 Kanazawa's location in Ishikawa, Japan. WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. |
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| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Chūbu |
| Prefecture | Ishikawa |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Area | 467. In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Regions of Japan are not official administrative units but have been traditionally used as the regional division of Japan in a number of contexts The prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 sub-national Jurisdictions one "metropolis" (都 to) Tokyo; one " circuit WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 77 km² (180. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 61 sq mi) |
| Population (as of November 2006) | |
| Total | 455,351 |
| Location | |
| Symbols | |
| Tree | Ume |
 Flag |
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| Kanazawa Government Office | |
| Mayor | Tamotsu Yamade |
| Official website: City of Kanazawa | |
Kanazawa (金沢市 Kanazawa-shi?) is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology Events in November All Saints' Day (formerly All Hallows Day a Christian holy day is celebrated on November 1, the day after Halloween Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. In Geography, location is a position or point in Physical space that something occupies on Earths' surface A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government |||} A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and, with the difference that they are not a component of. WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.
Geography, climate, and population
Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The Sea of Japan is a Marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, bordered by Japan, Korea, North Korea and Russia The is a series of Mountain ranges in Japan that bisect the main island of Honshū. Noto Peninsula (能登半島 Noto-hantō) is a peninsula that projects north into the Sea of Japan from the coast of Ishikawa prefecture in central The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467. 77 km².
Kanazawa's weather is temperate though rainy. Average temperatures are similar to those of Tokyo though slightly cooler. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Mean temperatures are approximately 4°C in January, 15°C in April, 25°C in July and August, 15°C in October, and 5°C in December. The minimum temperature on record was -2. 3°C (2002), with a maximum of 37. 5°C (2002). The city is relatively wet, with an average humidity of 73% and 178 rainy days in an average year. Precipitation is highest in the autumn and winter; it averages more than 250 mm / month November through January.
As of November 2006, the city has an estimated population of 455,351 and a density of 973. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 45 persons per km². Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of
History
The name "Kanazawa" (金沢), which literally means "marsh of gold", is said to derive from the legend of the peasant Imohori Togoro (lit. Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 "Togoro Potato-digger"), who was digging for potatoes when flakes of gold washed up. The well in the grounds of Kenrokuen known as 'Kinjo Reitaku' （金城麗澤）was recreated by the Maeda lords to acknowledge these roots. The area where Kanazawa City is was originally known as Ishiura Village, and the Ishiura Shrine near Kenrokuen is a remnant of this period.
The centre of the castle town was the castle. While many castle towns in Japan had the castle placed to one side of the city, Kanazawa spread out concentrically from the castle site. Kanazawa Castle itself largely burned down in 1888, but there are a few buildings remaining, notably the Ishikawa Gate and the Sanjikken Longhouse, and one large section has been painstakingly rebuilt to authentic standards of construction. The castle site dates back to the fifteenth century, when it was the centre of power for the Ikkō-ikki, which was a Buddhist sect that had overthrown the old regional governors, the Togashi clan, and established what is called “The Peasant’s Kingdom” in the district of Kaga, the southern part of present-day Ishikawa Prefecture. The Japanese, literally "single-minded leagues" were mobs of peasant farmers monks Shinto priests and local nobles, who rose up against Samurai rule
During the fifteenth century, the powers of the central Shoguns in Kyoto was waning, and their regional governors were assuming even greater powers, carving out their own little fiefs. In Kaga, the priest Rennyo, of the Jodo Shinshu sect, arrived in the Kaga region to proselytise. Rennyo’s brand of Buddhism quickly spread among the samurai and peasants. The followers of Rennyo were directly under the control of the central Honganji in Kyoto, and were known as the Ikko sect, the “Single-Minded” sect. At the time, due to the diminishing power of the hereditary regional governors, the Togashi, central control over the region was weak, which allowed groups of Rennyo converts to increase their political ambitions, leading to the suicide of the last Togashi governor in 1488.
