What is the origin and meaning of the street names 一年坂, 二年坂 and 三年坂 in Higashiyama, Kyoto?


Obviously "1-year hill", etc., but what is the context of that?

And sometimes we see it spelled with 念 (nen) or 寧 (nei) instead of 年 (nen).
Why is that, and which one would be correct?

