Tokyo · Special ward

Koto

江東区こうとうくKōtō-ku

From Edo's canal town to the reclaimed islands of Tokyo Bay

Kōtō is the Tokyo special ward between the Sumida and Arakawa rivers that reaches from the Edo-period canal town of Fukagawa, with Tomioka Hachimangū and Kiyosumi Garden, down to the reclaimed bay islands of Toyosu, Ariake and part of Odaiba, home of the Toyosu fish market and Tokyo Big Sight.

Overview

Kōtō – literally 'east of the river' – spreads over the low delta land east of the Sumida and out into Tokyo Bay. Its northern half is old Edo: Fukagawa, Kiyosumi, Monzen-Nakachō and Kameido, a grid of canals once lined with timber yards, warehouses and merchants' houses. Its southern half is land reclaimed from the bay over the last century – Toyosu, Shinonome, Ariake, Aomi and Yumenoshima – with high-rise housing, exhibition halls and sports venues.

The old quarter keeps its shitamachi character. Tomioka Hachimangū, Tokyo's largest Hachiman shrine, holds one of the city's great festivals, and its precincts were the birthplace of the fund-raising sumo tournaments of Edo. Kiyosumi Garden, laid out around a pond by the founder of Mitsubishi, and the Fukagawa Edo Museum's full-scale reconstruction of an Edo street lie close together, as does the site of the hermitage where the poet Matsuo Bashō lived and from which he set out on the journey of The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

On the waterfront, Toyosu Market took over the wholesale fish and produce trade from Tsukiji in 2018. Ariake holds Tokyo Big Sight, Japan's largest convention centre, and several venues of the 2020 Olympic Games held in 2021; the Odaiba area of artificial islands is shared between Kōtō (Aomi and Ariake), Minato (Daiba) and Shinagawa.

Landmarks

Tomioka Hachimangū
富岡八幡宮Tomioka Hachimangū
Large Hachiman shrine founded in 1627, cradle of Edo's kanjin sumo; a monument lists every yokozuna.
Kiyosumi Garden
清澄庭園Kiyosumi Teien
Stroll garden around a large pond with stepping stones and rare rocks gathered from across Japan by the Iwasaki family.
Fukagawa Edo Museum
深川江戸資料館Fukagawa Edo Shiryōkan
Full-scale reconstruction of a Fukagawa street of the 1840s, with houses, shops and a boat landing.
Bashō Memorial Museum
芭蕉記念館Bashō Kinenkan
Museum near the site of Bashō's hermitage by the Sumida, with a riverside garden and a statue of the poet.
Toyosu Market
豊洲市場Toyosu Shijō
Tokyo's central wholesale market for fish and produce, with viewing galleries over the tuna auction floor.
Tokyo Big Sight
東京ビッグサイトTōkyō Biggu Saito
Japan's largest exhibition centre, recognisable by its inverted-pyramid conference tower; venue of Comiket and major trade fairs.
Kameido Tenjin
亀戸天神社Kameido Tenjinsha
Shrine to Sugawara no Michizane with arched bridges over a pond, famous for its wisteria trellises and plum blossoms.
Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
東京都現代美術館Tōkyō-to Gendai Bijutsukan
Tokyo's main museum of post-war and contemporary art, in Kiba Park.

Districts

Fukagawa and Monzen-Nakachō
門前仲町Monzen-Nakachō
The shrine town of Tomioka Hachimangū and Fukagawa Fudōdō, with old-style eateries and bars.
Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
清澄白河Kiyosumi-Shirakawa
Former warehouse quarter known for its galleries and roasteries, near the garden and the art museum.
Kameido
亀戸Kameido
Shrine town of Kameido Tenjin in the north-east of the ward.
Toyosu
豊洲Toyosu
Reclaimed island with the wholesale market, high-rise housing and a waterfront park.
Ariake and Aomi (Odaiba)
有明Ariake
Bay islands with Tokyo Big Sight, Olympic venues and part of the Odaiba waterfront.

History

Fukagawa was reclaimed from marshland at the beginning of the seventeenth century, reputedly by Fukagawa Hachiroemon, after whom it is named. Tomioka Hachimangū was founded in 1627, and after the fire of 1657 timber merchants moved their yards to Kiba, while the shrine's gate town became a popular pleasure quarter. Matsuo Bashō lived in a hut in Fukagawa from 1680 and began his great northern journey from here in 1689.

In the Meiji era Fukagawa industrialised with cement works, shipyards and warehouses; Iwasaki Yatarō of Mitsubishi rebuilt Kiyosumi Garden from a former daimyo residence. The 1923 earthquake and the air raid of March 1945 devastated the area. After the war, landfill in the bay created Yumenoshima, Toyosu and Ariake; the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo opened in 1995, Tokyo Big Sight in 1996 and Toyosu Market in 2018.

