Arakawa, Tokyo to the southwest, Bunkyo. South of Arakawa is Taito, and southeast is Sumida. The area was mainly agricultural in the Edo period. In 1651, Kozukappara, the Tokugawa's largest execution ground (now located next to Minami-Senju station), was built. Beginning in the Meiji era, the area became industrial as factories were built on the water front. In 1932, it became one of the 35 wards of Tokyo City. MIAT Mongolian Airlines's Tokyo Branch Office is on the fifth floor in the Tachibana Building in Arakawa. Iseki, a tractor and engine equipment manufacturer has its Tokyo head office in the ward. Arakawa
Sumida River on the story. The kabuki play, "Sumida-gawa — Gonichi no Omokage", is perhaps better known by the title "Hokaibo", which is the name of the central character. This stage drama was written by Nakawa Shimesuke, and it was first produced in Osaka in 1784. The play continues to be included in kabuki repertoire in Japan; and it is also performed in the West. It was recreated by the Heisei Nakamura-za in the Lincoln Center Festival in New York in the summer of 2007, with Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII leading the cast. The Sumida River Fireworks, which are recognized as one of