Nakayama is in between Narita And Haneda International Airport

Shizuoka Prefecture : The Short Summary Of Shizuoka-ken

Most tourists visiting Japan are familiar with Mt.Fuji, it is located on Shizuoka Prefecture, so Shizuoka is famous for Mt.Fuji. Moreover, the length from east to west is very long, so it has 6 stations for Shinkansen, that is also the famous information of the prefecture. It is on the Tokai-do.

After Meiji Restoration, Izu, Suruga and Totomi Province merged into Shizuoka Prefecture.

From the Old Stone Ages, people settled in Shizuoka Prefecture, so some remains of 14,000 years ago found at Kitahama city, and there are about 200 points to find the remains in Shizuoka Prefecture. In addition, remains of Jomon Ages were found over 2000 points. Toro Remain is a very famous remain of Yayoi Ages was found.

Now Shizuoka Prefecture appears on Nihonshoki (Chronicles Of Japan), it talked about Prince Yamato Takeru. It tells about the town names.

Before Heian Period, Izu-no-kuni (Izu Province) was a place of exile, so Yoritomo Minamoto , the founder of Kamakura Bakufu, was one of the deportees. In 1159, his father Yoshitomo lost the Heiji Rebellion, so he was defeated by Kiyomori Taira, and he was killed by his vassals when he was running to the east. Yoritomo met his wife, Masako Hojo, that changed his fate then he became the first Shogun and founded the first samurai government in Japan. Yoritomo was very faithful, there are many temples and shrines built in Kamakura Period in Shizuoka Prefecture. Especially, Nichiren set his base at Minobu in Yamanashi Prefecture (next to Shizuoka) and he preached energitically, and the followers of Nichiren Sect increased in Shizuoka Prefecture, Taishakuji Temple and Kitayama Honmonji Temple were built in this period.

From the Northen and the Southern Dynasties to Sengoku Period, Imagawa Clan successed the position of the military governor of Suruga Province, and developed their power around. In the 14th century the Imagawa Clan also seated on the military governor of Totomi Province, so they rule 2 provinces.

Late Muromachi Period, Shinkuro Ise (later he named Soun Hojo) came to Suruga to help his yonger sister who was a concubine of Yoshitada Imagawa and the mother of Ujichika Imagawa when the Imagawa Clan had a power struggle within the clan after Yoshitada had passed. He helped Ujichika to quite the struggle and seize the power stably. After Ujichika succeeded the head of the Imagawa Clan, Soun was appointed the lord staying Kokokuji Castle in eastern Suruga. Next he overthrew Horikoshi Kubo (Horikoshi Shogun in Izu), and he raised his arms to extend his territory to the Kanto Region.

Sunpu (Shizuoka City) flourished as the center city of the territory of the Imagawa Clan. After the Onin War, the nobles from Kyoto visited Sunpu to ask Imagawa's supports. Once Imagwa ruled Suruga, Totomi and Mikawa Province (eastern Aich Prefecture), but in 1560 Yoshimot Imagawa, the son of Ujichika, was defeated Nobunaga Oda, the most famous daimyo and the first winner of Sengoku Period, and he was killed at the Battle Of Okehazama. The Imagawa Clan lost their power.

After the Battle Of Okehazama, Ieyasu Tokugawa took back his castle, the Okazakijo Castle in Mikawa Province to be an independent lord and he tried to develop his power around the province, so he was allied with Nobunaga Oda, the lord of Owari-no-kuni that was on the west of his territory. Then they decided that Ieyasu would try to extend to east, and Nobunaga would try west. In 1582, Ieyasu gained Totomi and Suruga when they won the battles against Takeda Clan. In 1603, he seized the absolute power to control Japan. So, Shizuoka became the territory of Tokugawa Clan until it was registered as Shizuoka Prefecture in 1876.

Shizuoka Prefecture flourished with Tokaido road from Edo (Tokyo) to Kyoto, there were 22 post towns in the resion of prefecture through Edo Period. Now it is similar to then. Sizuoka is the very attractive prefecture.


参考
静岡県ホームページ
戦国武将１００話
クロニック戦国全史
日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)
デジタル大辞林
ブリタニカ国際大百科事典
ウィッキペディア

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No.18 in the map below is Shizuoka Prefecture