本
物
と
ほ
ん
と
う
︒

こ
こ
に
あ
る
︑

Echizen City
Brand Handbook

ここにある、本 物とほんとう。

ECHIZEN
CITY
BRAND
Th

is is

our tow

The above message in Japanese expresses
the contents of the sentences below.
Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture.
This is our town.
In this city, rich nature, artisanship andcraftsman spirit inherited from old times havenurtured tradition and culture to create genuine products.

n.

Echizen City,

Now Echizen City is aiming to realize the ideal
state of future for the people and the society.

Fukui Prefecture
Echizen city is located almost in the middle of
Fukui prefecture. Hokuriku Expressway andNational Route 8 run vertically through the centerof the city and these main roads make our city thejunction for transportation connecting not only
major cities in Kansai and Chukyo area but also
peripheral cities of Echizen City such as Fukui
City, Tsuruga City, etc. Moreover, National Route
417, prefectural highways and major local
highways run by crossing these major roads.

Creativity, development and their cycle generated by the
harmony of novelty and things inherited from long ago―all
these have created Echizen City brand we are proud of.

CONTENTS
03

Murasaki Shikibu and Kokufu,the local government oﬃce

06

Echizen Washi

09

Echizen Uchihamono

12

Echizen Tansu
Various places are within walking distance in Echizen City.

15

Hospitality through local dishes

17

Traditional events

18

National traﬃc network leading to Echizen City

Fukui Railway

Ex-Tannan large-scale
agricultural road

tion

Exna
out

al R

8

e8

Prefectural highway
Ozowara-Takefu line

Aipark Imadate

Totanikataya line
HAPI-LINE FUKUITakefu Station

Echizen City Hall
Takefu Chuo Park

Prefectural highway Takefu-Komeno line

I
KU
FU

17 districts and 252 cho

】

ine

en L

E
LIN

【

Complete map ofEchizen City

kan
s

365

417

uS
hin

ver
s A riClas River
Hino

PI-

HA

8

Takefu IC
Echizen Takefu Station

Hok
u
ri
ku Ex
press
way
Hok
urik

Roadside station
Echizen Takefu

Prefectural highway
Takefu Miyama line

Contact
address

Echizen City Hall Brand Strategy division of Comprehensive policy section
7-13, 1-chome, Fuchu, Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture 915-8530
TEL.0778-22-3016 FAX.0778-24-3307
E-mail: brand@city.echizen.lg.jp（issued in March, 2024）
1About Echizen City.
1 Geographical features
Echizen City is surrounded by the mountains which are 400 to 700 meters high suchas Echizen central mountain range in the eastern part of the city, Niu mountain range
in the western part and Mt. Hino (795 meters high) in the south called Echizen Fuji
and this landform creates Takefu basin. In the center of Takefu basin is Hino River,
one of the three major rivers in Fukui Prefecture, which runs north and south, ﬂowing
into the Japan Sea after conﬂuenting with the Kuzuryu River.

2 The general climate of Echizen City
Echizen City has a climate unique to Japan Sea side with high temperature and highhumidity in summer and snow in winter that sometimes piles up over one meter.

3 The population and gross area of Echizen City

80,092G r o ss a rea 230.70 ㎢

P o p u la tion

Households num ber

31,650（based on basic resident register as of March 1,2024）

4 Symbols of Echizen City

city emblem

Topiccity tree( cherry tree )city ﬂower( chrysanthemum )city bird( stork )Events of the four seasons
Various ﬂowers bloom all the year round and well-established events in each local area
are held in Echizen City.

Hanagatami Festival(Kakyo park)（b eg i n n i ng of Apr i l）

Echizen City Summer
Festival（m idd le of Au g u st）

Takefu Chrysanthemum
Doll Festival（beginning of October tobeginning of November）

Chrysanthemum
Marathon（ Novemb er 3 rd）

2

1

Murasaki Shikibu
and Kokufu,
ECHIZEN CITY BRAND

the local government ofﬁce

Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji, spent one year in “Takefu”,
present-day Echizen City, where the local government ofﬁce of Echizen Province
was located when she was young and impressionable.

The place which nurtured the sensibilityof author of The Tale of Genji
About one year in Echizen City was the only period of her entire life to live
far away from Kyoto, the capital at that time.
Murasaki Shikibu is not only the author of
The Tale of Genji , the best literary work
among Japanese classical literature, but also a
female writer representing the Heian period.
Echizen City, which is deeply related to
Murasaki Shikibu, is attracting attention becauseof a large-scale, long-running NHK TV series
entitled Hikaru kimie broadcast in 2024
where she is portrayed as the main character.
Shikibu, who spent most of her life in Kyoto,
lived away from there only once in her lifetime.
It s the place called Takefu , now known as
Echizen City, where the local government ofﬁce
of Echizen Province in those days was locatedand known as an inﬂuential regional province
then. She moved here to live with her father
Tametoki Fujiwara who was transferred as
Kokushi, the chief ofﬁcer of Echizen Province in
996. It was only for about one year that she lived
in Takefu due to her return to Kyoto alone before
expiration of her father s term of ofﬁce. At thattime, she was said to be an impressionable lady ofaround twenty-ﬁve years old.
Shikibu wrote four pieces of tanka poetry
related to Takefu in Murasaki Shikibu shu , acollection of her tanka poetry she composed in
3

