage

2026.02.01

This time, we will take a slightly different approach and explore the traces of history remaining in Ginza's streets around the theme of “Ginza District Heritage.” Ginza is such a vibrantly active district that it is extremely difficult to find old buildings or relics that tell its history. We took a stroll with the perspective of seeking out anything that might tell the story of this area's development.

Uino
Ogikubo-san, do you remember this book?
Ogikubo
You mean “A Tale of Ginza’s Willows” by Mr. Katsumata, who founded “Noble Pearl” in Ginza 8-chome. I referenced it extensively during our previous series “Exploring Ginza’s Inari Shrines.”
「銀座の柳物語」。柳の話のみならず、銀座の歴史についても語られている。
”A Tale of Ginza Willows.” It tells not only the story of the willow but also the history of Ginza.
Uino
Mr. Katsumata worked tirelessly to restore the willow trees of Ginza. He was a master of Ginza who cared deeply for the town. According to this book, Ginza used to have several wells, so historically, it was a water source. Ginza is close to the sea, and yet it had freshwater wells.
Ogikubo
There are stories that Edo’s well water was undrinkable because it contained seawater due to its proximity to the ocean. However, Ginza was part of what was called Edo-mae Island, a peninsula-like stretch of land, since early times, so it likely had access to fresh water.
Uno
So I tried tracing the information about old wells mentioned in the book. Although it was quite a while ago, I had a vague memory of seeing something resembling a well near the Tenkuni Building in Ginza 8-chome…
Ogikubo
Did you find anything?
Uino
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything. I also once heard that the Recruit 8-chome Building, where the Creation Gallery used to be, used spring water to water the plants around the entrance. But that building is no longer there either, as it was demolished for redevelopment.
Ogikubo
Sorry to hear that!
Uino
But according to someone from the Neighborhood Association of Ginza 4-chome, where Hōdō Inari Shrine is located, there used to be a well called ‘Kitamura Tōkoku’s Well’ on Namiki-dōri. It was right around where the Seiko Museum stands now.
Ogikubo
Kitamura Tōkoku is a literary figure from the Meiji era, right? I believe he lived in Ginza’s Yazaemon-cho as a child. If it was located where the Seiko Museum is now, Hodo Inari Shrine would be right behind. If only some trace of it remained, even if the well itself no longer exists.
Uino
Isn’t it fascinating to think that deep beneath the streets of Ginza, there are water veins?
Ogikubo
Even now, if you were to dig down, water would probably come up, but I doubt it would be safe to drink. Speaking of traces of history around here, we have the gas lamps. The information boards explaining them are placed so close to the ground that most people don’t even notice them.
ガス灯通りに4基のガス灯が復刻している。解説板がガス灯の足元にあるので気づかない人が多い。
Four gas lamps have been restored on Gas Lamp Street.
>Many people miss the information panels at the base of the gas lamps.
Uino
Oh yes, there are four restored gas lamps. You have to look closely to notice, but they are indeed lit by real gas. You can clearly see the flame flickering.
電灯に比べると光は弱いけれども、ガス灯らしい揺らめきと暖かさがある光。
Compared to electric lights, the light is dimmer, but the flicker and warmth are signature of a gas lamp
Ogikubo
It is said that gas lamps first lit the streets of Ginza in 1874 (Meiji 7). While Japan’s first gas lamps were installed in Yokohama, Ginza was the first area in Tokyo to have them. I believe these are the first lamps, drawn in this Meiji-era “nishiki-e” print.。
明治15年に出版された「鉄道馬車往復京橋煉瓦造ヨリ竹河岸図」（国立国会図書館デジタルコレクション蔵）。中央あたりにガス灯が描かれている。
”Horse-Drawn Railway Carriage Round Trip: View from Kyobashi Brick Bridge to Takegashi”
(National Diet Library Digital Collection), published in 1882 (Meiji 15).「
A gas lamp is drawn near the center.
Uino
It was the moment artificial light pushed back the darkness of night.
Ogikubo
A symbol of the Meiji Restoration. It’s no exaggeration to say city night life began here. Gas lamps would later be replaced by electric lights. Actually, there’s a plaque here marking where Ginza’s first arc lamps were lit.
宇井野
The moment artificial light pushed back the darkness of night.
銀座二丁目交差点の大倉本館角に埋め込まれた「東京銀座通電気燈建設之図」のレリーフ。通り沿いには復刻したアーク灯が建てられている。
The plaque “Tokyo Ginza Street Electric Light Construction Diagram”

