Nakayama is in between Narita And Haneda International Airport

Odawara city / The Short Summary Of Odawara-shi

Odawara City is a center city of the western Kanagawa Prefecture. Mt. Hakone stands west of the city, so Odawara has been the gateway city of Kanto Region since ancient ages.

Pre-historic Ages, Odawara was on the western border between Jomon Cuture and Yayoi Culture or the culture having brought from the Korean Peninsula. Then Nakazato Remains at Odawara was famous for coexistance of Jomon people and Yayoi people, so they lived together at Nakazato. Moreover it was a very large coexisting community.

Odawara was registered in Ashigara-gun (Ashigara county) in Sagami-no-kuni in the Ritsuryo code after the Taika Reform in 645. At that time, Odawara was called Koyurugi.

The city appeared on the main stage of the Japanese History in Sengoku Periode (the Warring States Period). In 1495, Soun Hojo (the founder of Go-Hojo Clan) seized the Odawarajo Castle in western Kanagawa Prefecture from the Omori Clan with fraud. After Soun moved to Odawara, he developed his influence through the area of Kanagawa Prefecture actively and aggressively, and his clan had ruled it almost 100 years. So Odawara flourished as the castle town of the Odwarajo Castle, and Go-Hojo Clan ruled most of Kanto Region. Moreover Odawara was one of the Ninja town in Sengoku Period, so the Fuma Clan who were a famous Ninja Clan in Kanto Region, served Go-Hojo Clan to develop their power together for its five generation, from Soun Hojo to Ujinao. In 1590, Hideyoshi Toyotomi who was the was the Kanpaku Dajo-daijin (the supreme minister and chancellor) won the Siege of Odawara, the Hojo Clan ruined. And Fuma Clan or Fuma Ninja served Tokugawa Clan at Edo. It was famous story that Kotaro Fuma the powerful leader of the Fuma Ninja built Yoshiwara town at Edo by appointment of Ieyasu Tokugawa.

During Edo Period, Odawara was of course the castle town of the Odawarajo Castle, and also it was the most flourished post town in Tokai-do fifty-three post towns. The lords owning the Odawarajo Castle were given some important roles to protect Edo. Odawara was the western barrier of Edo, so the Edo Bakufu chose reliable daimyos in hereditary vassalage to the Tokugawa. In addition, Kayama at the outskirt of Odawara is famous where Sontoku Ninomiya was born in.

Now Odawara City is very famous tourist city in western Kangawa Prefecture and the gateway to Mt. Hakone and the Izu Peninsula, so millions of visitors come every year.



参考
小田原市ホームページ
小田原市観光協会ホームページ
神奈川県ホームページ
デジタル大辞林
ブリタニカ国際大百科事典
クロニック戦国全史
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