Here in Takefu, snow is falling that covers
Japanese cedar forest in Mt. Hino. I wonder if
it is also snowing in a disorderly manner on
the pine trees in Mt. Oshio in Kyoto today.

the later years of her life. The poem above
starting with Kokoni kaku was composed
watching Mt. Hino in Echizen City covered withthe ﬁrst snow of the season. In The Tale ofGenji consisting of ﬁfty four chapters in total,
the name Takefu can also be found in theﬁfty-ﬁrst chapter entitled Ukifune andﬁfty-third chapter entitled Tenarai . As theseexamples illustrate, the days she spent in her
youth in Echizen Takefu must have been a
precious period of time in her life which gave
her great inﬂuence on her story writing andbroadened her natural gifts as a writer.

Takefu was where the local government ofﬁce of Echizen Province,
an inﬂuential regional province at that time, was located
The local government ofﬁce called Kokufu ofEchizen Province, which used to be an
inﬂuential regional province, was located in
Takefu which is now called Echizen City.
Kokufu was set in each province in order for
ancient Yamato Imperial Court to govern thelocal areas. Provincial chief ofﬁcer called
Kokushi was sent from Kyoto and undertook aduty of collecting taxes, military affairs, publicorder, etc.
Echizen Kokufu was established from 708 to
the 1100s. It is said that, within the range ofapproximately 800 square meters, facilities suchas the government ofﬁce called Kokucho, theresidence for ofﬁcials called Kokushikan and thegovernment ofﬁce related to administration
called Mandokoro were located. It is thoughtthat it was Kokushikan that Tametoki Fujiwara,
father of Murasaki Shikibu, was transferred to
and where Shikibu spent about one year.
It is estimated that Kokufu was located in thecenter of present-day Echizen City. However,
the exact location has yet to be conﬁrmed andthere have been various speculations about
it.This is because Echizen City has been
constantly resided by people from ancient times
to the present, which makes it difﬁcult to
conduct extensive excavational investigation.
However, as the evidence that the local
government ofﬁce existed in the city area ofpresent-day Echizen City, we can give such
examples as the existence of Soja Daijingu
shrine where major shrines inside Echizen
Province were uniﬁed and Kokubunji Temple ,Goryo Shrine , etc. that were built in eachprovince. In 2023, excavational investigation was

A photo of excavational
investigation

A photo of green glazed
earthenware

Yutaka Bridge

Kitago Station
Takefu Dai-ichi
Junior High School

Takefuhigashi
Elementary School
Takefu-shin Station

Fukakusa abandoned
templeTakefunishi
Elementary School
post oﬃce

Kokubunji
TempleSoja Daijingu
ShrineShokakuji
TempleThe HinoRiver

Takefu Dai-sanJunior HighSchoolHonkoji Temple★ Fuchu Castle ruins
Echizen City Hall
Takefu Memorial
Municipal Hall

HAPI-LINE FUKUITakefu Station
Bandai
BridgeTakefu Chuo Park
police station

Masaru Saitoʼs view (1936)
Kenjiro Fujiokaʼs view (1969)
Tokiji Mizunoʼs view (1971)
Jinmatsu Magaraʼs view (1978)

HoyamaBridgeMap of estimated location of the local government of Echizen Province
up to the present (based on the map drawn by Mr. Kiyonori Kanesaka)

conducted in Honkoji Temple in 1-chome,
Kokufu (Echizen City) which has been regarded
as a possible site of Kokufu. They discovered forthe ﬁrst time the remains (ditches) dating backto the early Heian period which are estimated tohave divided the facilities of Kokufu. They also
discovered earthenware which is estimated tohave been used by the ofﬁcials working for
Kokufu. These ﬁndings are expected to lead tofurther development of investigation and new
discovery.

A plum tree in Honkoji Temple whichis said to be related to Murasaki Shikibu
The area around Honkoji Temple in 1-chome,
Kokufu in Echizen City is also regarded as one ofthe possible sites of the local government ofﬁce.
The legend has it that when Murasaki Shikibu
returned to Kyoto, she planted a white-blossomedplum tree and herdaughter Kenshi planted a
red-blossomed one after
mother s death in memoryof her late mother. The
present red-blossomedplum tree in the precinctsof this temple is said to be
its fourth generation.
A plum tree in Honkoji Temple
4Murasaki Shikibu and Kokufu, the local government ofﬁce

Topic
The design of two thousand yen bill with
Murasaki Shikibu drawn on it will remainunchanged after the alteration ofbank note designs in 2024.
Two thousand yen bill with the portrait of Murasaki
Shikibu drawn on it was issued in 2000 when the
Kyushu-Okinawa Summit was held and it is still used.
Shureimon gate in Okinawa is drawn on the front of thisbill. On the backside, the face of Murasaki Shikibu drawn
in Murasaki Shikibu Nikki Emaki (illustrated handscrollof the Lady Murasaki s Diary) and the poem and thepicture of Suzumushi , the title of the 38th chapter of
The Tale of Genji Emaki (illustrated handscroll of theTale of Genji) are printed. This design of two thousand
yen bill will remain the same even after the alteration of
the bank note designs in 2024.

