p. 24 “he regained consciousness.” Akutagawa Ryunosuke, in Daitōkyō Hanjōki (A Chronicle of the Prosperity of Tokyo), in two volumes, 1928; Shitamachi (The Low City), 13-14.
31 A Dutch observer. Pompe van Meerbevoort, quoted in Tōkyō Hyakunenshi (A History of the Tokyo Century), in six volumes; 1. 1973, 1521-22.
34 wife and daughter. Tanizaki Junichirō, Setsuyō Zuihitsu (Osaka Essays), 1935, 229-33. Tanizaki uses the French/English “vaudeville.”
36 “Edo townsmen.” Hasegawa Shigure, Kyūbun Nihombashi (Ancient Tidings of Nihombashi), 1935, 232.
43 by the solar. The solar or Gregorian calendar was adopted on January 1, 1873. That date corresponded to December 3, 1872, under the lunar calendar, and so the remaining days of the lunar year were dropped. Except when otherwise specified, dates through 1872 have been converted to the Gregorian calendar.
46 Edo as it was. The Poems of Tanizaki Junichirō, 1977, 348. Composed on August 19, 1962.
48 drank himself to death. Hasegawa, Kyūbun Nihombashi, 63.
51 “houses are built.” W. E. Griffis, Guide Book of Yedo, 11.
51 into the river. John Russell Young, Around the World with General Grant. Two volumes, 1879. II, 597-98. The Enriokwan, or Enryōkan, was the guest house at the Hama Palace.
52 Fukuzawa Yukichi. Seiyō Jijō (The Situation in the West), second part, 9. In Fukuzawa Yukichi, Collected Works, II, 1898.
57 florid decorations. Tanizaki Junichirō, Yōshō Jidai (My Boyhood), in Collected Works, XXIX, 1959, 181-84. “Sanctuary of the Instincts” is Honnōji. A temple by that name, where occurred perhaps the most famous assassination in Japanese history, that of Oda Nobunaga, is situated in Kyoto. Here the name is, of course, used sportively.
58 an interrupted dream. Kitahara Hakushū, in Daitōkyō Hanjōki, Shitamachi, 166-67. Kinoshita Mokutarō was a well-known poet. Eau-de-vie de Dantzick is in Roman letters in the original.
62 transfer to Fukagawa. Nagai Kafū, Collected Works, V, 1948, 80-81.
62 “Mitsukoshi is today.” Hasegawa, Kyūbun Nihombashi, 14.
64 water from embankments. The novelist Kikuchi Kan described a more interesting sort of gaffe in the case of the postal service, begun even before the opening of the railroad. The two characters on the post boxes were misconstrued as “urinal.” Meiji Bummei Kidan (Curious Tales of Meiji Civilization), 1948, 60.
71 a school of whitefish. Osanai Kaoru, Okawabata (The Bank of the Big River), 52-53, 55-56. Masao is of course the hero, closely resembling Osanai. Kimitarō is a geisha. Some of her colleagues go for English lessons to the Summer School in Tsukiji, attended by the young Tanizaki. Nakasu was a restaurant and theater district in Nihombashi. Today it lies mostly beneath expressways.
72 The River Sumida. Widely published. See, for instance, Nihon no Bungaku (Japanese Literature), XVIII, 1967, 138.
73 Mitsui the millionaire. W. E. Griffis, The Mikado’s Empire, 1906 (eleventh edition; first published 1876), 365-66, 370.
74 “latrines of later years.” Ishii Kendō, Meiji Jibutsu Kigen (Origin of Things Meiji), Part 2, 1944, 734.
74 une laideur Americaine. Pierre Loti, Ouevres Complètes, undated, IV, 473.
75 “structural hodge-podge.” Philip Terry, Guide to the Japanese Empire, 1920, 143.
76 a famous artist. Kishida Ryūsei, in Daitōkyo Hanjōki, Shitamachi, 360.
78 someone would say. Tanizaki, Yōshō Jidai, 91. The Kairakuen, in Nihombashi, was the first Chinese restaurant in Tokyo (see page 113). Gen-chan, son of the proprietor, was a close friend of Tanizaki’s.
