Once upon a time, there was a pond called Hyotan-ike (Gourd Pond) in the Asakusa Rokku area, though its history was not particularly long. It was actually an artificial pond, dug to obtain the soil needed to reclaim the surrounding wetlands when Senso-ji Temple was being developed as an urban park.
There is little doubt that Hisago-dori Street also derives its name from this pond, as hisago is the traditional Japanese word for hyotan (gourd).
It is said that many wisteria trellises once surrounded Hyotan-ike. After World War II, when ownership of the Senso-ji grounds was returned to the temple from the national government, the temple filled in the pond to fund its post-war reconstruction. In its place, they built an entertainment complex called Shinsekai—a name that likely took inspiration from the famous district of the same name in Osaka, home to Tsutenkaku Tower.
Additionally, the area between Hyotan-ike and the temple was developed into streets such as Hatsune-koji Alley and Nishisando Shopping Street, which were then leased to private vendors. Hatsune-koji Alley also used to feature wisteria trellises to provide shade, though these were reportedly removed quite recently. Since the name “Hatsune-koji” already existed in the Negishi area, it is likely that Asakusa borrowed the name from there.
- Rokku
- Hoppy Street
- Hatsune Alley
- Nishi-sando (West Approach)
- Hisago Arcade
- Kappabashi