Simulation tour tracing thejourney Murasaki Shikibu madeonly once in her lifetime
Murasaki Shikibu left Kyoto for Lake
Biwa, where she traveled by boat acrossthe lake, and headed for Echizen where
Kokufu, the local government ofﬁce, waslocated. In October 2024, based uponbackground research by scholars andexperts, simulation tour tracing her
journey in those days will be held byrecruiting participants from all overJapan.
Murasaki Shikibu project
promotion council

S P OT
Meet the golden statue of Shikibu in Murasaki Shikibu Park.

Murasaki Shikibu Park
Murasaki Shikibu Park is the only Shinden-zukuri garden in Japan
recreating the gardens in the Heian period by arranging a pond andan artiﬁcial hill, making use of Mt. Hino, the symbol of Echizen City,
as a borrowed landscape behind it. Shinden-zukui refers to anarchitectural style representative of the residences of the nobles inthe Heian period. The golden statue of Shikibu was produced by Mr.
Katsuzo Entsuba who received the Order of Culture.

The residence related to Murasaki Shikibu in the local government ofﬁce ofEchizen Province where she once lived

M u r a s a k i Yu k a r i M u s e u m o f E c h i z e n
The data library which opened in spring of 2021 provides you withthe graceful display space that makes you imagine the young days of
Murasaki Shikibu when she spent in Kokufu of Echizen Province.
Kicho-style graphic and the image that looks like a picture scroll
show you the scenery that might have spread in themind of Murasaki Shikibu. Kicho refers to a partition
made of decorated silk cloth used in the residences of
the court nobles in the Heian period.
5

2

Echizen Washi
ECHIZEN CITY BRAND〜Handmade paper in Echizen〜
Echizen Washi, which has been paid attention toby the world from long ago, has kept evolving
even now and widening its applications.

Traditional craftsmanship of Echizen Washi
has attracted global attention and it isstill making constant progress even now.
Echizen Washi is a traditional craftwork with the long history of 1,500 years.
Echizen Washi has the greatest production
amount nationwide in the category of handmade
Japanese paper among the production areas ofJapanese paper. Its origin goes back toapproximately 1,500 years ago. The legend has itthat a beautiful princess appeared in the upper
reaches of the Okamoto river and taught thetechnique of paper making to the local villagers
by saying, If you make a living by making paperin this village blessed with pure mountain stream
and beautiful mountains, you will lead a richer
life. This is said to be the origin of making
Echizen Washi. In the Muromachi period,
Echizen hosho , the ofﬁcial paper for court
nobles and warriors, was created in Echizen.
Hosho refers to thick Japanese paper of the best
quality for ceremonial use. It had the seal of Oue
tenkaichi afﬁxed on it, proving that it was thebest quality paper in Japan. In this way, highquality of Echizen Washi has enjoyed an
established reputation of high quality since longago. Moreover, in the Edo period, Fukui domain
issued hansatsu , a regional currency that is
valid only inside the domain. Production of
hansatsu was made in Goka area, the production
district of Echizen Washi. Its special production
technique is said to have been placed under strict
management with the duty of conﬁdentiality. In

the Meiji period, Dajokan satsu , a new paper
money, started to be produced by making use ofthis paper making technique. It was also
craftsmen of Echizen Washi who created thetechnique of kuro sukashi , a black watermark,which is also used for current bank notes. In theShowa period, paper for Bank of Japan notes wasmade in Goka for a time. In 1976, Echizen Washi
was designated as a traditional craftwork.
Machine-made paper appeared with the changeof the times. In paper making workshops, however,
we can still see craftsmen making handmade paper
earnestly. Echizen Washi has been produced by the
local craftsmen who have continued much trial
and error without being arrogant about their
excellent techniques. Pride and responsibility ofeach and every craftsmen have been the driving
force of the production area of Echizen Washi
that has lasted over 1,500 years.

Various kinds of Japanese paper
such as traditional Echizen hosho
paper are made.

