The development of Akita city began in Tsuchizaki - Tsuchizaki Minato at the mouth of the Omono River, which developed as a center of distribution [Akita Prefecture]

At the mouth of the Omonogawa River, which flows through Akita City, is Akita Port, the largest trading port in Akita Prefecture. The port's address is Tsuchizaki Port, which comes from Tsuchizaki Port

Akita City developed around the castle town that was built around Kubota Castle, a new castle built by Satake Yoshinobu, who had recently arrived in the Edo period, in an area known as Kubota. Prior to that, Tsuchizaki Port was the city's center

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The foundation of Akita City is the castle town of Kubota Castle, created by Satake Yoshinobu [Akita Prefecture]

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The restored Kubota Castle Otemon. It is located within Chiaki Park and is also known as a famous cherry blossom spot. © Akita City Akita City states on its Akita City website, "It will begin in 1602, when Satake Yoshinobu was renamed the country." Satake Yoshinobu (Ukyo Daifu) - Items from Tentokuji Temple Exhibitor: Wikipedia Satake Yoshinobu came to Akita in 1602. He was ordered by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun of the Edo Shogunate, and moved to Hitachi Province (Hitachikuni/Ibaraki Prefecture), where he had been accustomed to living in for many years, with his clan-roman. Mr. Satake was liked by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, so in Hitachi Province, he boasted a stone height of about 540,000 koku and had a great power...

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Tsuchizaki Port has been the gateway to Akita since the Asuka period

Akita first appears in Japanese history in the Nihon Shoki, a historical book written in the Nara period. In 658 (Asuka period), the Yamato Imperial Court dispatched an army led by Abe no Hirafu to Akita in order to subjugate the Emishi, an indigenous people who lived north of Tohoku. The army is said to have traveled north across the Sea of ​​Japan and landed at Agitaura no Ura. It is said that this "Agita" was transformed into "Akita," and Agita is thought to have been Tsuchizaki

In Akita, a fort (ancient castle) called Dewa no Saku Akita Castle (Nihon Shoki). Akita Castle seems to have functioned as the northernmost branch office of the Yamato Imperial Court until the mid-900s, but as the Tohoku region was pacified, it ceased to play that role.

Excavations of Dewasaku and Akita Castle have been ongoing since 1972, and many of the previously unknown aspects have been revealed. Of particular note is the role played by Tsuchizaki Port

Tsuchizaki Port has developed as a gateway to foreign countries since ancient times. Historical discoveries from Akita Castle

At the time, shipping was the main mode of transportation, and Tsuchizaki Port was the main link between the Imperial Court and Akita. However, something that did not exist in Japan at the time was discovered at the ruins of Akita Castle: a flush toilet , where waste is flushed away with water. Of course, this was a major discovery, but even more so was the discovery of pig parasites, which were not thought to exist in Japan, that attracted a great deal of attention.

At that time, there was no custom of eating pork in Japan, especially in the Akita region, and there were no pigs, so there was no way that parasites could exist. However, on the Chinese mainland across the Sea of ​​Japan, there was a country called Bohai, which enjoyed eating pork, and it sent envoys to Japan several times. This is recorded in records from that time, but the exact locations of their ports of call were not known

The parasitic remains found in the flush toilets at Akita Castle were thought to be evidence that envoys from the Bohai Kingdom had indeed visited. At the same time, a large number of Chinese ceramics, Tang Dynasty coins, and Song Dynasty coins were discovered at ruins near the castle, proving that Tsuchizaki Port was a large port that could have traded not only domestically but also with foreign countries

Akita Castle Ruins Historical Museum <Information>

• Facility name: Akita City Akita Castle Ruins History Museum
• Location: 9-6 Terauchi Yakeyama, Akita City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 018-845-1837
• Opening hours: 9:00-16:30
• Closed: Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
• Admission fee: General 210 yen, free for high school students and younger

• Facility name: Akita Castle Ruins Historic Site Park
• Open all year round
• Free admission
• URL: Akita City Akita Castle Ruins Historical Museum
• access:
  • Train: Akita Shinkansen/JR Ou Main Line Akita Station - 20 minutes by bus, get off at the Akita Castle Ruins Historical Museum bus stop
  • Car: Approximately 15 minutes from Akita Expressway Akita Kita IC

Google Map

The merchants of Tsuchizaki Port relocated to the castle town of Kubota Castle, and the town became temporarily deserted

During the Sengoku period, Tsuchizaki Port became the territory of the Sengoku warlord Ando clan. The Ando clan built Minato Castle in a location closer to Tsuchizaki Port than Akita Castle. At that time, Tsuchizaki Port was bustling and developed further, centering on trade with the surrounding areas

In the Edo period, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered Satake Yoshinobu, the feudal lord of Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture), to be transferred to Dewa Province (Akita Prefecture). However, the Minato Castle he was given was too small, so a year later he moved to the newly built Kubota Castle in Kubota, a short distance away. It is said that the castle town attracted wealthy merchants from Tsuchizaki Port, causing the port to become deserted

Satake Yoshinobu recognized the important role of Tsuchizaki Port

Tsuchizaki Port is located at the mouth of the Omono River, Akita's largest river, and is a major artery connecting the inland with Tsuchizaki. It is also connected to Kubota Castle by the Asahi River, a tributary, allowing large quantities of goods to be transported by ship. Yoshinobu recognized the importance of Tsuchizaki Port, and immediately built a storehouse to handle rice tax and other items, restoring its function as a port

Kitamae-bune ships that plied the Sea of ​​Japan and were sent off to the Kansai region. Kitamae-bune were ships that, during the Edo period, traveled up and down the Sea of ​​Japan, stopping at large ports and conducting huge amounts of business. At ports in the Tohoku region, including Tsuchizaki Port, they loaded local specialties for the Kansai region, and unloaded daily necessities and food in Tohoku and Hokkaido, spreading the culture of Kyoto and other areas.

