Coincidentally, Asahi also had a feature on Kichijoji yesterday:
Inokashira Benzaiten (井の頭弁財天), a temple with origins in the
Heian period (794–1185), is long associated with the worship of a water deity (photo credit: Hirayama Ari).
Kichijoji regularly appears near the top of rankings of the most desirable places to live in the capital. Its appeal is often explained in practical terms—rail access, a lively commercial centre—but the area's longer history, and the role of Inokashira (井の頭), complicate that picture in quieter ways.
At the centre of this history lies Inokashira Park, a large public space administered by the Tokyo metropolitan government. The entrance is a short walk—around five minutes—from the south exit of Kichijoji Station. Today, it sits within a dense urban setting, but archaeological evidence suggests the site has drawn people for far longer than the modern city suggests.
Excavations across the park grounds have identified more than 60 habitation sites from the Jōmon period (c. 14,500–1000 BC), along with artefacts dating back to the Palaeolithic. These finds are grouped into the Inokashira Pond archaeological site complex. Nearby stands Inokashira Benzaiten (井の頭弁財天), a temple with origins in the Heian period (794–1185), long associated with the worship of a water deity. The proximity of religious practice and ancient settlement is not incidental; both centre on the same underlying feature—water.
The availability of spring water appears to have been the decisive factor in the area's early use. According to Shimohara Hiroshi, a curator with the Mitaka city government, the water source at Inokashira was more stable than those of other sources in the region. In the Palaeolithic period, when human groups moved widely in search of food, such a location would have functioned as a recurring stopping point rather than a permanent settlement. Stone tools recovered from the site—arrowheads and knives—support this interpretation.
By the middle Jōmon period, the pattern had shifted. A more settled community formed around Inokashira Pond, though no visible remains have survived. Shimohara suggests that communities of this period may have maintained relatively stable, sustainable lifeways over long periods, possibly without large-scale conflict. The archaeological record here is fragmentary, but it points to continuity rather than disruption.
The pond itself later acquired the byname Nanai no ike (七井の池), the "pond of seven wells," reflecting the belief that water once issued from seven distinct springs. One of the bridges still bears this name. During the Edo period (1603–1867), the pond served as a source of drinking water for the city of Edo via the Kanda River, before the construction of the Tamagawa Jōsui canal system in the 17th century. For this reason, the area came under direct control of the Tokugawa shogunate as a shogunal demesne.
Over time, the original springheads ceased to flow naturally, and groundwater is now maintained by mechanical pumping. Even so, the question of the pond's origin remains unsettled. Some have suggested that a body of water of this scale may not have formed purely through natural spring activity, raising the possibility of artificial modification in the early modern period. Investigations conducted during temporary pond drainage have not yielded a definitive answer.
The place name itself is tied to the Tokugawa. Earlier records refer to the area as Mure-no, a more general designation for the largely undeveloped land. Tradition holds that
Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光, 1604–1651), the third
shogun, named the area Inokashira, often interpreted as "the finest well" or "head of the well." Both he and his grandfather
Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康, 1542–1616) are recorded as having visited the area for falconry. A stone monument near Benzaiten marks what is said to be the site where Iemitsu carved the characters for "Inokashira" into a tree with his sword, a detail preserved in local folklore rather than documentary certainty. Other place names within the park reflect this association. The Gotenyama ruins, part of the same archaeological complex, are said to mark the location of a rest facility used by Iemitsu during hunting visits. The layering of prehistoric settlement, early modern administration, and later recreation is visible but not always clearly separated; the same ground carries multiple histories at once.
During the Edo period, the area developed into a recognised place of leisure. Inokashira Benzaiten became a popular destination, approached through the "black gate," a torii marking the main entrance. A surviving guidepost from the mid-Edo period lists donors, including
kabuki and jōruri theatre groups such as the Nakamura-za, Hizen-za, and
Satsuma-za. Their presence suggests that the site attracted not only local visitors but also patrons connected to the performing arts.
Administrative boundaries today still reflect older divisions. The park straddles the cities of Mitaka and Musashino: the pond and its southern surroundings fall under Mitaka, while Musashino administers the northern uplands. This split is not immediately visible to visitors, but it shapes how the site is managed.
In more recent times, the park has also been linked to cultural production. Composer Nakada Yoshinao (中田喜直, 1923–2000) is said to have conceived the melody of "Chiisai aki mitsuketa" (小さい秋見つけた) while walking by the pond. A monument in the shape of a piano, erected by the city of Mitaka, commemorates the piece and includes a handwritten excerpt of the score. Nakada lived in Mitaka after the Second World War and produced several works that remain familiar in Japan, including "Natsu no omoide" (夏の思い出). His music continues to be heard locally; JR Mitaka Station uses another of his compositions, "Medaka no gakkō" (目高の学校), as a departure melody.
The surrounding area has also retained traces of literary life. A teahouse known as Isentei once stood near Benzaiten and operated for more than two centuries. It was reportedly frequented by Dazai Osamu (太宰治, 1909–1948), who lived in Mitaka. The site was redeveloped and reopened in 2021 as a pizzeria under the same name, maintaining a loose continuity with its past while adapting to present-day use.