Hansatsu and Dajokan satsu
made in Echizen City

(owned by Paper & Culture Museum)6

Echizen Washi
Japanese paper is used even for space suit made for space stay and also forbuilding materials. The application of Japanese paper has been increasing.
Japanese paper, which has been widely used inJapanese daily life since long ago for paper
sliding screens, sliding doors, etc. is, in fact,
high-functional material. Its durability is said tobe so high as to last for over one thousand years
of preservation. Even now Echizen Washi iswidely used for repairing domestic important
cultural properties. In recent years, there arealso many cases where Japanese paper is used asinterior materials and building materials bymaking use of the designability, texture anddurability of Echizen Washi. It has been used forinterior materials of buildings not only in Japanbut a lso a rou nd t he world , demonst rat i ng
overwhelming sense of existence.
Moreover, since barks of the trees used for thematerial of Japanese paper shield ultraviolet ray
and prevent germs from breeding, it has been
conﬁrmed that Japanese paper has signiﬁcanteffect of deodorization and antimicrobe. In recent
years, ﬁber made of Echizen Washi was adopted
as the material for space suit for space stay. This
was the ﬁrst case in the history of Japan where
Japanese paper ﬁber product was used for space.
Echizen Washi, which has 1,500 years of long
history, has been widely used from the level ofour daily life to the space. It is now assuming
new roles in modern times by changing its usage
with the times.

Art work made of Echizen Washi used for a shop
abroad dealing with famous brands

Echizen Washi attracts attention as the building material
with excellent design.
Photos presented by Sugihara Washipaper, Inc.

Topic
Ehizen Washi was used regularly by Picassoand Rembrandt. It has been the painting
material paid attention to by the artists
around the world.
Great painters of Japanese painting such as Taikan
Yokoyama, Ikuo Hirayama, etc. used hemp paper of
Echizen Washi regularly. It is said that Echizen hosho ,traditional Echizen Washi, was ordered even by
Picasso.Moreover, ﬁber of Diplomorpha sikokiana, a materialof Japanese paper, was discovered in a copperplate print
work by a Dutch painter Rembrandt. This show thepossibility that Echizen Washi was used for his work.At
that time, washi was exported through East India Company.
Therefore, he might have used Echizen Washi regularly.

7

Growing expectations for theregistration for UNESCOʼs
Intangible Cultural Heritage
Additional application of Echizen torinoko
paper was made in March 2024 by theJapanese government for the technique of
Echizen Washi, the Japanese handmade
paper in UNESCO s Intangible Cultural
Heritage. This was recently reported as
the big news that gave momentum to theregistration for UNESCO s Intangible
Cultural Heritage the people in the
production area have long hoped for.

S P OT
Important Cultural Property that enshrines the goddess of paper making

Go dde s s of pa pe r m a king / O k a m oto Sh rine ・ O ta ki Sh rin eThis is a shrine with an old history that worships Kawakami
gozen , the goddess of paper making, from whom Echizen
Washi is said to have originated. Shrine buildings have theroofs covered with Japanese cypress barks which look likedozens of waves coming close to each other. Moreover, they
have an unusual shape with the main hall and worship hallconnected together. These buildings are designated as a
National Important Cultural Property. Kawakamigozen isusually enshrined in Okunoin , the inner shrine, in Mt.
Gongen rising behind the shrine. Only twice a year in spring
and fall, people welcome Kawakamigozen to Gegu (Satomiya), a
shrine located in the lowest place in the shrine precincts, andReitaisai, a major shrine festival held once or twice a year, isheld when a portable shrine with Kawakamigozen enshrined in
it makes a ritual procession around Goka area.

Come to Papyrus kan if you want to experience paper making.

Papyrus kan
This is the workshop where anyone from children to adults
can experience paper making. At the back of the ﬁrst ﬂoor,
you can buy EchizenWashi goods at Washidokoro Echizen ,where they serve many kinds of Japanese paper for industrial
arts and miscellaneaous goods using Japanese paper.

You can see the technique of traditional craftsmen close
by at Udatsu no Kogeikan.

Udatsu no Kogeikan
This is the ex-residence of Heiemon Nishino, a craftsman of
paper making, in Echizen City dismantled and reconstructedat the present site. This is a rare facility even across Japan
where you can see close by traditional craftsmen make paperusing conventional tools.

83

ECHIZEN CITY BRAND

Echizen Uchihamono〜Echizen forged cutlery〜

Echizen Uchihamono, which has been regularly
used by ﬁrst-class chefs both domestically andabroad, is a traditional handicraft that Echizen
City boasts to the world.

Echizen Uchihamono has been
overwhelmingly supported by ﬁrst-classchefs as their reliable partners.
Echizen Uchihamonoʼs modern design has gained high reputation, as well as
the sharp cutting quality and strength created by traditional techniques.
Echizen Uchihamono is a traditional handicraft
Echizen City boasts to the world with having
approximately over 700 years of long history. The
forging technology has inherited from ancient
times. Forging refers to the process ofstrengthening the heated metal by hammering it
repeatedly. Even now, craftsmen elaborately
sharpen the blades they forged by hand andﬁnish them so that they have sharp cutting
quality.
Echizen is the ﬁrst knife industry area in Japan
where its products were designated as
National Traditional Craft in 1979, inrecognition of the sophisticated traditional
technology. In recent years, kitchen knives andsteak knives are created using both traditional
technology and modern design. This made themhighly sought throughout the world. Due toorders pouring in from ﬁrst-class chefs globally,
production has struggled to keep up with thehigh demand.
Interest in Echizen Uchihamono has been
increasing among people of various ﬁelds, such as
when a famous actor fell in love with the cutlery
after being impressed by its sharp edge while
using it in a drama supervised by a ﬁrst-classchef.
9Echizen Uchihamono comes invarious types such as doubleedge, single edge, etc. along withvarious sizes according to speciﬁc
purposes of the customers.

