Culture and History Around Akabanebashi

The Akabanebashi area brings together modern Tokyo and major Edo-period heritage. To the north stands the 333-meter Tokyo Tower, which opened in 1958 and remains one of the capital's best-known landmarks. Nearby is Zojoji, a head temple of the Jodo sect. Founded in 1393, Zojoji became the Tokugawa family's temple in 1590 and moved to its present Shiba location in 1598. The precinct contains the graves of six Tokugawa shoguns: Hidetada, Ienobu, Ietsugu, Ieshige, Ieyoshi and Iemochi. The Sangedatsumon gate, rebuilt in 1622, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property. The close juxtaposition of Tokyo Tower and Tokugawa-era heritage gives the neighborhood an unusually strong historical identity.