A Brief History Lesson

According to a legend of Komyoin Temple, famous for its ringing temple bell for “Joya no Kane” on New Year’s Eve, in the year 708 a devotee was carrying a statue of the thousand-armed deity Senjukannon and upon reaching the area it became so heavy that the devotee could no longer move it. Reasoning the location was fate, the devotee built a thatch hut over the statue out of the thickly growing Amur silvergrass (“Ogi” in Japanese) that was growing there and named it “Ogi Temple”. Soon the area became known as “Ogikubo”. The Ogi grass still grows by the pathway called “Ogi Komichi” along the rail tracks at Komyoin Temple, where you can also enjoy many seasonal flowers.

Of the 4 JR Stations in Suginami Ward, Tokyo, Ogikubo Station has the most traffic, yet beyond the immediate sprawl of department stores in front of the station, the Ogikubo area remains for the most part a peaceful residential area. From the Taisho era (1912-26) into the Showa era (1926-89) this was a place where wealthy people had vacation homes, with the slogan “Kamakura in the west, Ogikubo in the east” (*note, they are actually south and north). Famous businessmen, authors, musicians, and politicians took up residence here, including former prime minister Fumimaru Konoe and music critic Motoh Otagaro, whose homes are now time-capsuled on the sites of Tekigaisoh Park and Otaguro Park, respectively. In 1927, the “Asagaya Literaries” also changed their residence to the neighboring Ogikubo. Many longstanding soba shops still remain in the area from this time, including Honmura-an founded in 1924 and Harukiya Honten, opened in 1932, which also formed the standard of Tokyo style ramen. Many shops began to follow suit and soon the area became known for its Tokyo style ramen, with its “shoyu” soy sauce and “niboshi” sardine flavor base.