Kanazawa Gobo and the Peasant’s Kingdom
For the next hundred years, Kaga was ruled by the Ikko peasants, who created a kind of republic known by history as The Peasant’s Kingdom. Their principle stronghold was the basilica of Kanazawa Gobo, on the tip of the Kodatsuno ridge. Backed by high hills and flanked on two sides by rivers, it was a natural fortress, and the eventual home of the Maeda lords. Around the basilica, in what is now the second and third baileys, the first proper town grew, with priestly residences and other religious buildings as its core, and around them came the merchant areas. Many of these districts have survived to the present day, in name if nothing else. This type of town, peculiar to the Warring States Period, was a fortified temple town, and in its basic structure bears a great deal of resemblance to mediaeval European towns, with the temple or church in the centre and the entire town enclosed in some form of fortification, usually a high wall surrounded by a moat, often dry.
The End of the Peasant’s Kingdom
In the year 1580, a general under Oda Nobunaga named Sakuma Morimasa attacked the Peasants Kingdom, and succeeded in overthrowing Kanazawa Gobo. ( June 23, 1534 &ndash June 21, 1582) was a major Daimyo during the Sengoku period of Japanese history Granted an income of 50,000 koku from Nobunaga, Sakuma proceeded to recreate the town as a military base. KOKU (1003 FM, "Hit Radio 100" is a Radio station in the United States territory of Guam. However his reign was short-lived: in 1583 Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with Lord Maeda Toshiie as his advance guard, invaded, and Toshiie was granted the fief of Kaga in addition to the Noto peninsula which he already possessed. was one of the leading Generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
Maeda Toshiie and Kanazawa
Maeda Toshiie was born in 1537, in the village of Arako in Owari Province (present-day Nagoya), the son of Maeda Toshiharu, the lord of Arako Castle. In the same year, in the same province, Toyotomi Hideyoshi was born, and three years before that, Oda Nobunaga. And five years later in Mikawa Province next door, Tokugawa Ieyasu was born. was the founder and first Shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate These men would go on to become some of the most powerful lords of the Warring States era. Nobunaga, Hideyoshi, and Ieyasu were primarily responsible for the reunification of Japan after 150 years of civil war; however Toshiie’s role has usually been obscured by the Big Three. Nevertheless, Toshiie was a very powerful lord, and the close friend and confidant of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and it was only his death in 1599 that prevented him from playing a larger role in the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate.
After his father died in 1569, Toshiie found himself the head of the Maeda Clan, and the lord of Arako Castle with its fairly minor 2450 kan income. He was known as a formidable warrior: in 1551, the fifteen-year-old Toshiie won his first victory at the Battle of Kayazu. He took his first head in that battle, and in another battle in 1556 he defeated a man known for his ferocity, earning the praise of Nobunaga. Toshiie's income was tripled, and due to his courage he was given a position directly serving Nobunaga. In 1573, Toshiie was given 100,000 koku in Nibu, in the south of Echizen Province, and thus, at the age of 39, became a daimyo, or domain lord. He was set there to keep an eye on Shibata Katsuie, who controlled eight counties in the region.
In 1581, the 45-year-old Toshiie was granted the 230,000 koku fief of Noto, and became the lord of an entire province. Leaving Fuchu Castle in Echizen, Toshiie and his family moved to Noto and the next year he built Komaruyama Castle in Tokoroguchi (present-day Nanao). In the Battle of Shizugatake (1583) between Hideyoshi and the powerful lord Shibata Katsuie, Toshiie took a neutral position. At first he had set out with the Shibata forces, but withdrew part-way, retreating to Fuchu Castle and going over to Hideyoshi. Toshiie's position was delicate. Katsuie had his third daughter, Ma'a, as hostage, but two more of his daughters had been adopted into Hideyoshi's family. However, for the preservation of his clan, Toshiie had to make the most politically wise choice, so he sided with Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi’s forces were victorious, and although Toshiie pleaded with Hideyoshi to spare Katsuie's life, it was to no avail: Shibata Katsuie committed suicide in the flames of his castle.
By 1590 Toyotomi Hideyoshi had unified Japan, and was the undisputed master of the realm. However he was not eligible for the coveted title of ‘Shogun’ as he was not of Minamoto descent – by this time it had become customary that the Shogun was a member of the house of Minamoto, the first Shogunate house, but Hideyoshi, being of low peasant stock, couldn’t even pretend to be connected. So he had to be contented with the lesser title of Taiko, Grand Regent.
