Glossary
Explanations of the names and terms used on this site. Words with a dotted underline in the text show a short explanation when you hover over or tap them.
- Ari-no-Kai
The scrap-collecting cooperative formed by the residents of Ari-no-Machi; Ari no Kai means "Ari-no-Kai". Its first president was Ozawa Motomu and its adviser the writer Matsui Tōrō. It was dissolved in 1988, its role fulfilled.
Ari-no-Kai negotiated with Tokyo Metropolis for the move to No. 8 Reclaimed Land, which took place in 1960. The Japan Catholic Center now stands on the former site of the cooperative.
- Ari-no-Machi
The name of a settlement of people living by collecting scrap, beside Kototoi Bridge in Sumida Park, from about 1950. Ari no machi means "town of ants"; the name was given by the press, and is also written アリの街 or 蟻の町. In 1960 it moved to No. 8 Reclaimed Land, today's Shiomi.
The residents' cooperative was called Ari-no-Kai. Satoko Kitahara (1929–1958), who taught the children there, became known as the "Mary of Ari-no-Machi", and the present building of Shiomi Church bears the name 「蟻の町のマリア」 ("Mary of Ari-no-Machi"). English sources also call the settlement "Ants Town" or "Ants Village".
- chōme
A numbered subdivision of a town or district in Japanese addresses. Shiomi is divided into Shiomi 1-chōme and 2-chōme.
- Japanese era years
Japanese documents often count years by imperial era: Taishō (1912–1926), Shōwa (1926–1989), Heisei (1989–2019) and Reiwa (2019–). For example, Shōwa 33 is 1958.
Year 1 of an era is the year it began, so Shōwa 1 and Taishō 15 are both 1926.
- No. 8 Reclaimed Land
The reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay that became Shiomi. Its formal name was 深川枝川町地先第8号埋立地 ("No. 8 Reclaimed Land off Fukagawa-Edagawa-chō"); reclamation was licensed in 1924.
Garbage was dumped here from 1927 until December 1962, and the land was completed on 29 August 1967. On 30 January 1968 it was incorporated into Kōtō-ku and named Shiomi.
- residential address system
Japan's system of addresses by block and building number, such as 潮見二丁目7番20号 (Shiomi 2-chōme, block 7, number 20). It was introduced in Shiomi in January 1988.
Before then, addresses in Shiomi used land-registry lot numbers (地番, chiban).
- tsubo
A traditional Japanese unit of area, still used for land and buildings. One tsubo is about 3.3 m², roughly the size of two tatami mats.
- Venerable
In the Catholic Church, the title given to a person whom the Pope recognises as having lived a life of heroic virtue, a stage on the way to sainthood.
The later stages are "Blessed" (beatification) and "Saint" (canonisation). Satoko Kitahara was declared Venerable in January 2015.