Topic

Thin and strong blades arebrought to completion using
the traditional forging
technology of shaping withheat.

The secret of the
sharp cutting quality

A unique technology of Echizen Uchihamono
is called the nimai hiroge , which creates thedistinguished sharp cutting quality of the
kitchen knives that fascinates ﬁrst-class chefs.
Craftsmen strike the front and back surfacesof overlapped blades with a hammer. By
quickly spreading two blades at the sametime, it increases the strength of the blades,
creating high quality cutlery with lessirregularity on the blade surface.

Th e s h a rp cu tting quality of Ec h i zen Uch ih amon o th at s u pp ortst h e d e l i cio us taste of Fre nc h c u is in e cooked by ﬁrst-class ch efs
Orders of kitchen knives of Echizen
Uchihamono ﬂood in from ﬁrst-class chefs ofwell-known restaurants honored with Michelin
stars. Yuichiro Watanabe, the owner of Nabeno-Ism , a French restaurant in Komagata in
Asakusa, Tokyo, is a famous chef who has loved
to use Echizen Uchihamono for many years.
As the executive chef of an exclusive
restaurant in Ebisu, Tokyo, Chef Watanabe has
gained a three-star evaluation from Michelin
Guide for nine consecutive years. He opened
Nabeno-Ism
in 2016 and he has gained a
QR
two-star evaluation from Michelin Guide for ﬁve
consecutive years since its 2019 edition.
He says, I really feel that the dishes I cook
have evolved further since I ve encountered
Echizen Uchihamono. Dishes are born throughthe combination of ingredients, people, andcooking tools. The sharp cutting quality ofEchizen Uchihamono is also one of myindispensable seasonings for my dishes.

Chef Watanabe cuts ingredients with a kitchen knife of
Echizen Uchihamono.
He uses a butcher knife, a muscle pull knife, a petit knife,
etc. properly depending on the dish he is cooking.

DATA
Prod u ct i on vo lume of Ec hi ze n Uch ih amon o in creasedm ore t h a n thre e times in the past twelve years d u e to th ein crease of de mand f ro m overseas an d rise of u n it cost.
Echizen Uchihamono once fell into crisis of
decline. However, it was revived by following
many positive challenges by matching the changeof the times. By taking advantage of highevaluation given by famous chefs overseas to
Echizen Uchihamono that combines sharp cutting
quality and modern designs, the demand soared inEuropean nations and America.
Moreover, their unit cost also went up,
contributing to sharp rise of production volume
per one employee in the production area.
Production volume in 2021 ﬁscal year increased
by about 3.6 times as much as that of 2009 ﬁscal
year. Success of the Echizen Uchihamono has
attracted attention nationwide in Japan as the
symbol of restoration of craftsmanship in Japan.

【 Production amount of
Echizen Uchihamono 】
2,200

1,650

Increased by about

3.6 times as muchin 13 years!

1,100
550

2009

ﬁscal year

2012

ﬁscal year

2015

ﬁscal year

2018

ﬁscal year

2021

ﬁscal year

Production volume（Unit: million yen）
Production volume per one employee (Unit:10 thousand yen)
(Survey by Echizen Uchihamono production area cooperative association)

10

Echizen Uchihamono

S P OT
A collaborative workshop where craftsmen with the cutting-edge
technology of Echizen Uchihamono come together

Ta k e f u K n i f e V i l l a g e
This is not only a collaborative workshop of Echizen
Uchihamono but also a comprehensive tourist facility. A newbuilding was completed in 2020. Here you can observe theworkshop and also enjoy shopping for cutlery. Besides this,they have a kitchen knife trial class where visitors canexperience the processes from forging to sharpening blades.
This is a rare trial class nationwide and very popular with thevisitors.

This is the facility that transmits the culture of traditional
handicrafts of Echizen Uchihamono.

Echizen Chiyozuru HallThis is a facility to convey the long history and technology ofEchizen Uchihamono that have lasted for about 700 years. Thishistory originates with Chiyozuru Kuniyasu, a famousswordsmith during the Northern and Southern Courts period.
You can see not only exhibition of cutlery manufactured invarious workshops that have inherited traditional techniques but
also a demonstration of forging cutlery by traditional craftsmen.
You can also have a hands-on experience of sharpening blades.