Hideyoshi was anxious about his young son Hideyori's future, and in 1595 asked Toshiie to be his guardian. In his Will, Hideyoshi wrote "I have known Toshiie for many years, and his uprightness is well known. I wish to install him as Hideyori's guardian. " However Hideyoshi was argued out of leaving Toshiie as sole regent, largely by Toshiie himself, and so a council of regents was set up to govern until Hideyori would be of age. In 1595, Toshiie, along with Tokugawa Ieyasu, Mori Terumoto, Uesugi Kagekatsu and Ukita Hideie, was chosen by Hideyoshi to act as regent. Ieyasu was the most powerful of the daimyo under Hideyoshi, but Toshiie was probably the second-most: Toshiie may not have as high a rank or as many provinces as Ieyasu, but he was much more the distinguished soldier, trusted by Hideyoshi and was far more popular. The Chief Regent was however, in terms of money, power, and title, Ieyasu. Nevertheless, Toshiie had been asked by Hideyoshi to take full responsibility for Hideyori, which showed that he was actually the one Hideyoshi trusted most. Hideyoshi realised that after his death the one who would be the greatest threat to his government would be Ieyasu. Loyal Toyotomi generals like Ishida Mitsunari did not get along with Ieyasu, and this lead to confrontation, with Toshiie as the only one who could prevent a war as Hideyoshi had foreseen. Hideyoshi died in 1598, after his final aborted attempt at conquering China through Korea had failed, and thus the political succession became highly unstable.
After Toshiie's death in April 1599, his son Toshinaga had enshrined him at Utatsu-Hachimangu Shrine in Kanazawa, and made it a duty of the samurai to pay their respects. When feudalism was abolished and the fiefs disbanded after the Meiji Revolution, former samurai built Oyama Shrine on the site of the Kanaya Palace, once part of the castle. The shrine gate, built in 1875, is a mixture of European and Japanese design, with rare stained-glass windows in the top level, and is now registered as an Important Cultural Property.
Toshinaga and Toshitsune
Toshiie's oldest son, Toshinaga, was born in 1562, when Toshiie was 26. At twenty he married Nobunaga's daughter Ei, and from being lord of Fuchu Castle in Echizen, he went on to successively govern Matto, Moriyama, and Toyama castles before inheriting stewardship of the Maeda Clan in 1598. At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu and thus was able to further enlarge the lands left him by his father to a massive 1. 2 million koku, by far the largest domain outside Ieyasu's lands in the Kantō region around Edo (present-day Tokyo). The is a Geographical area of Honshū, the largest Island of Japan. He succeeded his father's position as one of the Five Regents that Hideyoshi had appointed to govern while his son was a minor, though Toshinaga kept his ears to the ground and was careful to protect his lands against Tokugawa pressure. He died in 1614 after retiring to Toyama Castle.
His son Toshitsune is generally credited with ensuring the Maeda’s dominance, by his alliances by marriage with the Tokugawa and the care he took to avoid any pretence of military ambition. Instead the vast wealth of the Maedas was channelled into arts and crafts, many of which are still nationally renowned. The "Million-koku Culture" bloomed as a result of the vast wealth of the region. As both a large domain and an "Outer Lord" (Tozama: daimyo who submitted to Ieyasu only after he won the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600) the eyes of the Shogunate were constantly on Kaga, and to keep it at bay, the Maedas poured their efforts into cultural rather than military pursuits. The third Lord Maeda, Toshitsune, formed the Kaga Workmanship Office and promoted lacquer and gold-and-lacquer-work; and the fifth lord, Tsunanori, collected works of art and artisans from all over the country. The roots of this cultural flowering go back to the days of Toshiie and Toshinaga, when Kaga gold-leaf, inlaid work, and calligraphy were well-known even then.
When the third lord split his domain up between his three sons, Kaga still provided an income in excess of a million ‘koku’. This massive income ensured Kanazawa's status as one of the largest cities in Japan throughout the Edo period, and gave rise to a legacy of art and culture that in many ways rivals even that of Kyoto. Even today the phrase ‘Kaga Hyakumangoku’ is a common one when talking about the history and position of the city: a ‘koku’ was the unit of income for samurai in the feudal period, and is about 150kg of rice. At current Japanese retail rice prices, a million-koku income is roughly the equivalent of about sixty billion yen, or an income of some US$600,000,000 per year.
