Hakusan
Hakusan
Station is
located in the Hakusan district
of Bunkyo Ward of Tokyo, and serves
the Toei Mita Subway Line.
Hakusan
is
one of the older neighborhoods of
Tokyo which still holds some of
the traditional Edo charm. The best
known place of this area is the
Hakusan Shrine.
Hakusan
Shrine
Hakusan
is one the ten most important shrines
of Tokyo. Said to have been built
in the 8 th century to pray for
the remedy of smallpox, it later
became a tutelary shrine for the
Konjiki-in Temple. The Temple is
believed to have been founded in
1102 by Regent Fujiwara Yorimichi's
daughter, Kanshi (later the wife
of Emperor Reizei), and was moved
to its present location in 1655.
The shrine was then named Hakusan
after Mt. Hakusan in Ishikawa prefecture,
one of Japan's most famous and remarkable
sacred mountains. The goddess of
Mt. Hakusan and the protector of
the Koishikawa region is said to
be enshrined here. During the Edo
Era (1603-1868), Hakusan Shrine
became a favorite of the Shoguns
and the family came here regularly
to pray.
The
path leading up to the shrine is
lined on both sides with cafes and
stone lanterns. The main shrine,
an ornate wood building, in itself
is not very impressive, yet it holds
a unique charm to it. The shrine's
hall of worship is the most impressive
of all. Said to have been built
in 1277, it has been designated
Important Cultural Property by the
Metropolitan Government of Tokyo.
Hakusan
Shrine is also known for its many
(said to be over 3000) hydrangea
bushes which are spread
all over the shrine grounds. When
the hydrangea
are in full bloom during the rainy
season, it gives the whole place
a beautiful and colorful look. This
is the time when the Hydrangea
Festival , or the Ajisai
Matsuri , is held. Held
during the first week of June every
year, the festival attracts people
from all over the city to admire
the beauty of the place.
Hakusan
Shrine is located 3 minutes on foot
from Hakusan Station.
Toyo
University
Toyo
University is one of the better
known and larger universities of
Tokyo. It was founded in 1887 by
Dr.
Enryo Inoue on the Rinsho-in Temple
grounds in Takioka, Hongo, as a
private school by the name of Tetsugakukan.
In 1903 the name changed to Private
University Testugakukan, and later
in 1906, it became Toyo University
and was moved to its present location.
In 1916, Toyo University became
on the very first universities to
admit women. After the death of
Dr. Enryo Inoue in 1919, the university
was restructured under the University
Establishment Law.
The
original courses offered at Toyo
University were philosophy,
religion, ethics, education, Japanese,
and classical Chinese. With time,
more courses were added - Literature,
Economics, Law, Sociology, Engineering
and Business Administration. Each
of these courses has both undergraduate
and graduate courses. Today, the
university has over 30,000 students
spread over five campuses – 2 in
Hakusan (Tokyo), and one each in
Asaka (Saitama), Kawagoe (Saitama),
and Itakura (Gunma).
Both
the Toyo University Hakusan campuses
are located close to each other just
5 minutes walk from Hakusan Station.
The Faculties located here are
Literature, Economics, Business Administration,
Law, and Sociology. Evening Courses
are also held at the campuses. Other
than this, the Hakusan campuses also
house the following Graduate Schools
- Literature, Sociology, Law, Business
Administration, Economics, and Welfare
Society Design.