The shrine that worships Kuniyasu Chiyozuru, the founder of Echizen Uchihamono

Chiyozuru Shrine
The object of worship at Chiyozuru Shrine is a sword which issaid to have been made by Kuniyasu Chiyozuru, the founder of
Echizen Uchihamono. In the precincts of the shrine, there is apond called Chiyozuru no ike (the pond of Chiyozuru) whosewater is said to have been drawn by Kuniyasu Chiyozuru
when he forged his sword. Kuniyasu is a swordsmith who
moved to Fuchu (present-day Echizen City) from Kyoto aroundthe turbulent period of the Northern and Southern Courts
period. Legend has it that Echizen sickle originates from the
sickle produced by Kuniyasu who was inspired by a crescentmoon reﬂected on the surface of the pond of Chiyozuru.
Echizen sickles with outstanding cutting quality spread allover Japan through peddlers and boasted overwhelming
market share.
11

A guardian dog produced by
Kuniyasu Chiyozuru
Legend has it that every time
Kuniyasu made his sword, he carved
a guardian dog with a grinding stoneand submerged it under the pondwith a prayer.

4

ECHIZEN CITY BRAND

Echizen Tansu〜Echizen chest of drawers〜

Echizen Tansu has a long
history dating back to thelate Edo period,
fascinating many people
with its high skill ofartisanship.

Tradition and evolution ofcraftsmanshipEchize n Ta n s u h a s be e n deve lope d by inte g ratin g
m u ltiple tra dition a l te ch nique s .
Echizen Tansu is a Japanese style chest
made with unique technique without using
nails. Its long history can be traced back tothe brush writing of Echizen in India ink
on the pedestal of Tachibana Fujin Zushi, anational treasure of Horyuji Temple. It issaid to have been written by a craftsman
from Echizen engaged in producing thiszushi. Echizen Tansu has been produced forover one hundred years since the current
technique was established in the late Edo
period. It was designated as a traditional
handicraft in 2013.
The metal ﬁttings are made by the technique of Echizen
Uchihamono (Echizen forged cutlery), and the surface iscoated by the technique of lacquer ware. These traditional
techniques unique to Echizen are combined together,creating tasteful texture and massive appearance.

12

Echizen Tansu
Echizen Tansu that evolves with the times

Left / A suitcase made by the technique of Echizen Tansu which
attracts attention not only in Japan but also from abroad.
Right / Furniture of Echizen Tansu made totally of natural woodthat combines excellent design and high practicability.

Craftsmen of Echizen Tansu havebeen challenging to manufacture theirproducts in a creative manner byconstantly meeting the needs of thetime, while succeeding the tradition
and technique accumulated over one
hundred years. For instance, newtypes of chest have been produced
such as the one with the legs at its
base to make it easier to use or the
one with various built-in mechanisms
like a hidden door. Besides these, theyalso produce portable suitcases, etc.
In this way, they have created various
products from general goods tofurniture that fits our modern lifestyle.

At the roadside station “Michino eki Echizen Takefu”
located next to the Shinkansen Takefu Station,
you are greeted by a reception counter made by using thetechniques of Echizen Tansu.
Michino eki Echizen Takefu
opened in the area next to the
Hokuriku Shinkansen Echizen Takefu
Station on March 18, 2023. At the
tourist information center on the ﬁrst
ﬂoor, visitors are greeted by thereception counter made by traditional
craftsmen of Echizen Tansu. A closer
look at it enables you to feel advanced
technical ability of the three traditional
craftsmen who specialize in wood
surface processing, metal ﬁtting
processing, ﬁxing work, etc.
The reception counter of the tourist information center inMichino eki Echizen Takefu(Roadside station Echizen Takefu)

13

5

Various places are within walking
distance in Echizen City.
ECHIZEN CITY BRAND

Old city area of Echizen Takefu has retained the same old city streets where you can feel nostalgic
atmosphere. If you stroll around this area, you can discover various tasteful atmosphere.

Soja Daijingu Shrine

Tansumachi-dori street

This is the street where Echizen Tansu
makers and workshops of cabinetwork
craftsmen gathered from the end of theEdo period up to the beginning of the
Meiji period. Even now, furniture storesand workshops stand in a row, adding
tasteful atmosphere to this old street.

This is a shrine where many gods,
including those of Echizen
province, are enshrined. The
current main shrine was rebuilt in
1926 and it is affectionately called
Osonja san by the citizens ofEchizen City.

City streets along ex-highway
running through the Hokuriku region
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Wholesale district of Echizen Uchihamono
This is where a large wholesale districtof Echizen Uchihamono wasestablished in the Meiji and the Taisho
period. There still remain wholesale
stores of cutting tools with retro
signboards that remind us of theatmosphere of old days.

Ryumonji Temple

This temple was established in
1299 and was used as a militarybase of Nobunaga Oda when his
troops attacked Yoshikage
Asakura and also when they
subdued Ikko-ikki. Even now, thetraces of moats and earthen walls
can be seen as the remnants.