Development of the City of Kanazawa
On the 14th of April 1631, fire broke out near the Sai Bridge. It consumed much of the city, including the castle. In 1632 Toshitsune ordered the construction of a canal to bring water from the upper Sai River to the castle to alleviate the water shortage problem in the castle. A bold plan was drawn up: water would be drawn from far upstream, and channelled through kilometres of canals and pipes down to the castle. The pipes were carefully laid at a 750:1 slope for about 3. 3 kilometres along the Kodatsuno ridge. The water was fed to the castle under the moat that lay between it and what is now Kenrokuen by an artesian well, and the large lake in Kenrokuen, Kasumi-ga-Ike, acted as an emergency supply. Local legend has it that the lake in fact has a plug, which could be pulled to suddenly increase the water in the moats.
In the Meiji Period, castles were now the property of the central government, who considered them symbols of the outmoded feudal system and tore most of them down. In Kanazawa’s case the castle became the base for the Ninth Division of the Imperial Army. Those buildings which were in the way were torn down, and most of the rest perished in a fire in 1888. The Army occupied the castle until after WW2, when it was disbanded, and in 1949 the site became the new home of Kanazawa University, which stayed there until about ten years ago when it moved to its new campus in the hills surrounding the city. Now the site is a park, and for the first time in its 400-year history is open to all who visit.
Merchant Areas of Kanazawa
After 1600, Kaga was now the richest domain outside the Shogunate itself. As a result, the population of Kanazawa increased dramatically. Samurai and other retainers, as well as commoners who migrated in, swelled the population manyfold. This resulted in the rather chaotic layout of the city that largely survives today. Though settlement was by no means willy-nilly, it did tend to be rather ad hoc at times. The maze-like street plan that resulted is usually ascribed to defensive purposes: however there is no documentary basis for this claim, and in fact most castle towns were laid out rather more rationally, and some, like Nagoya, were as grid-like as Manhattan. Defensive features in the castle town were, instead, primarily moats and gates: roads played a smaller role.
The series of moats was laid out in the early seventeenth century – initially they were dry, but later connected up to the rivers. The Inner Moat was dug in only 27 days, and averaged about four to five feet wide. The Outer Moat took a bit longer, and averages some six to nine feet in width. Though much of the Inner Moat has been filled in, large sections of the Outer Moat still remain. The earth removed from the moat was piled into ridges along the inner side, as an added defence measure. By the end of the Edo period, ordinances from the city were issued demanding people stop building houses on top of the ridges, and demanding they clear silted-up sections. Similarly, houses began to fill in the firebreaks throughout the city, and even began to appear on temple property in the Teramachi (temple-town) district to the south of the city.
The Hokuriku Highway passed through Kanazawa, dog-legging around the castle. The front entrance of the castle was to the north, as it was this road that the Maeda lords took when they went to Edo – as they had to do every two years through the Alternate Attendance system (sankin kotai). Sankin kōtai (参勤交代 ("alternate attendance" was a policy of the Shogunate during most of the Edo period of Japanese history. The entrance to the city was originally marked by a small cluster of pine trees, later replaced with a gate called the Pine Gate, and a bridge. From here the road passed along between merchant houses, and straightened out as it neared the Asano river. As is typical of town planning in Japan, there was a large open space where people tended to congregate at the foot of the bridge. There were guard huts and a gate there, and it was also one of the places where public notices were displayed. Kanazawa was flanked by two rivers, and for defensive reasons there were only two permanent bridges across the Asano river, with just one across the rougher Sai river. However there were also pontoon bridges and ferries. The present bridge across the Asano river dates back from the Taisho period – the original wooden ones tended to get swept away in flood every so often – especially the Sai river ones.
