Honjo Matsuzakacho Park, Urban park in Ryogoku, Japan.
Honjo Matsuzakacho Park is a 98-square-metre memorial square in Ryōgoku, Sumida, with no playground equipment. A low wall with a dark tiled roof and a white plaster face with a diagonal lattice runs along the street; a gateway opens onto a shaded interior, and a dark stone monument stands on a stone platform to its right. Inside are a small Inari shrine, a well and a cherry tree.
The site formerly held the residence of Kira Yoshinaka, a key figure in the Ako Incident of the 18th century. The park was established in 1935, marking this historically important location in Tokyo's landscape.
The park's Inari shrine, Matsuzaka Inari, enshrines the estate's guardian deity together with Kira Yoshinaka, and is also called Kira Shrine. The name Matsuzakacho comes from the old neighbourhood name. On 14 December, when the Ako Gishi Festival is held at Sengaku-ji and elsewhere, stalls appear and memorial rites are held here.
The park is easily reached on foot from nearby Ryogoku Station and is generally open throughout the day. Walking paths are relatively flat and well-maintained, making it accessible for casual strolls.
The park's Inari shrine, Matsuzaka Inari, enshrines Kira Yoshinaka alongside the household deity, and the memorial stone lists the Kira retainers killed in the raid; among them was Kobayashi Hironaga, whose daughter married Nakajima Ise, later the adoptive father of the artist Hokusai.
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