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Kokubunji Temple

Kokubunji Temple was built by
the imperial command ofEmperor Shomu in 739. Tenpai
yakushinyorai zazo (Seatedstatue of tenpai yakushinyorai), a
Buddhist statue rarely shown tothe public which is said to havebeen made by Gyoki, is enshrinedas the principal object of worship.

Refer to this QR code to see MAP for
strolling the town of handwork which also
shows shrines and temples in Echizen City.
14

6

Hospitality throughlocal dishes
ECHIZEN CITY BRAND

In Echizen City where the local government ofﬁce called Kokufu was established at
one time, many people frequently came and went accompanied by active cultural
exchange. As the transition of the time, unique food culture has been nurtured.

The place where
Echizen oroshi soba was born
Unforgettable taste for Emperor Showa“I yearn for that soba noodle in Echizen.”
Soba noodle is one of the soul foods ofJapanese people. In Echizen City, Echizen
oroshi soba is famous. It is served cold withsoup, plenty of grated daikon radish, driedbonito ﬂakes and ﬁnely chopped green
onion.The origin of soba noodle in Fukui is said
to date back to the Age of the Warring States.
Takakage Asakura, a military commander ofthe Warring States period, who lived in
Ichijodani in Fukui is said to haverecommended growing soba as an emergency
crop to prepare for wars and natural disasters.
This is because it is more nutritious than riceand can harvest in short periods. Echizen
oroshi soba has various episodes. The most
famous one is about Emperor Showa who
visited Takefu City in 1947. He ate Echizen
oroshi soba and wanted a second helping.
After returning to the Imperial Palace inTokyo, he missed the tasty soba noodle he ate
in Echizen. This episode is said to have spreadthe name of Echizen oroshi soba nationwide.
Echizen oroshi soba has profound taste
because of the simplicity of each ingredient.
Even now Echizen City has many soba noodle
restaurants, providing exquisite taste which
differs from restaurant to restaurant.
15

Was Ech i zen oros h isoba d evised byTomimasa Hon d a?
Wooden image ofTomimasa Honda who
Tomimasa Honda(owned by Fujigaki Shrine)
became the domain lord of
Fuchu, present-day Echizen
City, in 1601, is said to have created Echizen
oroshi soba . Legend has it that he invited
Gonzaemon Kaneko, a soba chef, from Fushimi
in Kyoto, and created soba noodle to eat withgrated daikon radish on it so that it will be
helpful to promote good health.

TopicHow to enjoy eating
Echizen oroshi soba

Echizen City has about thirty soba restaurants,
each of which serves you unique soba.

The soba noodle used in Echizen oroshi
soba is made of buckwheat ﬂour including
buckwheat husks. The soba noodle ischaracterized by the strong scent and ﬂavor
as well as its blackish tint. It is eaten by
wildly pouring soup with grated daikon
radish in it. Some eat by adding grated
daikon radish separately and others byadding only the juice of grated daikon radish.
Basically, people eat this soba cold even in
winter.

Echizen City has about thirty restaurants where youcan enjoy Echizen oroshi soba . The types ofbuckwheat ﬂour, milling method, daikon radish, tasteof soup, etc. differ from restaurant to restaurant. You
can enjoy unique soba noodle with different ﬂavor,
ﬁrmness, texture, etc. You can taste newly harvested
soba of the year full of fragrance called Shin-soba fromaround the latter half of every November. Quite a few
people visit soba restaurants in Echizen City to relishthe fresh, tasty soba.

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Old, elegant Japanese-style restaurants in Echizen City have nurtured thespirit of hospitality with the passage of time and have formed uniqueculture of hospitality characteristic of these traditional restaurants.
Echizen province in ancient times was visitedeven by foreign guests as the gateway fromwhich the culture of the continent was rapidly
diffused. The local government ofﬁce called
Kokufu which was the center of politics,
economy and culture was established in Echizen
City that enjoyed great prosperity. Echizen City
also acted as the transfer station of businessactivities along the highway running throughthe Hokuriku region. Culture of hospitality was
also created with the development of businessand transaction. Many traditional Japanese-stylerestaurants still remain in this old city retaining
elegant atmosphere which fortunately avoided
damage from the war. In these restaurants you
can relish a variety of gorgeous dishes of fresh
products both from the sea and the mountains in
Echizen area in a sophisticated space. In winter,you can also relish Echizen crabs known as
the gift to the Imperial family from Fukui
prefecture in these restaurants in a relaxedmanner.

Elaborately designed roomarrangement that makes us feeleach different season of the year in
the quiet and calm atmosphereThis is a male snow crab called Echizen crab , a representative delicious food of Fukui inwinter. During the annual ﬁshing season from November 6 to March 20, we can relish various
kinds of crabs such as female snow crabs called Seikogani crab and crabs right after shedding

separated from the noises of daily
life is also one of the enjoyments ofJapanese-style restaurants.

their skins called Mizugani crab ,etc. depending on the period of the ﬁshing season.

