OK, so Inō Tadataka「伊能 忠敬」lived from February 11, 1745 to May 17, 1818. And he wasn't really drinking with me at the
izakaya (at least not in person). Inō sensei was a famous Japanese surveyor and cartographer. It is not such a stretch to suggest he was an ethnographer of sorts. I met him, or got to know him, by chance. On the last day of my recent research trip to Tokyo I had to check out of the hotel at 11:00 AM. I had an hour to kill before I could go to one last fieldsite, a close-by
kakuuchi (see the next post). The Tomioka Hachiman Shrine was located next to my hotel, and I found a nice shady spot nearby to sit and wait. It happened to be near the bronze statue of Inō. It was a cool statue and I thought I might be able to use a picture of it in a class or something. I got up and took some photos. After a while, and much sweating in the hot summer sun, I was able to go to the
kakuuchi (and its air conditioner). It was only later when I returned to Osaka that I did a little research to see who this person was and what his conection to the shrine was.
It turns out that after he retired from business at the age of 50, Inō lived close to the shrine in the Edo neighborhood of Fukagawa Kuroecho, which is now known as Monzen Nakacho. He was said to pray to the diety at this shrine before his first mapping trip to Hokkaido in 1800 and other subsequent trips. It became an important ritual for him, and since he was successful in 10 journeys, the shrine came to be associated with travel safety. The bonze statue of him was built in 2001 to commerate his ritual and work.
So if he could, why wouldn't he want to share some drinks and interesting discourse with a contemporary anthropologist?
This is a photo of Tomioka Hachiman Shrine I took in July 2023.
Scroll down to Set III in the this link of more photos of Tomioka Hachiman Shrine at that time:
https://visualanthropologyofjapan.blogspot.com/2023/07/vaoj-s2023rt-arc-theres-more-to.html
This is the shrine now, undergoing some refurbishment.
English translation:
Tomioka Hachiman-gu Shrine
400th Anniversary of Enshrinement Commemorative Project
Donations Now Being Accepted
Tomioka Hachiman Shrine is conducting a commemorative project leading up to the 400th anniversary of its enshrinement in Reiwa 9 (2027). We ask for everyone's understanding and financial support. For details, please inquire at the shrine office.
Tomioka Hachiman Shrine Office
QR codes to give more information about shrine activies.
The Bronze Statue of Inō Tadataka at Tomioka Hachiman Shrine
English translation of information plaque:
Master Inō Tadataka, the pioneer of modern Japanese cartography, moved to Edo (now Tokyo) at the age of 50 after finding success in business. He established a residence near this shrine in Kuroe-cho, Fukagawa (currently Monzen-nakacho 1-chome).
Approximately 200 years ago, during the Kansei era (Kansei 12, intercalary April 19th—June 11th, 1800, according to the solar calendar), he visited this shrine early in the morning to pray for safety before departing on his survey journey to Ezochi (Hokkaido).
Master Tadataka went on to plan and execute a total of ten survey expeditions. Up until the eighth expedition, which mapped distant regions, he made it a strict rule to always visit Tomioka Hachiman Shrine before departing. Leading his internal disciples and attendants, he would pray for a safe journey, return to his residence to complete final preparations, and then head out toward the starting point of his survey. Consequently, this shrine is a place deeply connected to the mapping achievements of Inō Tadataka.
To mark the 200th anniversary of the start of the Inō surveys, the "Inō Walk" mapping and surveying committee, land and house surveyors, the Inō Tadataka Research Society, and other related parties took the lead in raising public donations to erect this statue.
October, Heisei 13 (2001).
Erected by the Executive Committee for the Construction
of the Inō Tadataka Bronze Statue
So you are probably still wondering how Inō Tadataka got to the
izakaya (and the Monzen Nakacho Train Station). I was able to use some online tools (pre-A.I. PicWish) to remove the statue from the original background (of the photo I took), and then I pasted it in to photos of the other locations (which I took). OK, so there is the full disclosure...
Sources:
Brock, John. (2019). Japan’s Most Famous Surveyor: Ino Tadataka and His Iconic 1821 Map of Japan! Tokyo: International Cartographic Association (ICA / ICC Meeting Proceedings) Accessed August 4, 2026.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334378209_Japan's_Most_Famous_Surveyor_Ino_Tadataka_and_His_Iconic_1821_Map_of_Japan
Inō Tadataka Society (伊能忠敬研究会) and Watanabe, Ichirō. (2001). Erecting the Bronze Monument of Inō Tadataka: 200 Years of Mapping Japan. Tokyo: Inō Tadataka Monument Committee / Tomioka Hachiman Shrine Archives. Accessed August 4, 2026.
http://www.tomiokahachimangu.or.jp/annai/inoTadataka/inoTadatak.html
