Hello. I used to work at the call center at the kimono rental store VASARA. When I worked at the call center, I often received calls from customers who didn't know where to go to the store and wanted directions. I would guide them when they were nearby, but I had trouble reading the place names. There are many place names in Kyoto that are difficult to read, but when you look into them, you'll find that they have many interesting origins and histories. I looked up some of them to help people feel more familiar with Kyoto. This time, I'd like to introduce you to "Tenshitsukinuke" and "Akuoji," which have a manga-like image when read together.

 

●Why are there so many difficult-to-read place names in Kyoto?

Kyoto has many difficult-to-read place names. It is said that many of these names have arisen over the course of its long history of more than 1,200 years, with ancient pronunciations being adapted to modern pronunciations, or being named after events or people related to the place.

 

What happened in that place where the angels were piercing?

There is a narrow street running north to south between Nishinotoin-dori and Sodekoji-dori in Shimogyo Ward. The name of this street is "Tenshitsukinukedori." And along this street, the towns from Tenshitsukinukedori 1-chome to Tenshitsukinukedori 4-chome are lined up. I imagined that Western angels with rings on their heads were lined up and that they were forcing their way through it, but is that actually the case?

 

The origin of the place name is related to Gojo Tenjingu Shrine, which stands nearby. When Emperor Kanmu moved the capital to Kyoto, he ordered Kobo Daishi to invite the gods of Yamato Province to build Gojo Tenjingu Shrine to protect the peace of the capital. It was called the "Shrine of Angels" because it enshrines three gods of heaven, including Amaterasu Omikami. It was not a Western angel. At the time, it was considered the oldest shrine in the capital and had a vast guardian forest. Gojo Oji, which runs from Gojo Tenjingu Shrine to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, is said to have been the busiest street with worshippers, as it was the place where the Kannon of Kiyomizu-dera Temple and the angels of Gojo Tenjin Shrine, who were most revered by the common people of Kyoto during the Heian period, gathered.

However, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the country and became the regent, he began a major reform to forcibly change the layout of Kyoto to suit his own desires. Many temples and shrines were forcibly relocated, and new roads were built, creating many rectangular street layouts. Hideyoshi's Kyoto reforms also resulted in a road running through the grounds of Gojo Tenjin Shrine. He built a road like a skewer through the grounds of Tenjin Shrine, which had been created by Kobo Daishi, splitting it in two. The local people were astonished by Hideyoshi's handiwork. So he built a street through the newly created town, which is said to have been named "Tenshi Tonuki" (Tenshi Tonuki) because it ran through Tenshi Shrine.

 

Was there ever a prince called the Evil Prince?

Further east on Gojo-dori from the "Tenshi Tokunuke" area, just north of the Karasuma-Gojo intersection, is a town called "Aku Oji." Further north, near Shijo-Karasuma, is another town called "Motoaku Oji." I thought this area was interesting, with a bad prince and a bad prince who had reformed, but when I looked into it, I found that the meaning of "oji" here was also different.

"Aku" generally means "evil" as in good and evil, but it seems that in the past it was also used to mean "powerful." And "Aku Oji" refers to the wild spirit of Susanoo-no-Mikoto (the powerful side of the god's gentle and powerful sides). The area was named "Aku Oji-cho" because it was the location of a shrine called "Aku Oji-sha" that worshiped this Aku Oji. And the place where "Aku Oji-sha" is said to have been located before that is called "Moto Aku Oji-cho." I'm embarrassed to have predicted something completely different.

 

Summary

What did you think? This time, we introduced the manga-like place names Tenshi Tonuki and Aku Oji-cho. The meanings were different from what I expected, and I was reminded that the origins of place names are interesting. Still, I didn't expect that the place name would be a sarcastic remark about Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The street is close to Kiyomizu-dera Temple, so why not stop by when you're sightseeing? You can also easily experience sightseeing in a kimono by using the kimono rental service VASARA. In addition, we also provide a car drop-off service to tourist spots, but reservations are required. Kiyomizu-dera Temple is also on the route, so please see here for details.

 

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