is a special ward in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Meguro City. The ward was founded on March 15, 1947. Meguro is predominantly residential in character, but is also home to light industry, corporate head offices, the Komaba campus of University of Tokyo as well as fifteen foreign embassies and consulates. Residential neighborhoods include, Jiyugaoka, Kakinokizaka, and Nakameguro. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 277,171 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 18,890 persons per km². The total area is 14.67 km². Meguro is also used to refer to the area around

Meguro Station is a railway station in the Kamiōsaki district of Shinagawa, Tokyo, close to the boundary with Meguro ward. Lines Meguro Station is served by the following lines: *East Japan Railway Company (JR East) Yamanote Line *Tokyo Metro Namboku Line - ...

, which is not located in Meguro ward, but in neighboring Shinagawa's Kamiōsaki district.

History

The Higashiyama

shell mound A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...

in the north of the ward contains remains from the

paleolithic The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...

, Jōmon, Yayoi, and

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

s. The area now known as Meguro was formerly two towns, Meguro proper and Hibusuma, all parts of the former Ebara District of

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, S ...

. The two were merged into a Meguro ward for

Tokyo City was a Cities of Japan, municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo Prefecture (1868–1943), Tokyo-fu which existed from 1 May 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on 1 July 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by ...

in 1932 and since then the ward has remained with no alterations to its territory. The name "Meguro", meaning "black eyes", derives from the Meguro Fudō (Black-eyed Fudō-myōō) of Ryūsenji. The Meguro Fudō was one of five Fudō-myōō statues placed at strategic points on the outskirts of

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

in the early seventeenth century by the abbot

Tenkai was a Japanese Tendai Buddhist monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. He achieved the rank of ''Daisōjō'', the highest rank of the priesthood. His Buddhist name was first , which he changed to Tenkai in 1590. Also known as , he ...

, an advisor to

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

, to provide protection for the new capital of the Tokugawa shogunate. Each statue had eyes of a different color. ( Mejiro, a district in

Toshima is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and Nakano, Shinjuku, a ...

ward, is named for the white-eyed Fudō-myōō).

Geography

Four other special wards surround Meguro. They are

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

(to the northeast),

Setagaya is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. The ward calls itself Setagaya City in English. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orch ...

(to the west), Ōta (to the south), and Shinagawa (to the southeast).

Districts and neighborhoods

; Hibusuma Area * Chūōchō * Haramachi * Higashigaoka * Himonya *

Jiyūgaoka 'Liberty Hill' is a neighborhood in southern Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. It consists of districts 1-chome to 3-chome, and had a population of 7,231 as of January 2013. The name also refers to the broader area surrounding Jiyūgaoka Station, which inc ...

* Kakinokizaka * Megurohonchō * Midorigaoka * Minami * Nakane * Ōokayama * Senzoku * Tairamachi * Takaban * Yakumo * Hirachō ;

Meguro is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Meguro City. The ward was founded on March 15, 1947. Meguro is predominantly residential in character, but is also home to light industry, corporate ...

Area *

Aobadai is a district located in the northern portion of Meguro, Tokyo, Japan, which consists of 1 to 4-chōme. As of October 1, 2020, it has a total population of 8,362. Geography The Aobadai district borders Shinsenchō, Nanpeidaichō, Hachiyamac ...

* Gohongi * Higashiyama * Kamimeguro *

Komaba is a residential neighborhood in the northern area of Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. Consisting of four districts, the neighborhood has a population of 6,847. The neighborhood is known as a center for education being the location of a number of selec ...

* Mita * Nakachō * Nakameguro *

Ōhashi Ōhashi, Ohashi or Oohashi (written: 大橋 lit. "large bridge") is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Akira Ohashi (born 1968), Japanese actor *Ayaka Ohashi (born 1994), Japanese voice actress *Kyosen Ōhashi (born 193 ...

Shimomeguro is a district located in the eastern portion of Meguro, Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as E ...

Yūtenji is a temple of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism in Nakameguro, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. In 1718, the 3rd year of the Kyōhō era, the 36th Buddhist monk of Zōjōji called died. One of his disciples, , built Yūtenji as his shrine and made him ...

* Sanda

Politics and government

Meguro ward government is led by the city assembly with 36 elected members with current terms from May 1, 2011 to April 30, 2015. The chairman of the council is Yoshiaki Ito. The mayor is Eiji Aoki, an independent. His term lasts until April 24, 2016.

Elections

* 2007 Meguro local election * 2008 Meguro mayoral election

Sightseeing and local landmarks

Green spaces

Meguro River The is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. Its tributaries include the Kitazawa River and the Karasuyama River. The river flows into Tokyo Bay near the Tennōzu Isle Station. The river is in length and passes through Setagaya, Meguro and ...

