Shinobazu Pond

The is a pond within Ueno Park (a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan), and a historically prominent Shitamachi feature often appearing in history and works of art. The park occupies the site of the former Kan'ei-ji, a temple closely associated with the Tokugawa shoguns, who had built it to guard Edo Castle against the northeast. The temple was destroyed during the Boshin War. The pond, although modified many times and even once drained, is natural.

Position and Dimensions

Situated in the south of Ueno Park, the pond is divided in three sections (see map), one called because of the plants that during the summer completely cover its surface, one called from the rental boats it hosts, and the third called , which lies within the limits of the Ueno Zoo and takes its name from the birds that inhabit it.

The pond has a circumference of about 2km and a surface of about 1,100,000m². To the north it borders with the Ueno Zoo, to the east with Keisei Ueno Station, to the south and to the west with Shinobazu Dori. At its center lies on which stands the temple dedicated to goddess .

The park is divided in three parts by two promenades.

Name	Surface（10,000m²）	Average Depth（cm）	Water volume（1000m³）
Boat Pond	30	86	26
Lotus Pond	55	84	46
Cormorant Pond	25	92	23

Origin of the Name

According to the stone inscription on Benten Island, the area between the Ueno Plateau and the Hongo Plateau used to be called , and the pond just took its name from it, but there are alternative theories. According to one, the early name due to the presence of bamboo grass later turned into Shinobazu. Another claims the name comes from the habit of young men and women to meet secretly here.

History and Changes

In the Jomon Era the entire place used to be just a cove of Tokyo Bay. Later, some centuries into the Common Era, the sea withdrew, leaving behind extensive marshes that covered most of the old Shitamachi. The pond is what remains of those marshes. We know that by the 15th Century the present name was already in use.

In 1625 the Edo Shogunate had the Kan'ei-ji built here as a counterpart to Hieizan's Enryakuji in West Japan. The temple's founder Jigen Daishi (Tenkai), liking Lake Biwa, had Benten Island built in imitation of Chikubushima, and then the Bentendo on it. At the time the island was accessible only by boat, but later a stone bridge was added on the east, making it possible to walk to it.

The pond's shape until the beginning of the Meiji Era was very different from now, in particular the northern part where the Ueno Zoo is, which was much wider. At the time, the Aizomegawa flowed into it. In 1884 however, a cooperative horse racing company, wanting to open a racing track, had the pond partly filled, bringing it to the present shape and size. The first horse race took place in the November of the same year in the presence of the Emperor, and until 1892 races took place every spring and summer.

In 1907 the was built toward the west in occasion of the Tokyo Industrial Fair, making it possible to walk across the whole pond. In 1929 more work divided the pond in four distinct parts. The boat rental business, which continues to the present day, was started in 1939. Today's Cormorants Pond is the result of the fusion of two of those four sections. During World War II water was pumped out and the pond divided into rice paddies (the so-called . There was later, among others, a plan to build a baseball field on it, but in 1949 it was decided to return the pond to its original form which we still see today.

In September 1967 a hole was opened by accident in the pond during the construction of Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line, and approximately 30 thousand tons of water flowed away.

In the years between 1990 and 1994, the city authorities installed water purification equipment.

Nature

Birds

The pond hosts several dozens of types of migratory and stationary birds, whose number at times is over ten thousand. Among them particularly numerous are tufted ducks, pochards, and northern pintails.

Fish

The pond contains numerous species of fish.

Plants

The lotuses of the Lotuses Pond, fully grown in summer, cover the entire surface of the water, hiding it almost completely.

Other Fauna

In June 2006 in the pond were found alligator snapping turtles, which are a non-native species, and the possibility exists that they are breeding. Since then, authorities have posted warnings against alligator snapping turtles and snapping turtles.

Famous Literary Works That Mention The Pond

Mori Ōgai - Gan (The Wild Goose)
Yasunari Kawabata - Boshi Jiken (帽子事)

Nearby Places of Interest

Shrine
Ueno Zoo

Access

Other Information

The area around the pond used to be the Mecca of Tokyo's homeless, but in 2006 the area was cordoned off and the homeless sent away.

References

Archive Material and Leaflet from the Shitamachi Museum

This article is, with a few minor additions and omissions, a direct translation of the article 不忍池 of Japanese Wikipedia accessed on January 2008. The references above quoted belong to the original article.