Kozukappara execution grounds (小塚原刑場, Kozukappara keijō) were one of the three major execution sites in the vicinity of Edo (the forerunner of present-day Tokyo, Japan) where the Tokugawa shogunate carried out capital punishment during the Edo period. Alternate romanized spellings include Kozukahara and Kotsukappara.
Location
The site is located in what is now Minami Senju, Arakawa, Tokyo, approximately a three-minute walk from Minami-Senju Station. It is situated next to Enmeiji Temple, and a large portion of the original grounds is now covered by railway tracks of the Jōban Line. The adjacent Ekō-in Temple also preserves part of the site.
History
Kozukappara began operation in 1651 and continued in use until 1873, spanning the late Edo period into the early Meiji period. It was designated as one of the Three Major Execution Grounds of Edo, alongside Suzugamori and Ōwada.
It is estimated that between 100,000 and 200,000 people were executed at this site. Methods of execution included beheading, crucifixion, and burning at the stake. After executions, heads were often displayed on spikes for three days, and bodies were frequently left unburied. The site was known for its unbearable odor, particularly in summer, and attracted scavenging dogs and weasels.
Executions were halted in 1873 as part of an effort by the Meiji government to convince Western powers to revise the unequal treaties with Japan, by demonstrating alignment with Western human rights standards.
Notable Executions
Among those executed at Kozukappara were Hashimoto Sanai and Yoshida Shōin, both of whom were put to death as a result of the Ansei Purge (1858–1859), a crackdown by the Tokugawa shogunate against reformers and critics.
Scientific Significance
In 1771, a group of rangaku ("Dutch studies") scholars—including Sugita Genpaku, Nakagawa Jun'an, and Katsuragawa Hoshū—visited Kozukappara to dissect the bodies of executed criminals. They compared their observations to Ontleedkundige Tafelen, a Dutch anatomical text. Impressed by its accuracy, Sugita Genpaku spent the next three years translating the work into Japanese. Published as Kaitai Shinsho (New Book on Anatomy, 1774), it became the first major translation of a European-language book into Japanese and is regarded as a landmark in the development of modern medical science in Japan.
Present Day
A memorial plaque dedicated in 1922 marks the site. A stone statue known as Kubikiri Jizō ("Beheading Buddha"), erected in 1741, can be found at Enmei-ji Temple. The execution grounds themselves are located at the back of Ekō-in Temple. Both temples are open to the public, and visitors are advised to be respectful, as the temple grounds also contain active Buddhist cemeteries.
