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however, have received their names from this source, and even in such cases the streets take their names from temples situated in them. Two or three streets are named after the dragon; which, considering how omnipresent are the pictures of this fabulous ugliness on all things Japanese, is a noteworthily small number.
The chief idea prominent in the nomenclature of the streets of Yedo exhibits that trait of Japanese character which enters so largely into the national temperament—the passionate love of nature and natural scenery. Their beautiful country at once creates and satisfies their love of nature’s beauty, and this feeling finds expression even in the street names. The latest official directory of Tokei contains the names of 1371 streets proper, and fully two-thirds of these have names derived from natural objects.
Since the peerless mountain is visible from many points, we are not surprised to find two “Fuji-san viewing” streets, and one “Suruga Cho.”[1] ‘Willow,’ ‘Pine,’ ‘Stone,’ ‘Field’ and ‘Bamboo’ streets are numbered by scores. We have a ‘Pine’ St. in nearly every one of the ninety-six subdivisions of the city. It may be ‘N.,’ ‘S.,’ ‘E.,’ or ‘W.’ ‘Pine.’ It may be ‘Front,’ ‘Side,’ ‘Rear,’ ‘Side,’ ‘Temple-facing,’ or ‘Hill-facing’ ‘Pine.’ Now it is ‘Long Pine,’ anon ‘Little Pine,’ ‘Pine-foot,’ ‘Pine Branch,’ ‘Boat Pine,’ ‘Old Pine,’ ‘Young Pine,’ ‘New Pine,’ and so on, with many others. The willow, at one time, must have been a very common tree in Yedo, if we may judge from the number of streets called after it. All varieties and forms of bamboo flourish in the street nomenclature. Other specimens of botanical names are ‘Mushroom, ‘Rice,’ ‘Rush,’ ‘Wild Cherry’ (Sakura), ‘Cedar’ (Cryptomeria), ‘Wormwood’ (Artemesia), ‘Peony,’ ‘Chrysanthemum’ and ‘Hollyhock.’ As a kind of supplement to these, are ‘Bouquet,’ ‘Sunny,’ ‘Morning Sun,’ ‘Sun-shade,’ ‘Grassy,’ ‘Double Root,’ ‘Mist,’ ‘Mound,’ ‘Pure Water, ‘Due Month,’ ‘Plum Orchard,’ which in some cases have their names duplicated and triplicated.
Zoological names are not absent, as the following will
- ↑ Fuji-san, or Fuji no yama, is situated in the province of Suruga.
