4. Kaneiji and Jomyoin

Kaneiji and Jomyoin
Top: Kaneiji
Above: Jomyoin
The area of Ueno, which is right next to Yanaka, is home to a number of arts and cultural facilities, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, which contributed greatly to the introduction of Western art and music in Japan. Near the university is Kaneiji, the family temple of the Tokugawa clan that ruled Japan during the Edo period. The temple was built in 1625, but many of the buildings on the grounds were destroyed by fire in 1868, as forces loyal to the new Meiji government fought the Shogitai, a force led by Tokugawa vassals and based at Kaneiji. Only a few edifices, such as the five-story pagoda, currently remain. The original main building was destroyed during the fighting in 1868, and the present main building was brought from the temple Kitain in Kawagoe during the Meiji era and dates back to the early Edo period. Near Kaneiji is Jomyoin, which is famous for its 20,000 jizo (stone sculptures of deities), a stunning sight.