Komaba Park is a park in Meguro, Tokyo, Japan located adjacent to the University of Tokyo, Komaba Campus. History The land was the site of the Komaba Agricultural College in the Meiji Era and then the location of the Tokyo Imperial University Faculty o ...

, Komaba * Komabano Park, Komaba *

Komazawa Olympic Park Komazawa Olympic Park (駒沢オリンピック公園) located on land in both Meguro and Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, is a sports facility that was constructed for the 1964 Summer Olympics. Approximately 90 per cent of the park's area is in Setagay ...

Meguro Sky Garden is a linear roof garden park in Ōhashi, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan, constructed on a sloping roof rising from 15 to 35 meters above street level. The garden serves to cover the intersection of two major expressways; the elevated Route 3 (Shuto Expres ...

, Ohashi Linear roof garden park spiraling 35 meters above street level covering the junction of two major expressways. * Saigoyama Park, Aobadai * Sugekari Park, Aobadai * Nakameguro Park and Nature Center * Himonya Park, Himonya

Cultural institutions

Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography The is an art museum concentrating on photography. As the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, it was founded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and is in Meguro-ku, a short walk from Ebisu station in southwest Tokyo. The museum also ...

* Meguro Museum of Art, Tokyo * Meguro Persimmon Hall, concert and performance arts venue * Meguro Parasitological Museum * Japanese Folk Crafts Museum * Chosenin Temple Contemporary Sculpture Museum

Religious institutions

* Himonya Catholic Church * St. Michael's Catholic Church (German Language) * Himonya Hachiman Shrine * Ōtori Shrine * Ryūsenji (Meguro

Fudo Fudo may refer to: People * Yuri Fudo (born 1976), Japanese golfer Places * Fudō Falls, Japan * Fudō-mae Station, Japan Fictional characters * Akira Fudo, fictional superhero * Fudo or Acala * Fudō Yūsei from Yu-Gi-Oh is a ...

temple) * Yūten-ji Temple * St. Paul's Church, Gohongi ( Anglican Church in Japan)

Transportation

Rail

Tokyu Corporation The is a Japanese multinational ''keiretsu'' ( conglomerate) holding company headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. Its main operation is , a wholly owned subsidiary operating railways in the Greater Tokyo Area. History The oldest predecessor ...

Tōyoko Line The is a major railway line connecting Tokyo (Shibuya) to Yokohama. The line is owned and operated by the private railway operator Tokyu Corporation. The name of the line, ''Tōyoko'' (東横), is a combination of the first characters of ''Tōky ...

: Naka-Meguro, Yutenji, Gakugei Daigaku, Toritsu Daigaku, Jiyugaoka Stations ** Ōimachi Line: Jiyugaoka, Midorigaoka, Ōokayama Stations **

Meguro Line The is a railway line operated by Japanese private railway company Tokyu Corporation. As a railway line, the name is for the section between and in southwest Tokyo, but nearly all trains run to on a quad-tracked section of the Tōyoko Line ...

: Ōokayama, Senzoku Stations ** Den-en-toshi Line: Ikejiri-Ōhashi Station *

Keio Corporation () is a private railway operator in Tokyo, Japan, and the central firm of the that is involved in transport, retail, real estate and other industries. The name is derived from taking one character each from the places through which the railw ...

Keiō Inokashira Line The is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway operator Keio Corporation in the western suburbs of Tokyo, connecting in Tokyo with in Musashino City. It is not physically connected to the Keio Main Line Network, but a transfe ...

: Komaba-Todaimae Station *Note:

(

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...

, Tokyu Meguro Line,

Tokyo Metro Namboku Line The is a subway line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro in Tokyo, Japan. The line runs between Meguro in Shinagawa and Akabane-Iwabuchi in Kita. The Namboku Line was referred to as Line 7 during the planning stages, thus the seldom-used officia ...

, Toei Mita Line) is in Shinagawa, not Meguro.

Highways

Route 3 (Shuto Expressway) The , signed as Route 3 of the Shuto Expressway system and AH1 as a part of that route of the Asian Highway Network, is one of the radial routes of the tolled Shuto Expressway system in the Tokyo area. The elevated expressway was planned as a ...

Shibuya radial route (Tanimachi JCT – Yoga) *

Central Circular Route The , signed as Route C2, is one of the routes of the Shuto Expressway system serving the central part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The route is a circumferential highway running through the outer wards of Tokyo. The route is the middle of four ...

