A Walk On Ichikawa City / The Center of Shimousa Province

名所案内中山・下総・散歩道sights in nakayama shimousa

Tokyo-Gaikan Expressway opens in June 2nd in 2018, Ichikawa City becomes the important point of traffic like it was in Edo Period. Fundamentally, this city had been the important point of traffic to go to Edo or Tokyo by the end of the WWII. At that time, many travelers going to Narita passed through the city, and those people going to Kashima Jingu Shrine also had passed before. After Ieyasu Tokugawa changed the direction of the flow of Tonegawa River to the east in the early Edo period, thousands of ships carrying products from the northern provinces in Japan to Edo had passed Edogawa River flowing the west side of Ichikawa City. Thousands of trucks might pass Tokyo-Gaikan Expressway. It sounds like Ichikawa in Edo period.
Ichikawa City has its long history, it has some remains of Jomon Period (the new stone age in Japan) and Shimousa Kokubunji Temple built in the 8th century. And this area has been described in Manyoshu (the myriad of leaves) so Ichikwa had been the center of Shimousa Province in classic. The legendary beauty named Tekona in Manyoshu has been famous therefore the area Mama in Ichikawa is sometimes called 'Manyo Town Mama'. Nakayama area in the city is also called 'Nichiren Town' since Nichiren the founder of Nichiren Sect in Buddhism held his first preach there and there are many legendary stories related to him existing there.
Many travelers and products such as Musashi Miyamoto and Basho Matsuo went on Edogawa River and Kioroshi Kaido Highway, and Ichikawa might be the important strategic point, so Masakado Taira attempted to gain the office of Shimousa Province, Yoritomo Minamoto raised his army, Dokan Ota built Konodaijo Castle, and the most part of the story of Nanso Satomi Hakkenden (the Biography of Eight Dogs) take place in the city. Before WWII, Shotaro Yasuoka and some writers described that Ichikwa was very beautiful. After that, Rohan Koda, Kafu Nagai, Yoko Mizuki, Kaii Higashiyama and many poets, writer and artists moved to the city.
There are the national treasures, the national important cultural properties, the national nature treasure and the national historic sites in Ichikawa City, so it has many historical and cultural scenic spots in it. In this page, these scenic spots in the city would be introduced. Why don't you visit Ichikawa City?

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