Episode Details

This archival record examines the multi-layered spiritual and historical landscape of Hibusuma, an area within Tokyo’s Meguro ward composed of the former villages of Himonya and Fusuma. The text meticulously documents a "faith sediment basin" where centuries of Shinto traditions, radical Buddhist sects, and post-war Catholicism overlap without fully erasing one another. Key narratives include the Fuju Fuse resistance at Hohke-ji, the tragic death of a sacred tree at Yakumo Hikawa Shrine due to over-zealous devotion, and the arrival of the last Christian missionary, Giovanni Battista Sidotti. It also details the administrative merger of 1889 that created the composite name "Hibusuma," exploring how local identity persisted despite bureaucratic attempts to unify disparate geographies. Ultimately, the sources portray the region as a unique geographical palimpsest where ancient boundary deities and modern urban developments coexist as a testament to collective memory.

The Unwritten Pages of Yesterday Listen carefully to the long wind and speak of the old river

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Read the full story with photos and day itinerary on my website⬇️

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