Dangozaka (Sendagi district)

Dangozaka is a hill in Tokyo’s Bunkyo City that slopes downwards to the east between the Sendagi 2-chome and Sendagi 3-chome neighborhoods. There are two explanations as to how the hill got the name Dangozaka (“Dumpling Hill”). One explanation is that there used to be a dumpling shop at the bottom of the hill; the other is that people who slipped while walking down the hill in the rain when it was slippery used to roll down the slope like dumplings. Dangozaka has been featured in many literary works, including “Seinen” by Mori Ogai, “Ukigumo” by Futabatei Shimei, and “D-zaka no Satsujin Jiken” by Edogawa Ranpo. Several famous people lived in the area at the top of the hill, including Natsume Soseki, Takamura Kotaro and Mori Ogai. The road at the bottom of the hill continues onwards towards the Yanaka district.