The main street of Kanazawa in the Edo period was Owari-cho. A relatively wide road, lined with large merchant houses, it stretched down to the old Omicho Market at the far end – which is still there, still selling groceries, as it has done for the last four centuries. About a third of the way down the street, on the left, another wide road led straight to the main gate of the castle. Commoners, and in the cities this meant merchants and artisans, lived in designated areas. Merchant areas were laid out along the main roads, notably the Hokkoku Highway that runs through the city. Merchants here were the richest and most influential, and a few of them survive until this day. Other outlying areas were ranked lower, and the houses were of a correspondingly lesser scale.
Traditional Architecture of Kanazawa
Houses were taxed on the width of the frontage, so as you can imagine long thin houses became very common. Unlike samurai houses, they were built right up to the road, and directly abutted their neighbours. They were also two-storied, though the upper floor was used mainly for storage, particularly at the front of the house, above the shop area. One feature of Kanazawa merchant houses is the long earth corridor that runs right from the front door to the rear of the house. This was usually on one side, and the rooms opened off it. Going in to the typical merchant’s house, we pass the shop area, then a couple of inner rooms, with the most important room at the back, facing the inner garden. Beyond that was the kitchen area, and at the rear of the house would be a thick-walled fireproof storehouse.
Though very few from the Edo period remain, the basic style remained unchanged until the war. One notable feature of the design is the ‘sode-utatsu’ wings extending forward on the sides of the upper floor – their exact purpose is not certain, but one theory is that they were wind blockers, which is logical given Kanazawa’s weather. Snow was also a significant factor in house design – the roofs sloped into a central garden that was designed to allow snow to collect as much as to provide light to the rear. While the sea of black-glazed tiles sparkling in the sun is a common tourist image of Kanazawa today, the traditional architectural style used wooden boards held down by stones; due to the extremely heavy snowfalls of the Japan Sea coast, traditional tiles were considered to be too heavy. The use of tiles on the frontage and boards under the eaves is also to prevent snow damage.
Samurai Areas
History Large-scale reorganization of the samurai areas took place in 1611. Areas had been ordained by income, and as the total income of the domain had increased fourfold in the past couple of decades, there was some reorganization to be done there; plus room had to be found for the 14 families with incomes over 3,000 koku and their retainers, not to mention the large number of samurai that arrived from Takaoka (in Toyama Prefecture) with Toshitsune, the third lord, when he took up his position. The richest families were moved out of the castle and given massive estates scattered throughout the city, and their own retainers were housed in huge complexes nearby. The most notable example in Kanazawa is Honda-machi, where the retainers of the rich and powerful Honda family lived, in what was almost a town within a town.
In most cases, even with large fiefs like Sendai and Satsuma, samurai tended to live on their own land, but in Kaga all samurai, regardless of income, lived in Kanazawa. When Kanazawa was finished in more or less its final form in the late 17th century, over three-quarters of it was samurai housing. Nearest the castle were the huge estates of the Eight Houses (chief vassals) and their own retainers. For every 100 koku of income, a samurai was given about 550 square metres of land, and average of the "middle-class" samurai was 800, which is huge compared to modern Japanese housing. The richest vassal family, the Hondas, had a whopping 50,000 koku income. The minimum for daimyo level was 10,000 koku, and apart from the Eight Houses, some twelve families had incomes in excess of this. Kanazawa was filled with huge mansions.
Traditional Architecture of Samurai Houses Size and location of samurai housing was determined by income and standing. The richest and most powerful samurai in Kanazawa had their own men, often hundreds of them, who were housed in large areas that usually adjoined the main house. Samurai houses shared a similar basic pattern: a single-floored residence, usually fairly square or rectangular in plan, surrounded by a garden – both the vegetable and the decorative kinds. The roof was gabled, and faced the road. The boundary wall was usually made of beaten earth, topped with tiles. There are still a number of them around in the city, most notably in the Nagamachi area. The size and height of the wall and the entry gate were also dictated by rank. Samurai over 400 koku in income had a stable gate, used to house guards and horses.
Though the Nagamachi area is promoted in the tourist brochures as the ‘samurai area’, in fact the overwhelming majority of the houses there today are not samurai houses, but modern post-war housing. There are some genuine samurai houses still left in Kanazawa, but very very few indeed. This is because after the Meiji Restoration the samurai found themselves bereft of their traditional income, and many of them ended up selling off their estates, which were turned into fields before being redeveloped as modern housing before World War Two.
