Kikuichō

Kikuichō is bordered by eight other districts of Shinjuku: (clockwise, from the north) Babashitachō, Waseda-tsurumakichō, Waseda-minamichō, Bentenchō, Haramachi-itchōme, Haramachi-nichōme, Wakamatsuchō, and Toyama-itchōme.

It is primarily a residential area. Shops, restaurants and several temples are located along the main thoroughfare, Natsumezaka-dōri.

The closest train stations are Waseda Station (Tokyo Metro) on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line and Ushigome-yanagichō Station on the Toei Oedo Line.

The average land price in Kikuichō was ¥1,230,000/m² as of September 2023.{{cite web|url=https://utinokati.com/details/%E5%9C%9F%E5%9C%B0%E7%9B%B8%E5%A0%B4%E3%83%BB%E4%B8%8D%E5%8B%95%E7%94%A3%E7%9B%B8%E5%A0%B4/%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2/%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD-%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF%E5%8C%BA-%E5%96%9C%E4%B9%85%E4%BA%95%E7%94%BA/|title=喜久井町土地の価格相場|publisher=utinokati.com|access-date=2024-10-14}}

By comparison, the average price across all of Shinjuku was ¥1,365,000/m² as of March 2024.{{cite web|url=https://utinokati.com/details/%E5%9C%9F%E5%9C%B0%E7%9B%B8%E5%A0%B4%E3%83%BB%E4%B8%8D%E5%8B%95%E7%94%A3%E7%9B%B8%E5%A0%B4/%E3%82%A8%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2/%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E9%83%BD-%E6%96%B0%E5%AE%BF%E5%8C%BA/|title=新宿区土地の価格相場|publisher=utinokati.com|access-date=2024-10-14}}

Addresses in Kikuichō do not implement the modern {{Nihongo|jūkyo hyōji|住居表示}} format, and there is no division into {{Nihongo|chōme|丁目}}.

Instead, the older {{Nihongo|chiban|地番}} system based on lot numbers remains in use.{{cite web|url=https://www.city.shinjuku.lg.jp/seikatsu/jyukyoh_03.html|title=新宿区の住居表示実施状況|publisher=Shinjuku City|access-date=2020-12-24}}

Due to subdivision, multiple buildings often share the same lot number.

Kikuichō contains 1,167 households as of 2024-10-01, consisting of 970 male and 954 female registered residents.{{cite web|url=https://www.city.shinjuku.lg.jp/kusei/file02_00025.html|title=住民基本台帳人口　町丁別男女別人口及び世帯数|publisher=Shinjuku City|date=2024-10-01|access-date=2024-10-14}}

94% of the population are Japanese nationals and 21% are over 65 years of age.

File:夏目漱石誕生之地碑.jpg

• {{Nihongo|Ushigome Daini Junior High School|牛込第二中学校}}
• {{Nihongo|Kikuichō Campus, Waseda University|早稲田大学喜久井町キャンパス}}
• {{Nihongo|Kantsuji Temple|感通寺}}
• {{Nihongo|Honshōji Temple|本松寺}}
• {{Nihongo|Myosenji Temple|妙泉寺}}
• {{Nihongo|Raikoji Temple|来迎寺}}
• {{Nihongo|Seikanji Temple|誓閑寺}}
• {{Nihongo|Natsume Sōseki Birthplace Monument|夏目漱石誕生の地碑}}
• {{Nihongo|Kikuichō War Victims Memorial Kannon Statue|喜久井町戦災者供養観音像}}

The Shinjuku City Board of Education operates public elementary and junior high schools. Kikuichō is zoned to Shinjuku Waseda Elementary School (早稲田小学校) and Ushigome Daini (No. 2) Junior High School (新宿区立牛込第二中学校).{{cite web|url=https://www.city.shinjuku.lg.jp/kodomo/file04_04_00014.html|title=町名別学区域一覧表|publisher=Shinjuku City|accessdate=2022-10-08}}

File:井桁に菊紋.jpg

Kikuichō was named by Natsume Naokatsu in April 1869.{{cite web|url=http://kagurazaka.yamamogura.com/tag/%E5%96%9C%E4%B9%85%E4%BA%95%E7%94%BA/|title=喜久井町 てくてく 牛込神楽坂|publisher=Teku Teku Ushigome Kagurazaka|access-date=2020-12-25}}

Natsume Sōseki, his son, wrote about the origin of the name:

{{Quote

|text={{lang|ja|今私の住んでゐる近所に喜久井町といふ町がある。これは私の生れた所だから、ほかの人よりもよく知つてゐる。（中略）この町は江戸と云つた昔には、多分存在してゐなかつたものらしい。江戸が東京に改まつた時か、それともずつと後になつてからか、年代はたしかに分らないが、何でも私の父が拵えたものに相違ないのである。私の家の定紋が井桁に菊なので、それにちなんだ菊に井戸を使つて、喜久井町としたといふ話は、父自身の口から聴いたのか、または他のものから教はつたのか、何しろ今でもまだ私の耳に残つてゐる。}}

Translation: The neighbourhood where I now live is a town called Kikuichō. This is where I was born, so I know it better than anyone else. (Omitted) This town probably didn't exist in the old days of Edo. Whether it was when Edo changed to Tokyo or later I don't know, but it is said that it was named by my father. I remember hearing the story told to me by my father, or perhaps someone else, that since my family crest is a chrysanthemum in a well girder, Kikuichō was named using the words for chrysanthemum and well.Explanatory note: {{Nihongo|Kiku|喜久}} is a homophone of "chrysanthemum" in Japanese, {{Nihongo|i|井}} means "well", and {{Nihongo|chō|町}} means "town".

|multiline=yes

|author=Natsume Sōseki

|title=Inside My Glass Doors,{{cite news|author=Natsume Sōseki|title=硝子戸の中|periodical=Asahi Shimbun|date=January–February 1915}} Chapter 23

}}

Natsume Naokatsu also gave his name to the long slope in the area, Natsumezaka.

Kikuichō was originally a district of Ushigome-ku. It became part of Shinjuku-ku on March 15, 1947 with the merger of the former wards of Yotsuya-ku, Ushigome-ku, and Yodobashi-ku.

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.shinjuku.ed.jp/jh-ushigome2/index.html Ushigome Daini Junior High School (official website)]
• [https://www.waseda.jp/top/en/access/kikuicho-campus Kikuicho Campus, Waseda University (official website)]
• [https://dev-bridge.jp/kantsuji/ Kantsuji Temple (official website)]

Category:Neighborhoods of Tokyo

Category:Districts of Shinjuku

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kikuichō}}