k a w a g o e

Kaw ago e C ity
Celebr at es i ts
100th
Annive rs ar y

The city’s changing area
An enlarged Kawagoe Town was created in 1889 with themerger of Kawagoe Town, Matsugo, Terai Village, Tomyoji
Village, Kokubo Village, Wakita Village, part of Noda Village, and Kosemba Village. Then, in 1922, Kawagoe Town
and Senba illage merged, becoming the prefecture’s firstcity. The city merged with Tanomozawa Village in 1939 andthen nine other villages in 1955. The result was the city’scurrent area.

Kawagoe City is 30 kilometers away fromthe center of Tokyo.
It is a very convenient city, but it is alsorich in nature.

Ni n t r o d u c t i o nSurrounded by rivers—Kawagoe’s nature
Kawagoe City is a core city in southwestern Saitama Prefecture. It is around 30 kilometers from the center of Tokyo andis next to nine other cities and two towns. The Arakawa River is in the east. The Irumagawa iver flows from the west to
the north and east. The Shingashigawa River circles the city
center. Kawagoe is on relatively flat land.
The south, western, and central parts of the city are on theMusashino Plateau. The old part of town is on the plateau’s
northeastern tip. From ancient times through the Muromachi

Kawajima Town

Sakado City

WakabaNaguwashi
Tsurugashima
Tsurugashima City

Shingashigawa River
Kasumigaseki

CentraldistrictKasumigasekikita
MatobaKasumigaseki

Hidaka City

Irumagawa River

Koazegawa River

Kawatsuru

Musashi-Takahagi

Minami-Otsuka

Sayama Citye
Lin

A community created from history and culture
The current Kawagoe City was created when nine villages
merged with the old Kawagoe City in 1955.
[Central district]
This district is the area of the old Kawagoe City in 1939. The
northern part grew as a castle town. In modern times, thesouthern part developed quickly around Kawagoe Stationand Hon-Kawagoe Station. The district is still divided into
blocks dating back to its castle town period, and there aremany shrines, temples, and cultural places.
[Yoshino district]
Located in the northeastern part of the city, there have been
many rice paddies here since ancient times. The area is easy
to get to by National Route 16 and Prefectural Route 51.

The Toki-no-kane Time ell Tower

There are many facilities in the district, such as industrial
parks, the Saitama Medical Center, and Kawagoe Sports
Park. At 24 hectares, Isanuma Pond is one of the largest
ponds in the prefecture. The pond has much natural beauty,
including lotuses and many cherry trees.

FuruyaJR Saikyo Line

Minami-Furuya

Minamifuruya
Shingashi

Furogawa River

Takashina
Kamifukuoka

Shin-Sayama

To

Fukuhara

bu

Sh

u
inj

ku

Saitama City
Sashiogi

Kujugawa River

Kawagoe City
Hon-Kawagoe

Nishi-Kawagoe

Irumagawa River
Akamagawa River Kawagoe
Kasahata
Minamikoazegawa
Daito
River
Kubogawa River

ibu

Ageo City

YoshinoYamadaperiod, the left bank of the Irumagawa River was a center ofgovernment in the area. When Kawagoe Castle was built in
the Muromachi period, the current city center slowly grew.
The areas around the Arakawa River and Irumagawa River
were also used for farming since ancient times. The Irumagawa iver delta area was used for rice paddy fields. ice
was also grown from the north to the east. In the recent past,
new rice fields were made in southwestern Kawagoe, and theMusashino area began being used for farming.
Kawagoe City has 324 parks (as of March 31, 2021), andmany plants and animals live in large parks such as Aina
Water Park, Kawagoe Aquatic Park, Isanuma Park, and Oisezuka Park.
Kawagoe City has no mountains, but lots of rivers, ponds,
forests, farm fields, and parks near where people live. ecause of this, people living in Kawagoe can experience thefour seasons through nature.

