Roppongi

A district in the northern part of Minato Ward, Tokyo. During the Edo period, six feudal lords (Uesugi, Kutsuki, Takagi, Aoki, Katagiri, Ichiyanagi) had their residences here, and the name is said to have come from the fact that all of the six feudal lords' surnames are related to trees. It is also said that the area was named after the six giant pine trees that grew there. Located on the Yamanote Plateau, the area developed as a foreign entertainment district with a succession of high-end clothing stores and nightclubs after the former army regiment sites in nearby Akasaka and Azabu became American military bases after World War II. The surrounding area and the southern area of ​​Azabu are home to many embassies and homes of Westerners, and even today the area is bustling with international shopping streets and restaurants that are bustling until late at night. The area is home to Ark Hills, a collection of high-rise buildings, and Akasaka, as well as the Haiyuza Theater and Toyo Eiwa Girls' School. Redevelopment projects are underway in Roppongi 6-chome, and Roppongi Hills, a complex of offices, residences, and stores, was completed in 2003. The area is served by the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line, Namboku Line, Toei Subway Oedo Line, and the Metropolitan Expressway Central Circular Route and Route 3 Shibuya Line.

[Kiyoshi Sawada]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

東京都港区北部の一地区。江戸時代に6大名（上杉、朽木(くつき)、高木、青木、片桐、一柳）の中屋敷があり、6大名の姓がともに木に関係していることが地名の由来という。また、6本のマツの巨木のあったことからともいわれる。山手(やまのて)台地上に位置し、近くの赤坂、麻布(あざぶ)の旧陸軍連隊跡が、第二次世界大戦後アメリカ軍の基地となったのを機に、外国人向けの歓楽地として高級衣料店やナイトクラブなどが続出して発展した。また、周辺および南方の麻布は大使館や欧米人の住宅が多く、現在も国際的ムードの商店街、飲食街で深夜までにぎわう。高層ビルが集合するアークヒルズが赤坂とまたがる地域にあるほか、俳優座劇場、東洋英和女学院などがある。六本木6丁目は再開発事業が進められ、2003年（平成15）にはオフィス、住宅、店舗の入ったビルが並ぶ六本木ヒルズが完成した。東京地下鉄日比谷(ひびや)線・南北線、都営地下鉄大江戸線、首都高速道路都心環状線・3号渋谷線が通る。

［沢田　清］

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