The lantern hung in Kogakuin Temple reflected in the glass doors of the main hall

Although it has fewer lanes and is more subdued than the heavily trafficked Daiichi Keihin, which runs beneath the plateau, Nihonbondori Street, which extends through Takanawa, is an old road that some believe is the origin of the name of Takanawa. According to this theory, the name Takanawa is a shortened form of the word Takanawate-do, which means "a straight road on high ground." The "straight road on high ground" referred to here is Nihon-Enoki-Dori. According to one theory, the street was called because it resembled a rope stretched high above the ground, and gradually became the name of the surrounding area.

Regardless of the truth or falsity of this theory, it is true that the Takanawa area has been home to the residences of various clans since the Edo period. Therefore, many temples were built in the area, and the town still has many temples today. Kogakuin Temple is one of them. It is a small temple with a simple gate with only a gatepost standing on it.

At the entrance of the main hall, a lantern was hung and shone brightly. Although unassuming, the main hall has an interesting history. Although it was used for a short period at the end of the Edo period, this main hall was the dormitory of the Prussian consul and is the only surviving building that was used as a foreign diplomatic mission at the end of the Edo period. It is said that the shogunate notified von Brandt, the Prussian consul, to use the Kogakuin Temple as his lodging during his stay in Edo. It is interesting to imagine a Westerner with a thick beard sleeping and waking in such a purely Japanese-style building.

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