jo

To

Se

e
Lin
Fujimino City

Tokorozawa City

Fujimino
Fujimi City

Kakuei Shopping Street (Kasumigaseki)

Miyoshi Town

The Irumagawa River

川越市
鉄道河川追加7071

k a w a g o e

i n t r o d u c t i o nsouth. There are many rice paddies
along the Koazegawa River in the district’s center. There are many homesaround Matoba Station and Kasahata
Station.
[Kasumigasekikita district]
This district is located in the westernpart of the city. The Irumagawa Riverflows to the east, and the Koa egawa
River to the west. Many homes werebuilt in the area in the late 1960s andearly 1970s. Local people shop at theKakuei Shopping Street. Oisezuka
Park and Kasumigaseki Station are
also located in the district.
[Kawatsuru district]
This district is located on the left bankof the Koazegawa River in between
the Kasumigaseki and Naguwashi
districts. The area was redeveloped
for homes in the late 1970s and early

1980s. Kasahata Park, which has abaseball field, and Koa e Waterfowl
Park are located in the district.
[Naguwashi district]
There are many farm fields in this district in the northwest of the city. There
are sites from the Middle Ages, suchas the Kawagoe-yakata Ruins andpart of the Kamakura Highway.
Tsurugashima Station is a transportation hub. The Waste Treatment andRecycling Center and nearby Naguwashi Park PiKOA are also in the district.
[Yamada district]
Located in the north of the city, there
is much rural scenery in this district.
National Route 254 passes throughthe district and the land along it is being developed. Saitama Prefectural
Route 160 opened in 2019.

The Shingashigawa River

Aina Water Park
Isanuma Pond

[Furuya district]
The Arakawa River and Irumagawa
River meet in this eastern district.
There is much rural scenery and a lotof grains are grown here. National
Route 16 cuts through the district,leading to the eastern part of the prefecture.
[Minamifuruya district]In the city’s southeast, this district issurrounded by the Arakawa River tothe east and the Shingashigawa Riverto the west. A lot of grains are grown
here. There are large malls near Minami-Furuya Station, such as UNICUS
Minami-Furuya. There are many
homes here as well.
[Takashina district]
This district is on a plain on the rightbank of the Shingashigawa River on
the city’s southeastern side. National

72

Route 254 and the Tobu Tojo Linecross the district. From the Edo
through the Taisho periods, the Shingashigawa River was used to move
many goods, and things from thistime can still be seen in the area.
[Fukuhara district]
This district is located on the city’s
south side. In the mid-17th century,
many new rice paddies were created
here. There are still many farms andforests in the area. Kawagoe sweet potatoes are grown here.
[Daito district]
Located in the city’s southwest side,
part of the district is on the Musashino
Plateau and part is river delta. National Route 16 leads to Sayama City, andthere are many industrial parks andestablishments along the road. Minami-Otsuka Station is a major trans-

portation hub in the area.
[Kasumigaseki district]Kasumigaseki Country Club, opened
in 1929, was used for the Tokyo 2020
Olympics golf games. This district islocated in the western part of the city.
The Irumagawa iver flows to the

Isanu ma Po n dThis is the second largest pond in the Kanto region after Inbanuma
in Chiba Prefecture. The pond is natural and approximately 2,500
meters around. Its water is used for farming. The pond was twiceas large in the Edo period.
Cherry trees bloom around the pond in spring, and lotuses in earlysummer. The Adventure Forest is nearby. The pond is used by over
100 species of wild birds, and there are many rare plants, such as
Limosella aquatica.
Isanuma Pond in 1911