Temple Areas
One distinctive aspect of Kanazawa, and other castle towns, is the clustering of temples near the entrances. When Kanazawa was ruled by the Ikko, the temples were all Jodo Shinshu, the Ikko sect; but after the daimyo moved in, so did other sects: Soto, Shingon, Hoke, Ji, etc. They were placed in their present locations by around 1616. In the Teramachi (literally, ‘Temple Town’ area), they were lined up side by side along a long straight road leading to the foot of Nodayama. Defensive purposes have often been argued for this type of planning, and it is true that the wide spaces, thick walls, and large halls of temples were able to be used as emergency fortifications. However to what extent this actually influenced the layout is not certain. It was, in Kanazawa’s case at least, never put to the test. On the other side of town, the Utatsuyama temple district, at the foot of the hill of the same name, has smaller temples and twistier roads.
Geisha Areas
History Kanazawa had a further expansion in 1661, when many samurai who had followed their retired lord Toshitsune to his villa at Komatsu returned after his death. They built houses on the fringes of the city, with street layouts almost totally unplanned. These areas are some of the most labyrinthine parts of it, but this was not done for defensive purposes at all: by this time peace was quite firmly secured. To alleviate crowding from the continual (illegal) inflow of peasants and other migrants, residents were permitted to rent land from neighbouring farmers, and these areas are some of the most convoluted of all, as the roads were laid out on the old winding paths through the fields.
Thus Kanazawa attained the form that it kept for the rest of the Edo period, and even now the majority of roads in the old city are little changed in form from two centuries ago. The only major change was the creation of ‘geisha districts’ at the foot of Utatsuyama and over the Sai River in 1820, to control and regulate pleasure houses and prostitutes (bath-girls: 湯女). However conservative factions regained control of the Kaga government, and the geisha districts were abolished a decade later. However they were made legal again just before the Meiji Revolution, and stayed that way until prostitution was officially outlawed in 1954. The geisha areas were out of bounds to samurai, and so were patronised by rich merchants and artisans, who would compete with each other to spend the most obscene amounts of money on parties.
Architecture of the Geisha House The geisha house, or ‘tea house’ as it is commonly called, is superficially similar to the merchant houses, in the same way the samurai houses are superficially similar to farmhouses. However unlike the merchant houses, where the second floor at the front was for storage only, and thus very low, the second storey of teahouses are much higher, because the upper floor was used as the main entertaining area. The upper floors are faced with sliding wooden shutters which would be open in the day or when there was a party going on, and the bottom floor is faced with the unique, extremely fine latticework that is known as ‘Kaga lattice’. The standard of décor was also far higher than most merchant houses, at least to the extent allowed by the various Sumptuary Laws that the Shogunate passed. Due in part to the long gloomy winters, Kaga décor is far brighter than the drab earth browns and greens and ochres of Kyoto style: bold bright scarlets (benigara: 紅柄) and ultramarines were popular. The upper floor of the Seisonkaku Villa in Kenrokuen is particularly boldly-decorated, with purple and black walls as well.
The modern city of Kanazawa was created on April 1, 1889.
During the 1930s and 40s, Kanazawa was also home to R. H. Blyth, one of the premier Western interpreters of Zen philosophy, and prolific translator of haiku. Reginald Horace Blyth ( 3 December 1898 - 28 October 1964) was an English author and devotee of Japanese culture Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. is a form of Japanese poetry. Previously called During World War II, his house in Kobe, including his extensive library, was destroyed by Allied bombing. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture and a prominent port city in Japan with a population of about 1
Culture
Hyakumangoku Matsuri and Asano-gawa Enyukai are the major festivals held in Kanazawa. The Hyakumangoku Matsuri (百万石まつり is the main annual festival taking place in Kanazawa, Japan.
