Around Marunouchi Station: before it was Marunouchi

Marunouchi Literally Means Inside the Castle

Before Marunouchi became Tokyo's business district, it was land enclosed by the inner and outer moats of Edo Castle. The word maru is related to kuruwa, a fortified enclosure within a Japanese castle. Marunouchi therefore describes an area inside the castle's defensive boundaries. During the Edo period, powerful feudal lords maintained residences here. After the Meiji Restoration, the mansions disappeared and military facilities occupied the land. Around 1887, the district was described as bleak and deserted. In 1890, the army transferred the land to Mitsubishi, which developed streets and Western-style brick buildings. The resulting streetscape earned the nickname Iccho London, or One-Block London. Tokyo Station opened in 1914. Marunouchi became an official town name in 1929, originally written 丸ノ内; the spelling changed to 丸の内 in 1970.

→ Find Chiyoda City's place-name marker at Marunouchi 1-chome 2, then look toward the surviving moats of the Imperial Palace.

Sources (in Japanese): 千代田区・町名由来板：丸の内, 大手町・丸の内・有楽町地区まちづくり協議会

Was the Land in Front of Tokyo Station Once an Army Parade Ground?

Before Tokyo Station existed, part of Marunouchi was military land. During the Edo period, this district lay between the inner and outer moats of Edo Castle, with residences belonging to powerful feudal lords. After the Meiji Restoration, those estates disappeared. Army facilities, including parade grounds, occupied the area, leaving much of the district undeveloped.

Everything changed in 1890, when the army sold the land to Mitsubishi. The company began constructing Western-style buildings, including the Mitsubishi Ichigokan in 1894. The red-brick streetscape earned Marunouchi the nickname Iccho London, meaning a little piece of London.

Tokyo Station opened on December 20, 1914. Designed by Kingo Tatsuno and Manji Kasai, its monumental building became the gateway to Japan's modern business district. Air raids in 1945 destroyed much of its roof and interior. In 1947, the damaged three-story station was repaired as a two-story building.

A restoration project beginning in 2007 finally returned the lost third floor and domes. The restored station reopened on October 1, 2012.

→ Look up inside the station's north and south domes, then face the Imperial Palace to see the grand avenue linking the railway gateway with historic Marunouchi.

Sources (in Japanese): 千代田区・町名由来板：丸の内, 千代田区・大手町・丸の内・有楽町・永田町地域のまちづくり, Tokyo Station City・東京駅の概要・歴史, 東京文化財研究所・東京駅丸の内駅舎の復原