C2. Completed in 2016 this deep level subterranean expressway connect the

Yamate Tunnel The carries the Central Circular Route (C2) of the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo, Japan, from the Takamatsu on-ramp in Toshima to near the Ōi Junction in Shinagawa. It has a length of . Lying below the surface, about 70 percent of the tunnel was c ...

as far as the

Bayshore Route The signed as Route B, is one of the routes of the tolled Shuto Expressway system in the Greater Tokyo Area. The Bayshore Route is a stretch of toll highway that runs from the Kanazawa ward of Yokohama in the west, northeast to the city of ...

in Shinagawa

Education

Colleges and universities

* University of Tokyo Komaba Campus *

Tokyo Institute of Technology is a national research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology, one of first five Designated National University and selected as ...

* Note:

Tokyo Gakugei University Tokyo Gakugei University (東京学芸大学, ''Tōkyō gakugei daigaku'') is a national university in Koganei, Tokyo. Founded in 1873, it was chartered as a university in 1949. It is also known as ''Gakudai'' (学大) and TGU, for short. In add ...

and Tokyo Metropolitan University were formerly in Meguro.

Public schools

Metropolitan high schools are operated by the

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education (東京都教育委員会 ''Tōkyō-to Kyōiku Iinkai'') is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board directly manages all of the public high schools in all 23 special wards, the Western T ...

. * (Kokusai means "International" in Japanese) * Komaba High School * Meguro High School *Geijutsu High School (Closed in 2012) In addition the metropolis operates a consolidated junior and senior high school in Meguro called Ōshūkan Secondary School. Municipal elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Meguro City Board of Education. Municipal junior high schools: * Meguro 1st Junior High School ( 第一中学校) * Meguro 7th Junior High School ( 第七中学校) * Meguro 8th Junior High School ( 第八中学校) * Meguro 9th Junior High School ( 第九中学校) * Meguro 10th Junior High School ( 第十中学校) * Meguro 11th Junior High School ( 第十一中学校) * Higashiyama Junior High School ( 東山中学校) * Meguro Chuo Junior High School ( 目黒中央中学校) * Otori Junior High School ( 大鳥中学校) Municipal elementary schools: * Aburamen Elementary School ( 油面小学校) * Dendo Elementary School (田道小学校) * Fudo Elementary School ( 不動小学校) * Gekkohara Elementary School (月光原小学校) * Gohongi Elementary School (五本木小学校) * Haramachi Elementary School ( 原町小学校) * Higashine Elementary School ( 東根小学校) * Higashiyama Elementary School ( 東山小学校) * Ishibumi Elementary School ( 碑小学校) * Kamimeguro Elementary School ( 上目黒小学校) * Karasumori Elementary School (烏森小学校) * Komaba Elementary School ( 駒場小学校) * Midorigaoka Elementary School (緑ケ丘小学校) * Miyamae Elementary School ( 宮前小学校) * Mukaihara Elementary School (向原小学校) * Naka Meguro Elementary School ( 中目黒小学校) * Nakane Elementary School ( 中根小学校) * Ookayama Elementary School ( 大岡山小学校) * Shimomeguro Elementary School ( 下目黒小学校) * Sugekari Elementary School ( 菅刈小学校) * Takaban Elementary School ( 鷹番小学校) * Yakumo Elementary School ( 八雲小学校)

International schools

* Aoba-Japan International School

Economy

Company headquarters

Amazon Japan Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

head office *

Books Kinokuniya is a Japanese bookstore chain operated by , founded in 1927, with its first store located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Its name translates to "Bookstore of Kii Province". The company has its headquarters in Meguro, Tokyo. One of the company's g ...

* Don Quijote discount store chain head office * LDH (Headquarters for

EXILE Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

& other Dance Units) *

Makino History Makino was established in 1937 by Tsunezo Makino in Japan, developing Japan's first numerical control, numerically controlled (NC) milling machine in 1958 and Japan's first milling machine, machining centre in 1966. The North America ...

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Japanese professional wrestling promotion based in Nakano, Tokyo. Founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, the promotion was sold to Yuke's, who later sold it to Bushiroad in 2012. TV Asahi and Amuse, Inc. own minority shares ...

head office *

Ribera Steakhouse is a Japanese professional wrestling, boxing and mixed martial arts-themed steak house restaurant with two locations. The original location is in Gotanda, and there is a second, larger location in Shimomeguro. Professional wrestlers frequent the ...

Stanley Electric Stanley Electric Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manufacturer of electric lights. Stanley has 36 consolidated subsidiaries, three associated companies, 23 factories in eight countries, offices in 17 countries, and over 16,000 employees. The main cust ...

TopTour Corporation , is a travel agency located in Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan, and a part of Tobu Group. Its old name was Tokyu Tourist Corporation (東急観光株式会社 ''Tōkyū Kankō Kabushiki Gaisha'') a part of Tokyu Group before it became independent from ...

