Uchikura & Co., LLC

Why Are There So Many “Mitsuke” Places in Tokyo?

If you look around Tokyo, you may notice place names containing 見附 (Mitsuke), such as Akasaka-mitsuke (赤坂見附). Historical names such as Yotsuya-mitsuke (四谷見附) and Ushigome-mitsuke (牛込見附) can also still be found.

 

So, what does mitsuke mean?

 

During the Edo period, mitsuke referred to guarded gates and defensive positions, particularly around Edo Castle. Guards stationed there watched people approaching important entrances to the castle.

 

There is even an old expression:

 

江戸城三十六見附 (Edo-jō Sanjūroku Mitsuke)
“The Thirty-Six Mitsuke of Edo Castle.”

 

These important checkpoints formed part of an extensive defensive system of gates, bridges, stone walls, and moats protecting the Tokugawa shogun and the city of Edo.

 

Many of the actual gates disappeared as Edo became modern Tokyo, but their names survived. Today, millions of people pass through places such as Akasaka-mitsuke without necessarily realizing that the name comes from the defensive system that once protected Edo Castle.

 

Tokyo is full of history hiding in plain sight. Sometimes you don't need a museum to discover old Edo.

 

Just read the street and station names.