78 connoisseur of fires and firefighting methods. E. S. Morse, Japan Day by Day, 1936, I, 31-32; I, 133; II, 125-26.
80 willows in full leaf. Kubota Mantarō, Collected Works, XII, 1948, 250-51.
81 “capital of the Tycoon.” Sir Rutherford Alcock, The Capital of the Tycoon, 1863, I, 115.
84 dim in mists. Kubota, Collected Works, XII, 210-11.
89 lights were to be discerned. Takahama Kyoshi, in Daitōkyō Hanjōki, Yamanou (The High City), 63-64.
93 “cry out in astonishment.” Natsume Sōseki, Gubijinsō (The Poppy), 1908, 255.
93 “wait for pretty boys.” Tanizaki, Yōshō Jidai, 73, 75.
95 “passed away forever.” Griffis, The Mikado’s Empire, 550.
96 “Edo was destroyed.” Tayama Katai, Collected Works, XV, 1974, 539.
102 “old one had not been.” Hasegawa, Kyūbun Nihombashi, 117-18.
106 “trees and foliage.” Basil Hall Chamberlain and W. B. Mason, Murray’s Handbook: Japan, 1903, 115.
106 acting to the end. Cf. Titus Andronicus, II, IV: “Enter Demetrius and Chiron, with Lavinia, ravished; her hands cut off, and her tongue cut out.”
116 “erected immediately.” Clara Whitney, Clara’s Diary, 1979, 257.
117 “to our honored country.” Ibid., 260-61.
128 “chatters on and on.” Quoted in Nishikie Bakumatsu Meiji no Rekishi (A History of Late Edo and Meiji in Woodcuts), X, 1978, 82. I have not been able to trace the source in Ryokuu’s writings.
129 behind the grand hall. Kubota, Collected Works, XII, 55-57.
132 in vacant lots. Nagai Kafū, Hiyorigeta (Good-weather Footgear), widely published. See, for instance, Nihon no Bungaku (Japanese Literature), XVIII, 1967, 440-41. The Japanese names of the weeds referred to are kayatsurigusa, nekojirashi, oka no mamma, ōbako, and hakobe.
140 of her short stories. Higuchi Ichiyō, “Takekurabe” (“Growing Up”), widely published. See, for instance, Nihon no Bungaku (Japanese Literature), V, 1968, 98.
144 oscillations of the boats. Morse, Japan Day by Day, I, 129-31.
144 hopeless condition spiritually. Whitney, Clara’s Diary, 93-94
146 sharp and cold. Nagai Kafū, “The Fox.” Widely published. See, for instance, Collected Works, XII, 94. The Japanese title is “Kitsune.”
154 shiver, pleasantly. Tanizaki, Yōshō Jidai, 120-21.
154 “out of patience.” Whitney, Clara’s Diary, 277.
155 illuminate his face. Morse, Japan Day by Day, 1, 28-29.
155 “clean away the decay.” Quoted in Japanese Music and Dance in the Meiji Era, compiled and edited by Komiya Toyotaka. Centenary Culture Council Series, III, 1956, 191-92.
160 “what he had left was Yose.” Osanai Kaoru, quoted in the magazine Hon, distributed for advertising purposes by Kodansha, June, 1980.
163 busy holiday-makers. Chamberlain and Hall, Murray’s Handbook: Japan, 1891, 85 and 87.
165 upset no one. Tanizaki, Yōshō Jidai, 109-10.
172 a romantic setting. Quoted by Kubota, Collected Works, XII, 94.
176 would not soon forget. Higuchi Ichiyo, “Growing Up.” Widely published. See for instance Nihon no Bungaku, V, 98.
194 air of the degenerate. Tayama Katai, in Daitokyo Hanjoki, Shitamachi, 300-3, 304-6. Owai, “excrement,” was the cry of the night-soil draymen as they made their way through the city. “Spectacle Bridge,” Meganebashi, was another name for Yorozuyobashi, also known as Manseibashi, in Kanda. The English word “degenerate” is used.
194 today, assembled. Hasegawa, Kyūbun Nihombashi, 163, 165-66.
195 affluence in party dress. Ibid., 233. Danna, something like “master” or “head of the house,” is the word rendered “men of affluence.”