* Unilever Japan, head office * Walt Disney Japan, head office

Notable people from Meguro

* Yumiko Fujita, actress * Waka Inoue, model, actress *

Risa Tsubaki is a female Japanese voice actress from Meguro, Tokyo affiliated with Mausu Promotion. Roles Television animation *Fighting Beauty Wulong Rebirth (Sachi) *Ouran High School Host Club (Azusa Suwaki, Hina Usami) * Recess (Japanese Dub) (Ashley Arm ...

, voice actress *

Toru Iwatani is a Japanese video game designer who spent much of his career working for Namco. He is best known as the creator of the arcade game '' Pac-Man'' (1980). Early life Iwatani was born in the Meguro ward of Tokyo, Japan on January 25, 1955. While ...

, arcade game designer, most notable for

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...

and

Pole Position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

Shigeru Izumiya Shigeru Izumiya (泉谷しげる ''Izumiya Shigeru'', born May 11, 1948 in Aomori, raised in Meguro, Tokyo) is a Japanese poet, folk singer, actor, tarento. He established the record company For Life Records with Takuro Yoshida, Yosui Inoue, and ...

, folk singer, entertainer (born in Aomori, Aomori, but raised in Meguro) *

Masako, Empress of Japan is as the consort of Emperor Naruhito, who ascended to the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019. Masako, who was educated at Harvard and Oxford, had a prior career as a diplomat. Early life and education was born on 9 December 1963 at Toranomon ...

(born in

Toranomon is a business district of Minato, Tokyo. History Literally meaning "Tiger's Gate," Toranomon was the name of the southernmost gate of Edo Castle. The gate existed until the 1870s when it was demolished to make way for modern developments. Th ...

, but raised in Meguro) *

Yukio Sakaguchi is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist, professional wrestler, actor and judoka, who is currently signed with DDT Pro-Wrestling and has fought and competed for World Victory Road, DREAM, Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, Pancrase, Pro Wrestli ...

, mixed martial arts fighter and professional wrestler *

Kazuo Tokumitsu is a Japanese TV presenter and announcer. He is the main presenter on the Nippon Television Sunday morning TV topical news programme ''The Sunday Next''. He is also the main presenter on the Tokyo Broadcasting System programme .Takuya Kimura, singer and actor in male idol group SMAP * Shizuka Kudo, popular singer and wife of Takuya Kimura (Originally from Hamura, Tokyo) *

Keisuke Kuwata is a Japanese multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and frontman for the Southern All Stars, as well of his own solo band, the Kuwata band. He has also done a significant amount of scoring music for films. He went to Aoyama Gakuin Universit ...

, singer with Southern All Stars (Originally from Chigasaki, Kanagawa) *

Nobuyo Ōyama , born , is a former Japanese actress, voice actress and singer affiliated with Actors Seven. She is best known for playing the title character in the long-running ''Doraemon'' anime series. She is also well known as the voice of Monokuma, the m ...

, voices the anime character

Doraemon ''Doraemon'' ( ja, ドラえもん ) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Fujiko F. Fujio. The manga was first serialized in December 1969, with List of Doraemon chapters, its 1,345 individual chapters compiled into 45 ' ...

(Originally from

Shibuya, Tokyo Shibuya (渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1, ...

) *

Miyu Uehara , better known as , was a Japanese gravure idol (glamour model) and TV personality who gained popularity as a "poverty idol". She was represented by Platinum Production. Biography Life Uehara was born on the island of Tanegashima in Kagoshima Pr ...

, gravure idol, found dead in her Meguro apartment (Originally from Tanegashima, Kagoshima) *Halca & Yucali of the hip-hop duo Halcali *

Shori Sato is a Japanese idol, actor, and member of the idol group Sexy Zone, under the Johnny & Associates from 30 October 2010. Biography He was born on 30 October 1996. The youngest of four siblings, he has two brothers and a sister. His given name, S ...

, singer and actor in male idol group

Sexy Zone Sexy Zone is a five-member Japanese boy band managed by Johnny & Associates, consisting of Shori Sato, Kento Nakajima, Marius Yo, Fuma Kikuchi and Sou Matsushima. When they debuted their group age average was 14.6. In 2013 they appeared in Kouh ...

* Suehiro Maruo, Manga artist, one of the best-known exponents of

Ero Guro is an artistic genre that puts its focus on eroticism, sexual corruption, and decadence.Silverberg, Miriam Rom. "By Way of a Preface: Defining ''Erotic Grotesque Nonsense''". Galley copy of the preface for ''Erotic Grotesque Nonsense: The Mass C ...

(Originally from

Nagasaki, Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the Na ...

)

References

External links

Meguro City Official Website
{{Portalbar, Tokyo Wards of Tokyo