旅のすえ　また大川に　めぐり逢う

▼On our journey, we meet the OhKawa River again
#oldginza #oldtokyo #oldjapan #showa

It was on March 24, 1965 that the Sumida River came to be known collectively as the Sumida River, although it has changed its name to the Arakawa River, Senju River, Asakusa River, Miyato River, Ohkawa River, Sumida River, and Mimata River. This was the year after the Tokyo Olympics.
Originally the main stream of the Arakawa River, it settled into the current Sumida River thanks to the Arakawa River discharge channel, which took 17 years to build, starting with the Tone-Gawa Eastwarden Project in the Edo period.
This is called Sumida River. It has a long history, and the name "Sumida River/角田河" or "Sumida Stream/角田川" can be seen in the Manyoshu.It's not "in the corner". Manyojin used the word "horn".
However, the area downstream from Azuma Bridge was called the "Oh River" by the people.

It was a river that was very close to our lives. I didn't need a name for that. "River" is enough. But it's big, so it's a "OhKawa/big river."
Actually, there is another reason why I don't want to call the river under the Kachidoki Bridge "Sumida River".
My aunt, uncle, and mother all called me Ohkawa.
But in elementary school, the kids used to say "Sumidagawa" because they learned it from their teacher.

But at this age. After all, I can't help but think that OhKawa is good here. After a long journey, Kachidoki gazes at the riverside that he has returned to after a long journey, and it seems to me to be the "OhKawa" that my mother, aunt, and uncle gazed at.

On our journey, we meet the OhKawa River again.
"Tabinosue mata Ohkawani meguriau"
▼旅のすえ　また大川に　めぐり逢う
かみから云うと、荒川・千住川・浅草川・宮戸川・大川・隅田川・三又川と名前も姿も変える大川が、隅田川と総称されるようになったのは、存外新しい。1965年3月24日のことだ。オリンピックの翌年の話だ。
もともと荒川の本流だったのが、江戸時代の利根川東遷事業から始まって、17年かかりで造営された荒川放水路のおかげで、今の隅田川に落ち着いたわけだ。
この隅田川という名前。なかなか由緒有って、万葉集の中にも角田河あるいは角田川という呼び名が見られる。
しかし吾妻橋から下流は、土地の人に「大川」と呼ばれていた。
生活に密着した川だったからね。わざわざ名前なんざ要らなかった。「川」で充分。でも大きいからね「大川」だ。
実は、僕が勝どき橋の下を流れる川を「隅田川」と呼ぶのに、もうひとつ抵抗有る理由はこれだ。

佃島の叔母も、伯父も、母も・・大川と呼んでいた。
でも小学校じゃ、センセから「隅田川」って習ってたから、子供たちは隅田川って言ってたな。
しかしこの年になってくると。。やはりここは、大川が良いように思えてならない。長い旅路の末に、還ってきた勝どきで見つめる川筋は、母や叔母や叔父が見つめた「大川」で良いように思う。