205 “Nôtre Dame to Paris.” Griffis, The Mikado’s Empire, 378.
206 “at such play.” Ibid., 388.
207 “a charred waste.” Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, quoted by Kubota Mantarō in Collected Works, XII, 31-32.
208 since the earthquake. Ibid., 33-34.
209 attributes of a park. Tokyo Annai (A Guide to Tokyo), 1907, II, 448. The area of the park converts to about thirteen and a half acres. The Satake were lords of Kubota, the present Akita.
210 that ancient sadness. Nagai Kafū, from Udekurabe (A Test of Skills). Widely published. See for instance Nihon no Bungaku (Japanese Literature), XVIII, 1967, 221.
214 old Fukagawa was. Akutagawa, in Daitōkyō Hanjoki, Shitamachi, 3, 30, 46. Regions within “the red line” were under the Edo magistracy. In effect it marked the city limits.
214 “semblance of sanctity.” Chamberlain and Hall, Murray’s Handbook: Japan, 1903, 88.
215 “at the head of their lists.” Tokyo Annai, 1907, II, 598, 650.
219 clams and seaweed. Ibid., II, 745-46.
222 a more revolting form. Alcock, The Capital of the Tycoon, I, 111-13. Norimono and kago are two words for “sedan chair.” The Tocado is more properly the Tokaido.
224 “from other years.” Osanai Kaoru, in Daitōkyō Hanjoki, Yamanote, 547.
235 half of it to ashes. Arishima Ikuma, Ibid., 94, 96.
237 “cawing outside the window.” Morse, Japan Day by Day, I, 15.
253 “that suggests Valentino.” Kishida Ryūsei, in Daitōkyō Hanjōki, Shitamachi, 362-63.
256 it rained. Nagai Kafū, Hanabi (Fireworks). Widely published. See for instance, Kafū Zuihitsu (Kafū’s Essays), III, 1982, 14.
258 dwell outside it. Terry, Guide to the Japanese Empire, 133.
276 had not yet come. Tanizaki, Setsuyō Zuihitsu, 215-21.
295 “avenues and streets.” The Reconstruction of Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo Municipal Office, 1933. iv.
296 “from our beds.” Quoted in Tōkyō Hyakunenshi (Tokyo Centennial History), Tokyo, Tokyo Prefectural Office, in six volumes, IV, 1972, 1241.
297 “field of flowers.” Collected Works, Tokyo, Shinchōsha, II, 1970, 54.
297 “mountain of rubble.” Ibid., 55.
300 “prayed in silence.” Collected Short Stories, Tokyo, Kōdansha, 1964. 338.
300 “fresh autumn wind.” Collected Works, Tokyo. Iwanami Shoten, XIX, 1964, 332.
300 “seemed very near.” Collected Works, VIII, 1963, 94.
302 “woman out dancing.” Collected Works, XIX, 334.
305 “royal death approaches?” Collected Works, XX, 1964, 86.
311 “a generous estimate” Collected Works, Tokyo, Chūō Kōron Sha, XXII, 1959, 157-59
312 “appearance of health.” Collected Works, XII, 1970, 39.
313 “to be beautiful.” Ibid., 33.
320 “be your bride.” Shōwa Ryūkōkashi (A History of Shōwa Popular Music), Tokyo, Mainichi Shimbun, 1977, 59.
323 “the repellent kind.” Collected Works, XXIX, 1982, 232-34. A more recent version of the collected works than that cited elsewhere.
340 “after a rain.” Op. cit., 197.
340 “into the mirrors.’’ Collected Works, VIII, 236.
341 “on their way.” Collected Works, Tokyo, Shinchosha, III, 1977, 14.
342 “medical science marvelous?” Collected Works, II, 28-29.
343 “just like Osaka.” Collected Works, III, 28.
343 “not with dew.” Shōwa Ryūkōkashi, 51-52.
344 “a chain store.” Op. cit., 14.
348 “spring and autumn.” p. cxc.
355 “for the dancer.” Shōwa Ryūkōkashi, 48-49.
353 “into new ones.” Collected Works, II, 30-31.
354 “song and legs.” Ibid., 31.