Early 17th century
Fukagawa is reclaimed from the marshes east of the Sumida.
1627
Tomioka Hachimangū is founded.
1689
Matsuo Bashō sets out from Fukagawa on the journey of The Narrow Road to the Deep North.
1878
Iwasaki Yatarō acquires the former daimyo estate that becomes Kiyosumi Garden.
1947
Kōtō Ward is formed from Fukagawa and Jōtō wards.
1995
The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo opens in Kiba Park.
1996
Tokyo Big Sight opens in Ariake.
2018
Toyosu Market opens, taking over the wholesale market from Tsukiji.
2021
Ariake and the bay area host venues of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Culture

Northern Kōtō is proud of its Edo heritage: the Fukagawa festival, the literary memory of Bashō, Edo-style crafts and the monthly fair days at Fukagawa Fudōdō. The bay area stands for modern Tokyo – exhibitions, fan conventions such as Comiket at Tokyo Big Sight, and the market at Toyosu. Canals and waterside promenades link the two halves.

Festivals

Fukagawa Hachiman Matsuri
深川八幡祭りFukagawa Hachiman Matsuri
In mid-August, one of Edo's three great festivals; in main-festival years, held every three years, dozens of large portable shrines are carried while spectators douse the bearers with water.
Kameido Tenjin Wisteria Festival
藤まつりFuji Matsuri
From late April into early May, when the wisteria trellises around the pond are in bloom.
Comiket
コミックマーケットKomikku Māketto
The world's largest self-published manga fair, held in summer and winter at Tokyo Big Sight.

Food

Fukagawa-meshi
深川めしFukagawa-meshi
Short-necked clams and leeks in miso broth over rice, or cooked with the rice – the fishermen's dish of old Fukagawa.
Kuzumochi
くず餅kuzumochi
Fermented wheat-starch cakes with brown-sugar syrup and soy flour, a Kameido speciality since the early nineteenth century.
Sushi at Toyosu
寿司sushi
Sushi and seafood breakfasts in the restaurants inside the market buildings.
Tsukudani
佃煮tsukudani
Small fish and shellfish simmered in soy and sugar, a preserved food of the Edo waterfront still sold in the old quarters.

Getting around

The Tōzai subway line serves Monzen-Nakachō and Kiba; the Hanzōmon and Ōedo lines meet at Kiyosumi-Shirakawa.
The Yurikamome automated line runs from Shimbashi across the Rainbow Bridge to Odaiba, Ariake and Toyosu; the Rinkai Line links the bay area with Ōsaki and Shinjuku.
The Yūrakuchō Line serves Toyosu; JR Sōbu Line trains stop at Kameido.
Water buses cross the bay between Hinode, Odaiba and Toyosu.

Day trips

Sumida
Ryōgoku's sumo halls and the Skytree, just north.
Chūō
Tsukiji outer market and Ginza across the river.
Minato
Daiba and the Rainbow Bridge, and Tokyo Tower beyond.
Tsukiji
The outer market that remained after the wholesale market moved to Toyosu.

Other cities in the prefecture

CapitalShinjukuShinjuku-kuSkyscrapers, neon and the seat of Tokyo's government Special wardChiyodaChiyoda-kuThe palace, the Diet and Tokyo Station at the heart of Japan Special wardChuoChūō-kuEdo's merchant heart, from Nihonbashi to Ginza Core cityHachiojiHachiōji-shiMount Takao and the silk town at Tokyo's western edge Special wardMinatoMinato-kuEmbassies, art museums and Tokyo Tower on the bay Special wardShibuyaShibuya-kuFashion, youth culture and a forest shrine in the heart of Tokyo Special wardSumidaSumida-kuSkytree, sumo and the old town across the river Special wardTaitoTaitō-kuTemples, museums and the old shitamachi of Asakusa and Ueno Special wardToshimaToshima-kuIkebukuro's terminals, anime culture and old Sugamo

Frequently asked questions

Is Odaiba in Kōtō?

Partly. The Odaiba waterfront is shared between three wards: Daiba belongs to Minato, Aomi and Ariake to Kōtō, and Higashi-Yashio to Shinagawa.

What is the difference between Tsukiji and Toyosu?

The wholesale fish market moved from Tsukiji in Chūō Ward to Toyosu in Kōtō in 2018; the Tsukiji outer market of shops and restaurants stayed in its old location.

Can visitors see the tuna auction at Toyosu?

Yes, from observation galleries above the auction floor; access to the closest viewing deck has been by application, so check the market's official information before going.

What connects Bashō to Kōtō?

The haiku poet Matsuo Bashō lived in a hermitage in Fukagawa from 1680 and began his journey to the north in 1689 from there; a museum and a small shrine mark the area.

Sources

1.江東区ホームページ (opens in a new tab) — 江東区 (Koto City)
2.令和2年国勢調査 (opens in a new tab) — 総務省統計局 (Statistics Bureau of Japan)
3.Japan National Tourism Organization (opens in a new tab) — JNTO