On the Tokyu Ikegami Line: From Togoshi Ginza Shopping Street to Senzokuike and Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple

History and Local Charm

This course takes you to three neighborhoods—from Togoshi Ginza in Shinagawa Ward to Senzokuike and Ikegami in Ota Ward—while getting off at stations along the Tokyu Ikegami Line.

The name "Togoshi Ginza" is said to have originated when Togoshi Ginza Shopping Street received bricks from Ginza after the Great Kanto Earthquake. Walking west through the shopping street leads to an ancient highway called Nakahara Kaido. It is said that Tokugawa Ieyasu also passed along this road when entering Edo. During the Edo period, Senzokuike was known as a scenic spot along this Nakahara Kaido and was also depicted in Utagawa Hiroshige's "One Hundred Famous Views of Edo."

Both Senzokuike and Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple have connections to Nichiren Shonin. It is said that the pond came to be called "Senzokuike" (literally "feet-washing pond") from a legend that Nichiren Shonin stopped by on his way to hot springs for healing and washed his hands and feet in this pond. Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple is a head temple of the Nichiren sect built on the sacred site where Nichiren Shonin passed away at the age of 61 in 1282. In 1891, Katsu Kaishu built his villa, Senzokuken, on the grounds of Senzokuike.

From sampling food along the shopping street to taking in pond views, an ancient five-story pagoda, and a plum garden, explore the different facets found along the Ikegami Line.

Key Highlights

• ​Togoshi Ginza Shopping Street​​: Directly adjoining Togoshi-ginza Station, this shopping street stretches about 1.3 kilometers in total length. Composed of three shopping street promotion associations, it features over 300 shops lining the street. Sparked by promotions for "Togoshi Ginza Croquettes," it came to be called a "street for food-tasting strolls." The easternmost Togoshi Ginza Ginroku Shopping Street was named after the fact that the bricks were received from Ginza 6-chome.
• ​Senzokuike Park​​: An Ota City park centered around Senzokuike, a freshwater pond covering an area of approximately 3.9 hectares, which became the first Tokyo-designated Place of Scenic Beauty in Ota City in 2019. On the west side of the pond stands the three-span arched bridge Ikezukibashi, across from which is a statue of Ikezuki, the favored horse of Minamoto no Yoritomo. On the east side of the pond are the gravesite of Katsu Kaishu and his wife, as well as the Ryukonshihi poetry monument honoring Saigo Takamori.
• ​Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple​​: Enter the temple grounds by climbing Shikyonanjizaka, a 96-step stone staircase said to have been donated by Kato Kiyomasa. The five-story pagoda, dedicated in 1608, is the oldest surviving five-story pagoda in the Kanto region, standing about 29 meters tall, and is designated as a National Important Cultural Property. The five-story pagoda and tahoto pagoda survived the 1945 air raids without burning down. On the ceiling of the Daido (Main Hall), rebuilt in 1964, is an unfinished painting of a dragon by Kawabata Ryushi, who passed away before seeing its completion.
• ​Ikegami Plum Garden​​: A tranquil Ota City garden that makes use of the hillside slope. About 370 plum trees—the flower of the ward—spanning around 30 varieties of red and white blossoms, are planted here and bloom from February to March. The northern half of the garden was originally the residence and atelier of the Japanese painter Ito Shinsui. There are also two tea houses, Seigetsuan and Chouan.

Suggested Itinerary & Duration

The estimated time required is about 5 hours. Get off at Togoshi-ginza Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line to find Togoshi Ginza Shopping Street. Try walking all the way through from the Ginroku Shopping Street on the eastern end to Nakahara Kaido in the west while browsing the shops. Around the shopping street, there are many place names featuring the word "zaka" (slope), such as "Kiyomizuzaka" and "Miyamaezaka."

Return to Togoshi-ginza Station and take the Ikegami Line to Senzoku-ike Station. Senzokuike Park is about a 2-minute walk from the station. Standing first on the south side of the pond by Nakahara Kaido and looking north, you will see the greenery of Sakurayama and Matsuyama directly ahead, with the vermilion hall of Benzaiten visible in the middle of the pond. Visit Ikezukibashi bridge on the pond's west side and the gravesite of Katsu Kaishu and his wife on the east side. You can also stop by the Ota City Katsu Kaishu Memorial Museum located within the park grounds.

Board the Ikegami Line again from Senzoku-ike Station and get off at Ikegami Station. Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple is about a 10-minute walk away. Pass through the Somon Gate, climb the stone steps of Shikyonanjizaka, and reach the Niomon Gate, from which you enter the central temple compound. On clear days, Mount Fuji can be seen to the west from the burial ground of successive head priests at the highest point.

Ikegami Plum Garden is about 330 meters northwest of Honmon-ji Temple, roughly a 5-minute walk. After strolling through the grounds, climb the stairs to view the garden scenery from the observation terrace. On the return trip, it is about a 10-minute walk to Nishi-magome Station on the Toei Asakusa Line, or about 20 minutes to Ikegami Station on the Tokyu Ikegami Line.

Experience Summary

Stroll and sample food along a shopping street with historical ties to Ginza bricks, visit a pond steeped in legends of Nichiren Shonin and the head temple standing on the site where he died, and take a breather in a plum garden. Getting off sequentially at three stations along the Ikegami Line, this one-day itinerary takes you from bustling shopping streets to an Edo-period scenic spot and Kanto's oldest five-story pagoda.