355 “the Fourth District.” Ibid.
359 “was really listening.” Collected Works, III, 356. The passage is a single sentence in the original.
360 “stroll down Ginza.” Collected Works, II, 33.
362 “bags of sweets.” Ibid., 128-29.
362 “quite radiates eroticism.” Ibid., 109.
363 “world doesn’t have.” Ibid., 86.
365 “only in Asakusa.” Collected Works, III, 75.
376 “want to flee.” Chikamatsu Shūkō, quoted in Tōkyō Hyakunenshi, V, 1972, 900.
384 “of a room.” New York, Alfred A. Knopf, 1957, 483.
386 “make haste, sing.” Collected Works, XII, 1963,402-3.
386 “at my breast.” Ibid., 408.
386 “make the sacrifice.” Ibid. ,413.
387 “in the hall. Ibid., 422.
387 “to be in.” Ibid., 430.
387 “from human affairs?” Ibid., 432.
388 “breaks the silence.” Ibid., 437.
389 “together are removed.” Collected Works, Tokyo, Keisō Shōbō, 1, 1970, 153.
340 “of their dream.” Ibid., 241.
392 “letting things go.” Collected Works, XIX, 1974, 551-52.
392 “going to ruins.” Collected Works, XXIII, 1964, 439.
393 “moral from this.” Collected Works, XIX, 570.
393 “neglect the place.” Asakusa, edited by Takami Jun, Tokyo, Eihōsha, 1955, 272.
408 “that odd building,” p. 96.
418 “a modest gift.” Collected Works, Tokyo, Chikuma Shobō, IX, 1978, 17.
452 “how agreeable.” Shōwa Ryūkōkashi, 141.
458 “a different route.” Collected Works, XXIV, 1964, 180.
463 “with Edict 9.” Murata Hiroo, in Takami, Asakusa, 240.
465 “of us Japanese.” Quoted in Shōwa no Sesō (Aspects of Shōwa), edited by Harada Katsumasa, Tokyo, Shōgakkan, 1983, 140. The Harada volume is an appendix to the Shogakkan history of the Shōwa Period.
494 “came back again.” Akatsuka Yukio, quoted in Edo Tōkyō Gaku Jiten (The EdoTokyo Encyclopedia), edited by Ogi Shinzō et al., Tokyo, Sanseido, 1987, 239.
506 “things a bit.” Quoted in Harada, op. cit., 254.
515 “oversaw the destruction.” It may be a mistake to say that nothing else survives of Mitsubishi Londontown. Fragments of the Ginza Bricktown of early Meiji, thought to have been utterly lost, have turned up in the course of demolitions, excavations, and rebuildings.
523 “helpful of police.” When a friend and I tried to photograph the mammoth police box we were told that regulations forbade it. Inquiry with police headquarters revealed that there are no such regulations.
527 “villa of Kikugorō.” Collected Works, IX, 1964, 111-12.
530 “use of space.” Arthur Koestler, as we were having a stroll.
535 “Sanyūtei Kimba.” Quoted in Shōwa no Sesō (Aspects of Shōwa), edited by Iwasaki Jiro and Katō Hidetoshi, Tokyo, Shakai Shisōsha, 1971, 269.
542 “had a point.” The lady, obviously American, winked and smiled and made the remark as she got off the riverboat from Asakusa. I was waiting at Shibaura to board the same boat in the opposite direction.
544 “going to win.” Tamanoumi, in Bungei Shunjū ni Miru Shōwa Supōtsu shi (A History of Shōwa as seen in Bungei Shunjū), II, 1988, 526. The article is reprinted from the magazine Bungei Shunjū for April 1970. Tamanoumi became a Yokozuna in 1970 and died while still an active wrestler.
570 “have a home.” Shōwa Bungaku Zenshū (a uniform edition of Shōwa writing), Tokyo, Shōgakkan, IX. 1987, 44.
573 “edge of bankruptcy.” Fukuda Shintarō, president of the Jiji News Service, in conversation.
599 “goes on developing.” Tōkyōjin (The Tokyoite), March-April 1988, 134-35.
600 “not be easy,” Tōkyōjin, special issue, July 1988, 22-23.