Kanazawa-Haku is gold which is beaten into a paper-like sheet. Gold leaf plays a prominent part in the city's cultural crafts, to the extent that there is a gold leaf museum (Kanazawa Yasue Gold Leaf Museum). Metal leaf is a thin foil used for decoration It is also called composition leaf or schlagmetal. It is found throughout Kanazawa and Ishikawa, and Kanazawa produces 99% of Japan's high-quality gold leaf: the gold leaf that covers the famous Golden Pavilion in Kyoto was produced in Kanazawa. is the informal name of Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺 Deer Garden Temple) in Kyoto, Japan. Gold leaf is even put into food! The city is famous for tea with gold flakes, which is considered by the Japanese people to be good for health and vitality. Tea refers to the cured agricultural product of the leaves leaf buds and internodes of Camellia sinensis, which have been prepared and cured for the market Kanazawa lacquerware (Kanazawa shikki), a high-quality lacquerware traditionally decorated with gold dust, is also well-known.
Government
The mayor (as of 2007) is Tamotsu Yamade, Independent, mayor of Kanazawa since 1990.
Points of interest
Kanazawa was one of the few major Japanese cities to be spared USAAF fire bombing during World War II. The United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including As a result, Kanazawa's considerable architectural heritage has been preserved.
Kenrokuen Garden is by far the most famous part of Kanazawa. Kenroku-en (兼六園 Six Attributes Garden located in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan, is an old private Garden developed from the 1620s to Originally built as the outer garden of Kanazawa castle, it was opened to the public in 1875. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common It is considered one of the "three most beautiful gardens in Japan" and is filled with a variety of trees, ponds, waterfalls and flowers stretching over 25 acres (100,000 m²). The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U In winter, the park is notable for its yukitsuri — ropes attached in a conical array to trees to support the branches under the weight of the heavy wet snow, thereby protecting the trees from damage. Yukitsuri (雪つり is a technique for preserving trees and shrubs from heavy snow
Outside Kenrokuen is Ishikawa-mon, the back gate (karamate-mon) to Kanazawa Castle. is a large well-restored castle in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The original castle was largely destroyed by fire in 1888 but part of it has been partially restored as of 2001, with more to come. There are currently plans to re-create much of the original castle grounds, including some surrounding areas.
The Seisonkaku Villa was built in 1863 by a Maeda lord、Maeda Nariyasu (13th Lord) for his mother, Takako. Originally called the Tatsumi Goten (Tatsumi Palace), it Much of the villa has been dismantled, but what remains is still one of the most elegant remaining feudal lord villas in Japan. The villa stands in a corner of Kenrokuen, but separate admission fees (¥700) apply. Notable features are the vividly-coloured walls of the upper floor, with purple or red walls and dark-blue ceilings (red walls, 'benigara', are a Kanazawa tradition), and the custom-made English carpet in the audience chamber.
Kanazawa also boasts numerous Edo period (1603-1867) former geisha houses in the Higashi Geisha District, across the Asano river (with its old stone bridge) out from central Kanazawa. The, also referred to as the Tokugawa period (徳川時代 Tokugawa-jidai) is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 The Geisha House (おもちゃ Omocha) is a 1999 film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. Nearby is the Yougetsu Minshuku which sits at one end of one of the most photographed streets in Japan. This area retains, almost completely, the look and feel of pre-modern Japan, its two-story wooden facades plain and austere. A facade or façade (fəˈsɑːd is generally one side of the exterior of a Building, especially the front but also sometimes the sides and rear The effect is accentuated by the early morning mist. Late at night, the street is lit by recreated Taisho-period streetlamps.
The Oyama-jinja shrine , which is considered an Important Cultural Asset, is also in Kanazawa. Oyama-jinja (尾山神社 is a Shinto shrine in Kanazawa Ishikawa, Japan. It is noted for its imposing three-story "Shinmon" gate influenced by Dutch design, built in 1875, with its brightly-coloured stained-glass windows.
Kanazawa's Myoryuji Temple or ninja dera (ninja temple) is a fascinating amalgamation of traditional temple architecture, hidden doors, passageways, and hidden escape routes. Although the temple is often referred to as ninja dera, it is in fact not connected with ninjas at all (this does not stop local tour operators and shops from selling ninja trinkets). Local legend has it that the temple, with its hidden doors and passageways, was intended as a secret refuge for the local rulers in the case of an external threat.
