Tokyo Water Walks
by Sumiko Enbutsu & Mimi LeBourgeois


Komae Walk

Starting on the grassy banks of the Tama river, you will search ancient relics preserved in residential areas and finish at a beautiful temple with a pond of legendary origin. About 4.0 km, 1.5 hours.

Cool, fresh spring water was the lifeline of the first settlers in the wilderness and was conceived as a divine gift. Villages, growing fast around the water, were often named izumi after the word for spring.

The illustration is captioned, "Sacred Spring of Izumi Village." An old travelling monk stands in the foreground, observing the ripples spreading from a large tree root where the water gushes out. Sacred ropes stretched across it indicate that the spring-fed pond is an object of religious devotion.

Areas along the middle reach of the Tama river such as Komae are known for many ancient burial mounds attesting to pre-historic settlement. Early man was attracted by its sunny southern slope with abundant water from springs and tributaries of the river. The city name, Komae, probably derived from "Koma," a word referring to Kogyo of ancient Korea, probable origin of the immigrants.

A poem in Manyo-shu, the 8th-century anthology of Japanese poetry, is fondly remembered by many for a rhythmical rendition in praise of the purling stream of the Tama river and a beautiful maiden associated with it. A monument inscribed with the poem stands on the riverside.

Farming communities were usually bound together by ancestral worship at a Shinto shrine. Izumi-jinja is a good example of such communal devotion. Adjacent to the shrine is Kabutozuka, a burial mound now empty. A short distance away another mound, Kamezuka Kofun from the early 6th century, remains, squeezed among houses. Excavated artifacts suggest the existence of a powerful tribe closely related to the emperor in Yamato (Nara).

The spring of Izumi continues to feed a much reduced pond in the compounds of Senryu-ji. The water once nearly disappeared owing to aggressive development, but has been preserved by joint efforts of the temple and city hall.


Komae Walk

Start: Odakyu Line, Izumi Tamagawa Station, South Exit.

(See map)

1. Turn right and soon left, walking through the shopping street to a T-intersection. Halfway through the shopping street, off to the left is Gyokusen-ji, a quiet, nice temple. At the T-intersection, turn right to reach the Tama river A.

2. Descend steps to the baseball grounds. Turn right, and go straight; passing under two bridges. Many anglers are out, and birds often fly up from among reeds. A group of pine trees ahead is a good spot for a break. In July, a rafting race is held here.

3. At the concrete box of the flood monitoring station, climb to the banktop; cross the highway at the stop light to the right, then left. Look for a stone monument beyond hedges in an open space on your right. This is a Manyoshu monument B inscribed in ancient kanji with a poem in praise of a maiden as beautiful as the murmuring stream of the Tama.

4. Return to the highway and turn left, left again at the stop light, then take the first right. Go around the school fence to discover a tall oak tree, marking the rear of Izumi-jinja C.

Entering from the side, notice, among others, the smaller of two torii gates to the left, with a shimenawa rope in a rare straight style. The antiquated gate was donated by Ishigaya Sadakiyo (1594-1672), warrior governor highly acknowledged in the local history.

5. Exiting via the front gate, go right and take the third right. A thicket of trees on the left harbors Kabutozuka, an ancient burial mound D. You may enter for a closer look.

Leaving the mound, go left and left again. Follow the road to the end. At the highway go across and turn left.

6. Take the narrow fork and soon turn right. Keep right to pass by traditional houses of farmers, all named Ishii. Past the old-fashioned gate of the main Ishii house on the left, look for a blue sign with a white arrow pointing left, and a square sign underneath, which reads in kanji, Kamezuka Kofun, another famous burial mound E. Turn left and soon right at a similar sign on a drab wall pointing right to the ancient mound, squeezed between houses. Archaeologists unearthed abundant artifacts here in 1951, including a round mirror which was determined to be from the Later Han Dynasty of China (25 - 220 A.D.) The excavated items are now housed in the Komae City History Museum.

7. Return to the last corner, turn right, then left at the T-intersection. Just before the elevated Odakyu Line, turn left and bear left to reach the roofed gate of Senryu-ji straight ahead F.

Mostly rebuilt after WWII, Senryu-ji nonetheless has a mellowed charm well suited to its long history. The two-story belfry is especially attractive. The descendants of Ishigaya Sadakiyo mentioned in 4 above are buried in this temple.

The legendary spring continues to feed a pond off to the left as you leave the main hall, its cool water much reduced, but still refreshing.

Komae Station is on the other side of the pond. Before entering the station, you might enjoy a break at Cafe du Monde in the shopping mall opposite the ticket wickets. Sunmerry's bakery is also recommended for apple dumplings.

Water Walks is published by Tokyo on Foot. For more information, please click on the title.