16

Traditional events passed down for generations

17

This is the performance of blessing thatcelebrates early spring of the Hokuriku region.
The ﬁrst performance is held on January 1st.

This is the festival where men and womenof all ages march across the street pulling aﬂoat on February 11.

Echizen manzai

OraishiThe origin of this performance is said to dateback to the period before the middle ages. Afterthe early modern times, the performers of
Echizen manzai visited not only various domainsof Echizen region such as Fukui, Sabae, etc. but
also places as far as Kanazawa and Daishoji in
Kaga region. It was commonly known as thefamiliar performance celebrating early spring of
the Hokuriku region.

This is one of the Shinto rituals of Okamoto Shrine
which is said to have begun for the purpose ofcelebrating the enthronement of Emperor Keitai.
Many people from children to the elderly marchacross the street pulling a ﬂoat, praying for
productiveness of grains, peaceful reigns over theland, etc.

This is a unique festival held on
February 17 where guests are treated to aheap of cooked white rice and burdock.

This is a festival held from May 3rd to 5th towelcome Kawakamigozen,
the goddess of paper making.

GobokoFe s tiv a l of go d a n d pa p e rThis is a unique festival also known as Soda
shogatsu juushichinichiko . As much as ﬁve go (0.9liter) of rice served in a rice bowl called
Mossomeshi whose height is about ﬁfteen
centimeters, a heap of burdock sliced and mixed withmiso paste, etc. are prepared by the house on duty
and treated to the male guests in the community.

This is an annual festival held in spring inWashinosato during the Golden Week holidays at
Okamoto shirine and Otaki shrine which worship
Kawakamigozen, the goddess of paper making, who issaid to have taught the local people how to makepaper. During the festival, the local people welcome
Kawakamigozen by carrying mikoshi which thegoddess is said to ride on from Okunoin, the inner
shrine, and send the goddess back to Okunoin again at
the end of the festival.

Nationwide trafﬁc network leading to
Echizen City is getting more
and more convenient.
“Echizen Takefu Station” opened on March 16, 2024 when
Hokuriku Shinkansen was extended to Fukui Prefecture.
The entire line of Chubu Jukan Expressway will beavailable in spring 2026.
Echizen Takefu Station

Access to Echizen City after March 16【Shinkansen】 Time required (Unit: hour / min.)・Tokyo ・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・3：06
・Nagano ・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・1：44
・Kyoto ・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・0：45（shortened by 28 min.）・Shin-Osaka ・・・1：04（shortened by 33 min.）・Nagoya ・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・1：25
※Time required is based on trial calculation when
Shinkansen is extended to Osaka.

【by car】Time required

・Tokyo ・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・
・5：55（shortened by 50 min.）※via Chubu Jukan Expressway
・Matsumoto ・・・・3：10（shortened by 100 min.）※via Chubu Jukan Expressway
Nagaoka
Joetsu-Myokou

Expressway
Conventional line
Shinkansen
Construction scheduled.

iku
okur

H
Toyama

way

ress

Exp

iku

r
oku

H

Kanazawa

Hida Kiyomi

Fukui

TsurugaObamakasa
ru Wa y
Maizu
swa
s
Expre
an
Juk y
oto waKy ress
p
Ex

Ayabe

M

Osaka

n

hi

s
ei

Shin-Osaka

Ex

ay

w

ss

e
pr

NagoyaTakasaki

Okaya

Omiya

Chubu Jukan

Expressway between
Fukui and Gifu will be
opened in spring 2026.

Tokyo

Route 417

Ichinomiya

Kyoto

Kobe

The entire line of
Shiratori
Tokaihokuriku
Expressway

Echizen Takefu
StationKaruizawa
Matsumoto

Ono

Tsuruga Port

Hoku
Shin riku
kansenTrain service between
Kanazawa and Tsuruga started
on March 16, 2024.

Fukui Port

Fukui Prefecture

NaganoHokuriku Shinkansen

Komatsu Airport

Echizen City,e

Lin

KomakiTok

aido

Kanmuriyama Mountain pass Road
between Ikeda and Ibigawa wasopened on November 19, 2023.

Shi

nka

nse

n

Tomei
Expressway

Shizuoka18

※ E c h i z e n Wa s h i i s u s e d f o r b o t h f r o n t a n d b a c k c o v e r s .

Echizen City Hall
13-7, 1-chome, Fuchu, Echizen City, Fukui Prefecture 915-8530
Te l 0 7 7 8 - 2 2 - 3 0 0 0

Fax 0 7 7 8 - 2 4 - 3 3 0 7

h t t p s : / / w w w. c i t y. e c h i z e n . l g . j p /E c h i z e n s h i T r a v e l A n d To u r i s m A s s o c i a t i o n
WEB “Wisdom of Echizen”
h t t p s : / / w w w. e c h i z e n - t o u r i s m . j p / s t o r y