Daiba Park — Attraction in Tokyo

First shot was taken on the edge of Daiba Park almost directly under the Rainbow Bridge. Tokyo Tower, a lattice tower whose design was inspired by the Eiffel Tower, is the 2nd largest tallest structure at 332.9 meters (1,092 ft). A beautiful symbol of Tokyo that has been around since 1958.

The second shot was taken from the beach looking towards the shoreline. Tokyo Rainbow Bridge connects Minato Ward, Tokyo with the Odaiba waterfront development district—a man-made island sitting in the middle of Tokyo Bay. The bridge uses solar panels during the day to “paint” the bridge in red, white, and green every night. The sun had just risen at the time this shot was taken. Streaks of light were able to break through the clouds and shine on the high-rise apartment building in the distance.

The third shot, taken during blue hour, is of Tokyo Tower as viewed from Daiba Park, part of the waterfront development district—a man-made island sitting in the middle of Tokyo Bay.

The fourth shot is a view of Rainbow Bridge from Daiba Park. The park is actually an island that was built in 1854 as one of several batteries built for coastal defenses after the arrival of USN Commodore Perry in 1853. Remnants of stone cannon pedestals, ammunition storehouses, and barracks can still be seen at the park.

Check out my Pix4Japan YouTube channel for the video I took of the waterfront areas of this...

台場公園 〒135-0091 東京都港区台場1丁目10-1

お台場に来て、こちらの台場公園まで足を伸ばす人が少ないのが残念に思います。 パンフレットや入口の看板などで、台場公園を紹介させてもらいます。

都立台場公園のあらまし 台場公園(第三台場) 「お台場」の名で知られる品川台場は、江戸幕府が黒船来襲にそなえて品川沖に築いた砲台跡です。設計者は伊豆韮山の代官・江川太郎左衛門英龍で、ペリーが浦賀に来航した翌月の嘉永六年(一八五三年)八月に着工、一年三ヶ月の間に六基が完成しました。 現在は大正十五年(一九二六年)に国の史跡に指定された第三、第六台場だけが残されています。 このうち第三台場は、昭和三年東京市(都)によって整備され、台場公園として解放 されています。周囲には、海面から五～七メートルの石垣積みの土手が築かれ、黒松が植えられています。また内側の平担なくぼ地には、陣屋、弾薬庫跡などがあります。 ※砲台跡とかまど場は江戸時代のものではありません。

なお、入口に置いてあった、パンフレットの字が小さくて読みづらいので文字起こししておきます。

品川御台場の歴史 History of Shinagawa Batteries 黒船来航と品川御台場の築造 Arrival of the Black Ships and Construction of Shinagawa Odaiba 嘉永6年(1853) 6月3日のペリー来航は、江戸幕府を長い「鎖国」の眠りから覚ますことになった。ペリー退帆後、幕府はすぐさま江戸湾の海防強化の検討に入り、勘定吟味役格※1江川太郎左衛門英龍(坦庵)らによる江戸湾巡視の結果、内海防備のための御台場築造を決定した。築造計画は、西洋の築城書・砲術書などを参考にして、南品川猟師町(品川洲崎)から深川洲崎にかけての海上に11基の御台場を築造しようとするものであった。工事は嘉永6年(1853)8月末に着手され、昼夜兼行で進められた。土取人夫※2などは第一・第二・第三台場築造時で5,000人にも及び、総築造経費は75万両※3という膨大なものとなった。第一・第二・第三台場は翌年7月に、第五・第六台場と途中で加えられた陸続きの御殿山下台場は12月に竣工した。第四・第七台場は築造に着手したが、工事半ばで中止し、第八台場以降は未着手に終わった。最終的に6基完成した御台場は、徳川将軍家に近い親藩・譜代とそれに準ずる家格を持つ大名によって、慶応4年(1868)の幕府崩壊直前まで江戸湾防備の拠点として警備が行われた。 (品川区立品川歴史館解説シート「品川御台場」より引用) ※1 勘定吟味役/ 幕府財政の監査を担う役職 ※2 土取人夫/土木労働を課せられた人 ※3 現代の貨幣価値換算で約700億円 (諸説あり)

日本遠征石版画集ペリー肖像 (神奈川県立歴史博物館所蔵) Perry's portrait in the Japan Expedition Lithograph Collections (Collection of Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Cultural History)

On June 3,1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry arrived in Edo Bay with a fleet of ships, effectively forcing the Tokugawa Shogunate to end its long-standing policy of seclusion. After Perry's fleet set sail from Japan, the government immediately began to examine ways to fortify its maritime defenses in Edo Bay. Following a tour of the bay by Egawa Tarozaemon Hidetatsu (Tannan), kanjo-ginmi-yaku1), and other officers, the government decided to construct Odaiba, or batteries, on reclaimed land. The construction plan was drafted based on Western castle designs and batteries, and outlined the construction of a total of 11 batteries spanning the area from Minami Shinagawa Ryoshimachi (Shinagawa Susaki) to Fukagawa Susaki. Construction work began at the end of August 1853 and was carried out both night and day. There were 5,000 tsuchitori-nimpu2) and other workers for the first, second, and third batteries, and total construction costs are said to have been astronomical (750 thousand ryo3)). The first, second, and third batteries were completed in July 1854, while the fifth and sixth as well as the Goten-yama battery, which was partially on land, were completed in December of that same year. Work on the fourth and seventh batteries was started, but construction was terminated midway, while construction of batteries eight to eleven was never begun. In the end, six batteries were completed offshore from Shinagawa. As hubs for the defense of Edo Bay, these batteries were guarded by shimpan (collateral) daimyo, fudai (hereditary) daimyo and similar daimyo with a family rank close to that of the Tokugawa Shogunate until the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868.

品川御台場その後 The Shinagawa Batteries in the Modern Era 完成した6基の御台場は、 明治6年(1873) に海軍省の管轄となり、明治8年(1875)に海軍省から陸軍省に移籍された。その後、第三台場は第六台場とともに、大正4年東京市に払い下げられ、同13年東京府知事によって史跡の仮指定を受け、同15年国指定史跡となる。その後、東京湾に浮かぶ6つの御台場は、2つの史跡を残して埋め立てられたり、撤去されて姿を消していった。今なお当時の面影をしのばせる第三台場は、都立台場公園として人びとに親しまれている。 (品川区立品川歴史館解説シート「品川御台場」より引用) The six completed batteries were controlled by the Ministry of the Navy since 1873 and by the Ministry of the Army since 1875. After that, the third and sixth batteries were sold to the city of Tokyo in 1915, and in 1924, the Governor of Tokyo provisionally designated the two locations as historical sites. In 1926, the national government officially designated the two batteries as historical sites. Later, the four remaining batteries not designated as historical sites were removed and replaced with reclaimed land; they can no longer be seen today. The third battery has maintained its original appearance, and is enjoyed by residents and visitors alike as part of Daiba Park. (Quoted from the Shinagawa Historical Museum Commentary Sheet...

Daiba Park is a quiet park located in the north side of Daiba. It is far away from the nearest train station (Odaiba-kaihinkōen Station) and takes around 10-15 mins to walk from the station to this park. The park has a relaxing atmosphere and it is perfect to have a morning walk. As it is located right next to Rainbow Bridge, it is also one of the best positions to take photos of the bridge.

If you like historical sites, you can find Gun battery and explosives storage inside this park. You can also see a line of Sakura from the bird’s island...