Takanawa Ushimachi

A town located between Takanawa's Okido and Shinagawa-shuku Station south down the Tokaido Highway, over the Kanasugi-bashi Bridge spanning the Furu-kawa River past Shibatamachi. During the construction of the Zojo-ji Temple Ankokuden Hall in 1634 and the stone wall of Ichigaya Mitsuke construction in 1636, ox carts were required in large numbers as a means of heavy transport, but there were none in Edo at the time, so the Shogunate government summoned cattle drivers mainly from the cattle dealer Kimura Seibei from Kyoto's Shijokurumamachi to transport the required lumber and stone materials. After the construction was completed, as a reward, the cattle drivers were allowed to settle in this town, and were granted exclusive rights to operate load transportation services using the ox carts, so the area came to be called "Kurumacho" (cart town, but was more commonly known as "Ushicho" meaning "cow town"). According to the Edo Meisho-ki (illustrated guidebook to Edo), there were nearly 1,000 head of oxen at peak. Cart sheds and cattle sheds lined the western side, and the eastern side had an excellent ocean view which was famous as a site for moon-viewing, with large numbers of people gathering and thronging to the area on the moon-waiting until the Twenty-sixth night on July 26 and the harvest moon on August 15.

Nishiki-e and Paintings

名所江戸百景　高輪うしまち

高輪うしまち

高輪海岸

高輪海岸

東海道　高縄牛ご屋

東海道　高縄牛ご屋

Other Materials

• 高輪牛町（挿絵）　松濤軒斎藤長秋 著 et.al, "江戸名所図会 7巻 [3]" (須原屋茂兵衛[ほか] 1834)
• 牛小屋（本文）　松濤軒斎藤長秋 著 et.al, "江戸名所図会 7巻 [3]" (須原屋茂兵衛[ほか] 1834)

Landmarks around Takanawa Ushimachi

Shinagawa　Gotenyama　Yatsuyama　Suzaki　Sengaku-ji Temple　Takanawa　Shinagawa-shuku Station　Kaian-ji Temple　Samezu kaigan Coast　Taiko-bashi Bridge / Gyonin-zaka Hill