Various goods were brought to Akita by Kitamae ships

During the heyday of the Kitamae ships, Tsuchizaki Port was said to have been busier than the area around Kubota Castle. This scene is depicted in Edo period illustrations such as the "Akita Kaido Emaki" and "Akita Fuzoku Emaki."

Shipping along the Omono River, centered around Tsuchizaki Port, had about 85 docks all the way to Yuzawa, located on the border with Yamagata, and mainly transported rice as tax to Tsuchizaki Port, with daily necessities being carried on the return journey. Shipping along the Omono River was also used to transport products from the Innai Silver Mine, located deep in the mountains and a source of funding for the Akita Domain. It is clear that shipping along the Omono River, centered around Tsuchizaki Port, supported the lives of people all over Akita Prefecture

According to an 1810 record (Yuzawa Collection 6, "River Traffic on the Omono River"), the goods handled at Tsuchizaki Port were overwhelmingly rice, amounting to approximately 150,000 koku (rice tax, etc.), along with many other specialty products such as soybeans and adzuki beans (approximately 7,000 koku) and wheat (approximately 1,000 koku). The cargoes unloaded from Kitamae ships and other vessels were mostly cotton, amounting to approximately 155,000 bolts, as well as other staples such as cotton, second-hand clothing, salt, sugar, dried herring, tea, and other foodstuffs, as well as daily necessities not produced in large quantities in the Tohoku region, such as writing paper and candles

Tsuchizaki Port was so shallow that large ships could not anchor due to the accumulation of sand

Tsuchizaki Port had a major drawback. It was located at the mouth of the Omono River, and because it was immediately connected to the open sea, the mouth of the river was a sandbar and the water was shallow, making it impossible for the large Kitamae-bune ships to approach. The Kitamae-bune ships anchored offshore, and their cargo was loaded onto smaller boats and sent back and forth between the port and the Kitamae-bune ships

Furthermore, because it is not surrounded by a cape, it was unable to function as a port on bad weather days or during the winter when the waves were high, which was a problem

This defect could not be resolved throughout the Edo period, and major renovations were necessary in the Meiji period

Tsuchizaki Port was formerly the Port of Akita and underwent extensive renovations after the Meiji era, and was developed into a modern port

In the Meiji era, residents submitted a petition to Akita Prefecture requesting port development, and it wasn't until the 1890s that large steamships were finally able to dock. In 1902 (Meiji 35), Tsuchizaki Station on the Ou Main Line opened, and goods unloaded at Tsuchizaki Port began to be transported to various locations by rail. The opening of the railroad saw an increase in the volume of goods handled at Tsuchizaki Port, but ironically, this resulted in a decline in shipping along the Omono River

Renovation work on Tsuchizaki Port continued after the Meiji period, and was finally completed in 1938 (Showa 13). This prevented the port from becoming buried in sediment, and large ships were able to depart and arrive at all times. However, at the end of World War II, Tsuchizaki was bombed and the port suffered extensive damage. After the war, in order to restore the paralyzed port, work was carried out to sink three warships that had since been decommissioned and turn them into breakwaters, which allowed the port to regain some of its functions

After the war, Tsuchizaki Port was designated as a new industrial city in the Akita Bay area in 1965 (Showa 40), and full-scale development into a modern port began. Today, a quay capable of accommodating ships of up to 40,000 tons has been completed, and the port has grown even further

Tsuchizaki Port Hikiyama Festival, a nationally designated intangible folk cultural asset and a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage

The Tsuchizaki Port Hikiyama Festival is a Tsuchizaki-based festival with over 300 years of history. The festival is held over two days, on July 20th and 21st, and involves parading floats called "Yama" and "Dashi" through the town, carrying warrior dolls from the Warring States period and recreating famous historical scenes. New floats are made every year in each neighborhood, and they compete for the most brutal and decorated floats. Port music such as "Yose Taiko" and "Minato Bayashi" liven up the atmosphere, and the town is filled with the excitement of the festival.

The Tsuchizaki Port Hikiyama Festival is a festival that is said to have begun in the early 1700s at Tsuchizaki Shinmeisha Shrine an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan , and in 2016 it was also registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage

Tsuchizaki Shinmeisha Shrine <Information>

• Facility name: Tsuchizaki Shinmeisha Shrine (Minato Castle Ruins)
• Location: 3-9-37 Tsuchizakiko Chuo, Akita City, Akita Prefecture (Tsuchizakiko Station Street, Akita City)
• Phone number: 018-845-1441
• URL: Tsuchizaki Shinmeisha Shrine
• access:
  • Railway/Approximately 4 minutes walk from Tsuchizaki Station on the JR Ou Main Line
  • Car: Approximately 15 minutes from Akita Expressway Akita Kita IC

Google Map

NORIJUN

My love of travel grew, and I used to write a travel magazine, and now I'm a travel writer for the web. During my research, I visited all 47 prefectures in Japan, mainly in the Tohoku region, but my fun part is soaking in hot springs and experiencing traditional Japanese culture such as old townscapes, lifestyles, and performing arts and crafts.