Local Cuisine
Kanazawa is well-known throughout Japan for its traditional cooking, which is called Kaga Cuisine. The seafood is a speciality, the jumbo shrimp in particular. Sushi and sashimi are also excellent. The Japanese sake produced in this region is of high quality, smooth and sweet. The quality of the local sake derives from the excellence of the rice grown in Ishikawa Prefecture as well as the considerable precipitation of the Hokuriku region, allowing for an ample supply of clean, fresh water. WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshū island is the (subregion along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region, the central region of Honshū, the main island Omicho market is an open-air market in the middle of the city which dates back to the Edo period. Most of the shops there sell seafood. The market is a favorite place to purchase the best that Kanazawa has to offer.
Famous people from Kanazawa
- Hatta Yoichi (八田與一 1886-1942), the engineer who designed the Chianan Irrigation Waterworks in Taiwan was born in Kanazawa.
- It is the birthplace of well-known Buddhist scholar, D.T. Suzuki (1870-1966).
- The New York Yankees' outfielder Hideki Matsui (1974- ) attended high school in Kanazawa (Seiryo High School) where he excelled at baseball, although he was born and raised in nearby Neagari. is a Japanese Major League Baseball Left fielder who plays for the New York Yankees. His baseball museum is located in Neagari.
- Actor Takeshi Kaga (1950- ), host of Food Network's Iron Chef, was born in Kanazawa. is a well known stage and movie Actor in Japan who is probably best known internationally for his portrayal of Chairman Kaga in the Japanese television show Iron Chef Iron Chef is a Japanese television program produced by FujiTV.
- Both members of Japanese electronica group capsule originate in Kanazawa. is a Japanese Electro group consisting of vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and producer Yasutaka Nakata.
Trivia
In 2005, Matthew Barney's films "Drawing Restraint 1 ~ 9," (with singer Bjork in "Drawing Restraint 9") was shown at Kanazawa's 21st Century Museum[1]. This museum houses a changing collection of modern art.
On March 25, 2007, a large earthquake measuring 6. 9 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa prefecture, resulting in at least 1 death and over 160 people injured. Earthquakes in Ishikawa are very rare however: the last major one in the Hokuriku region struck northern Fukui in 1948.
Education
Kanazawa, in keeping with its tradition as a home of scholarship, has numerous universities and two-year colleges.
- Kanazawa University - the flagship university of the city, a large national research-oriented university that traces its history back to the founding of a small medical school in 1862. is a national university located in the city of Kanazawa, the capital of Ishikawa Prefecture. Its immediate predecessor was the Fourth Upper High School, one of the elite preparatory schools for the Imperial Universities [2] before the war. Many prominent politicians and notables were graduates of 'shiko', as it was known.
- Hokuriku University - a small liberal arts college with English, Chinese, Japanese language courses and a pharmacy department. is a Private university located in Kanazawa Ishikawa, Japan. Founded in 1975 the university is locally nicknamed Hokudai, though typically the term
- Kanazawa College of Art, Official homepage
- KIDI Parsons School of Design
- Kanazawa Institute of Technology is in Nonoichi, Ishikawa District. The Kanazawa College of Art (金沢美術工芸大学 Kanazawa Bijutsu Kōgei Daigaku, literally Kanazawa Art and Industrial Design University is a university in Kanazawa is a town located in Ishikawa District, Ishikawa, Japan. As of 2003, the town has an estimated Population of 46462 and a Ishikawa (石川郡 -gun is a district located in Ishikawa, Japan.
Sister Cities
Kanazawa is twinned with:
Buffalo, United States (since December 18, 1962)
Porto Alegre, Brazil (since March 20, 1967)
Irkutsk, Russia (since March 20, 1967).svg/22px-Flag_of_Belgium_(civil).svg.png)
Ghent, Belgium (since October 4, 1971)
Nancy, France (since October 12, 1973)
Suzhou, People's Republic of China (since June 13, 1981)
Jeonju, Republic of Korea (since April 30, 2002)
Picture Gallery
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External links
- Pictures of Kanazawa
- Official website in English
- Kanazawa travel guide from Wikitravel
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| Cities | |||
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| Hakui | Hakusan | Kaga | Kahoku | Kanazawa (capital) | Komatsu | Nanao | Nomi | Suzu | Wajima | |||
| Districts | |||
| Hakui | Hōsu | Ishikawa | Kahoku | Kashima | Nomi | |||
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