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Sightseeing Spots in Sekigahara Town, Gifu Prefecture
Sekigahara is the place where fateful decisive two battles were fought in 672 and 1600. Sekigahara Town in Gifu Prefecture is the place where fateful decisive two battles were fought. One of the battles was a fierce battle between the younger brother of Emperor Tenchi, Prince Oama, who carried out a political reform known as the Taika Reform, and the son of Emperor Tenchi, Prince Otomo, over the succession to the throne. In 672, the Jinshin War broke out. The other is the “Battle of Sekigahara” in 1600, which is said to be the largest during the Warring States period, fought by the Western Army led by Mitsunari Ishida and […]
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Episodes of the Samurai warlords who participated in the Battle of Sekigahara are summarized.
Sekigahara Town in Gifu Prefecture is the site of a battle that took place on September 15, 1600, between the Eastern Army, led by Ieyasu Tokugawa, and the Western Army, led by Mitsunari Ishida. The “Battle of Sekigahara” was settled in six hours from the start of the battle. The Eastern Army, led by Ieyasu Tokugawa, won a landslide victory, and as a result, the Toyotomi family fell to a feudal lord of 650,000 koku*. And Tokugawa Ieyasu’s government (Tokugawa shogunate) was established. There are many historical and sightseeing spots related to the Battle of Sekigahara in Sekigahara Town. *Koku is a unit of volume, and 1 koku = about […]
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Basic knowledge of Gassho-zukuri houses
Basic knowledge of Gassho-zukuri houses that you should know before visiting the World Heritage “Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama” In the middle basin of the Sho River, the border between Gifu and Toyama prefectures, there are areas called Shirakawa-go (Shirakawa Village, Gifu Prefecture, part of Takayama City) and Gokayama (part of Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture). <Shirakawa-go / Gokayama area map> In the Shirakawa-go / Gokayama area, there are uniquely shaped thatched houses called “Gassho-zukuri” built between 100 and 400 years ago. There are no Gassho-zukuri thatched houses outside of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama. In 1995, the villages of Ogimachi in Shirakawa-go, Gifu Prefecture, Ainokura and Suganuma in Gokayama, Toyama Prefecture, […]
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Gassho-zukuri houses in Shirakawa-go
The snow-covered Shirakawa-go Gassho-zukuri village felt like going into a world of “Tales of Old Japan.” “Shirakawa-go” is in the upper reaches of the Sho River, which includes the northwestern part of Gifu Prefecture (adjacent to Toyama and Ishikawa Prefectures), the western edge of the Hida region, Shirakawa Village, and the Shokawa District of Takayama City (former Shokawa Village). Sometimes “Shirakawa-go” simply refers to Shirakawa Village. The Sho River is a steep mountainous area from the midstream to the upper stream, so it was an isolated and unexplored region with inconvenient transportation until the middle of the 20th century (1950s) when power generation dams such as the Miboro Dam were […]
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Cormorant fishing
I don’t know how the cormorants feel, but I think they probably enjoy catching fish. Rather, humans are more attentive so that the cormorants can catch fish comfortably. Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method that uses trained cormorants to catch river fish such as sweetfish (ayu). Cormorant fishing is called “Ukai” in Japanese. Cormorant fishing has a long history, with clay figures depicting cormorant fishing excavated from ancient tombs in Gunma Prefecture dating back to the 5th and 6th centuries. Cormorant fishing is mentioned in Japan’s oldest history books, “Kojiki” and “Nihon Shoki”, and in the Chinese history book “Suishu (Book of Sui)” (7th century), cormorant fishing in Japan […]
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Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River.
Nobunaga Oda, Ieyasu Tokugawa, Basho Matsuo, and Chaplin praised cormorant fishing on the Nagara River. From May 11th to October 15th, cormorant fishing, a traditional fishing method that has been practiced for over 1,300 years, is held on the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture every year. Cormorant fishing on the Nagara River takes place at two locations, Cormorant fishing in Gifu City is called “Nagaragawa Ukai (Nagaragawa Cormorant Fishing)”, and cormorant fishing in Seki City is called “Oze Ukai (Oze Cormorant Fishing)”. Cormorant fishing is called Ukai in Japanese. Nagaragawa Ukai and Oze Ukai are the only cormorant fishing in Japan that is used by the Imperial Family. The 8 […]
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Gifu Castle on Mt. Kinka
From Gifu Castle, I looked at the beautiful scenery that both Nobunaga Oda and Dosan Saito might have seen. Gifu Castle, located in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, is on the top of Mount Kinka (329 meters above sea level). It is a mountain castle with a history dating back to the Kamakura period (13th century) and was once called Inabayama Castle. During the Warring States Period (16th century), the castle was the residence of Dosan Saito, known as the “Mamushi of Mino.” In 1567, Nobunaga Oda conquered Inabayama Castle of the Saito family, and when he conquered this area, the name of the place was changed from “Inokuchi” to “Gifu.” […]