An Edo-period Izakaya That Lay Beneath the Campus

During the excavation of the "Mita 2-chome Machiya Site" conducted for the construction of the East Annex on the Mita Campus, where the Keio Museum Commons (KeMCo) is based, various "traces" were found indicating the long-standing relationship between people and this land from the Jomon period to the Edo period. In Minato Ward, which was a corner of the metropolis of Edo, traces of the Edo period remain everywhere (and of course, underground). While some may have the image that archaeology only targets much older periods, any "trace of the past," regardless of the era, is a subject for investigation and research. The excavation revealed many traces unique to a merchant district surrounded by numerous daimyo residences.

Investigations of the late Edo period yielded numerous artifacts related to Edo's food culture, such as sake bottles, bowls, cups, and dishes. Although these vessels look familiar even today, they were made and used approximately 200 years ago. It is quite common for many pieces of tableware to be excavated from Edo sites. However, this site is characterized by the prominence of matching sets of bowls, cups, plates, and pots with the same patterns and shapes. Furthermore, a large number of sake bottles were excavated with the same inscription, "Uchita." Using the text "Uchita" as a clue to search historical documents, it was discovered that a liquor store called "Uchidaya" existed in Mita 2-chome. If this site was indeed "Uchidaya," the existence of matching tableware suggests that food was served at the shop. This place may have once been an izakaya where the people of Edo enjoyed sake.

The exhibition "Constructed Sites" (March 6 – April 27) held at KeMCo will focus on the results of these excavations, including "Uchidaya," as well as on "what was not excavated." Excavations accompanying development projects always force a choice of "which traces to target." Conversely, this means there were also traces that were lost without being selected or recorded. This time, we introduced the "history" told by "what was excavated." On the other hand, in the exhibition, we hope to provide an opportunity to think with everyone about the possibilities of "alternative histories" glimpsed through "what was not excavated."

(Hinako Iwanami, Ph.D. program, Major in History, Graduate School of Letters, Keio University)