Replica arc lamps line the street.
Uino
This is the Ginza 2-chome intersection, isn’t it? Why are we here?
Ogikubo
In fact, this plaque is mounted on the wall of Okura Main Building. In 1882, Kihachiro Okura wanted to showcase electric light, so he installed Japan’s first arc lamp in front of the Okura Group Trading Company.
Uino
So Ginza was also where electric light first illuminated the city streets.<
Ogikubo
A replica stands in front of the Okura Main Building, so it is a must-see for anyone visiting Ginza at night.
Uino
Ginza was also where new infrastructure was first installed. Now that we have covered water, gas, and electricity, shall we explore more traces of Ginza’s infrastructure history?
Ogikubo
Let us head towards Shimbashi. Shimbashi was the entrance to Ginza when people came from outside. For a time during the Edo period, a magnificent gate stood just beyond the Shimbashi bridge.
Uino
It’s marked as the site of the Shibaguchi Gate.
芝口御門跡の碑。
Stone monument at the site of the Shibaguchi Gate.
Ogikubo
For just 14 years, from 1710 to 1724, the Shibaguchi Gate stood here. When you look at maps of Edo from that time, you will see that Shimbashi labeled as Shibaguchi Bridge. The Shiodome River, now reclaimed and occuppied by the Metropolitan Expressway above and commercial facilities below, once flowed through this area. The gate to the Edo Palace was constructed across that river.
Uno
The gate indicates that Ginza must have marked a boundary between the “inside and outside”.
Ogikubo
It seems the gate was built because Edo still lacked a western gate (and thus needed one) when receiving the Korean Envoys, so it’s plausible that the Shiodome River served as the boundary.
Uino
This was the southwest boundary of Ginza. The southeast boundary was the Sanjikken-bori moat, right?
Ogikubo
That’s right. Now completely reclaimed, the Sanjikken-bori site has become a road, and even the area outside the moat is now has a Ginza address, so people hardly notice anymore. But roughly around here, the Sanjikken-bori joined the Shiodome River… Oh.
三十間堀跡は今では普通の道路に。
The site of the Sanjikken-bori is now just an ordinary road.
Uino
Is anything wrong?
Ogikubo
I just discovered the site of the Sanjikken-bori moat. The stone embankment used for the moat is casually preserved as a historic site beside the Metropolitan Expressway. I never noticed this before.
三十間堀の護岸に使われていた築石が保存され、解説板も用意されている。
The stones used for the Sanjikken-bori canal’s embankment have been preserved, with an accompanying information panel.
Uino
It lets us remember that there used to be a waterway here.
Ogikubo
Back when Edo was founded, the area beyond here was shallow sea. To bring in supplies by large ships, they dug a deep and wide waterway – thirty-ken (around 54.5 meter) wide and reinforced it with stone walls.
Uino
The Sanjikken-bori moat also appeared many times during our series covering Inari Shrines. This wide moat carried goods flowing through here. Ginza was a city of logistics, as well as a waterside town. The well we saw earlier was a single “point” of water; the Sanjikken-bori moat was a “line.”
Ogikubo
You can see it was a logistics hub: the Tōkaidō road, the land route, ran through the center of Ginza, and the Sanjikken-bori moat, the water route, ran to the east.
Uino
It’s fascinating to think everything was interconnected by water.
Ogikubo
Actually, nearby you can still find remnants of this logistics network connecting land and water routes. Let’s walk a bit further east along the Metropolitan Expressway… or rather, along the former Shiodome River.
Uino
Is this a railroad crossing? For trains?
銀座に残る唯一の踏切跡。かつて鉄道で物資を運んでいた鉄路も今はトラックで運ぶ道路に。
The only remaining railroad crossing in Ginza.
The tracks that once carried goods by train is now a road for trucks.
Ogikubo
That’s right. When the current Shiosite was Shiodome Freight Station, a freight line connecting Tsukiji Central Wholesale Market and Shiodome ran here. Now only the railroad crossing signal remains, and the former tracks have become a road.
緩やかにカーブする道路はかつての鉄路跡。このまま築地の卸売市場へつながっていた。
The gently curving road follows the former railroad tracks.
It once led straight to the Tsukiji Wholesale Market.
Uino
Did you know about this traffic signal, Ogikubo0-san?
Ogikubo
Actually, the editorial offices of ASAHI PC Magazine and ASAHI Camera Magazine, which I used to work with, were in the Asahi Shimbun building. So, I often used this road to get there for meetings and roundtable discussions. Back then, I wondered why there was a railroad track here, but it makes sense now that it was a spur line to the Tsukiji market.
Uino
The Tsukiji market has also relocated, and now only the road and traffic light remain, but it is important that memories of this place is preserved in this way. I believe the heritage of the Ginza area lies not only in its buildings, but in the very infrastructure that has supported the city.
Ogikubo
I recommend occasionally strolling like this, searching for remnants of history, and reflecting on how present-day Ginza stands upon layers of the past.

During our stroll, Ogikubo-san seemed intrigued by various manhole covers for water, gas, sewage, communications. “You can tell when they were installed from the patterns and letters engraved.” he remarked. Undiscovered relics of daily life may still be close at hand. We look forward to your exciting discoveries too.