City f l ower

Kawagoe Aquatic Park full of greenery

C it y tree

Ci t y bi rdJapanese rose

Japanese blue oak

Goose

Chosen on October 15, 1982

Chosen on October 15, 1982

Chosen on December 1, 199273

k a w a g o e

A Sto r y o fHistor y:
Kawa goe fro mAncient Tim es toth e Tais ho Peri od

Kawagoe in the early Jomon period
Kawagoe is on the northern tip of the Musashino Plateau.
In the early Jomon period around 7,000 to 5,500 years ago,
ocean covered the land all the way to the Omiya Plateau andAgeo City. In what is now Kawagoe, the area around the
Honmaru Goten and Kosemba Shell Mound, and along the
Shingashigawa iver faced the old Tokyo ay. ecause ofthis environment, the weather was mild, and there was a lotof nature in the area.
The way people lived at this time can be seen from the shells,
pottery, stone tools, and ruins of homes in places like theWhat was Kawagoe like in ancient times?
Once covered by shallow ocean around 6,000
years ago, the Kawagoe area later became acenter of government. Ruled by the Kawagoe
clan in the Middle Ages, after Kawagoe Castle
was built, it became a busy castle town. In
modern times, industry developed.
Let’s look back at the history of Kawagoe up
until it became a city.

Kosemba Shell Mound, Kosemba -chome uins, and entenminami uins. ecause the ocean was so close, the people
used its resources. In the late Jomon period, the ocean lowered and became further away. ecause of this, the use ofocean resources decreased.

h i s t o r yOkunitama Shrine in what is now Fuchu City, Tokyo. Whatis now Kawagoe was in Musashi Province’s Iruma District.
The government office for Iruma District was at the Kasumigaseki Ruins in Uwadoshinmachi, Kawagoe City.
The kingdom of Goguryeo in Korea was destroyed due toinvasion in 668. People from Goguryeo moved to the Irumagawa River and Shingashigawa River areas, and in 716, the
new Koma District, written with the characters used to write“Goguryeo,” was established.
Kawagoe in the Nara and Heian periods and Miyoshino
Village
In 743, Emperor Shomu created a new law which encouraged
rich families, shrines, and temples to create and own rice
fields. Many powerful families in Musashi Province andtheir children also created and owned rice fields.
In addition, many shrines and temples were built in the
Heian period. One reason is because many powerful families
were moving into rural areas and wanted shrines and temples like in the capital. In 830, Muryojuji Temple (now theKitain and Nakain Temples) was built by the priest Ennin.

Start of rice farming
The remains of pits from the mid-Yayoi period have beenfound at the site of Kawagoe Castle. Around 2,100 years ago
in the mid-Yayoi period, people came to Kawagoe to farmrice in paddies.

In the sixth century during the Kofun period, many burial
mounds were made around the Shingashigawa River.
Kawagoe’s Hikawa Shrine was established in 540 as abranch shrine of Hikawa Shrine in Omiya, Saitama City. The
shrine has a stone sword which was used for rituals. Hikawa
shrines are connected to Hinokawa River in Izumo, where
Susanoo killed the monster Yamata no Orochi. There aremany Hikawa shrines in the area because people from Izumo moved here long ago.
Musashi Province in the Nara period and ancient Korea

74

In the early eighth century, the government office of Musashi
Province (now Saitama Prefecture) was established at

The Kawagoe clan and the Kamakura period: “Kawagoe” as a place name
From the end of the Heian period through the Kamakura period, many manors were established across Japan, and local
samurai became powerful. When the Fujiwara clan took control of Japan, members of the imperial family and other nobles moved to the countryside and became rural samurai. In
Musashi Province, there was a group of samurai called theMusashi-shichito. From the late Heian period to the Muromachi period, the Musashi-shichito became more powerful.
Part of this group, the Kawagoe clan, built a home in Uwado
and made it their base. Kawagoe Shigeyori served the Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo and was very important to him.
Shigeyori’s wife was Yoritomo’s son’s nursemaid, and his
daughter married Yoritomo’s younger brother Yoshitsune.
However, when Yoritomo and Yoshitsune fought, Shigeyori
was killed. The Kawagoe family line ended with Shigeyori’s
third son, Shigekazu.
Kawagoe was used as the name for the area for the firsttime in the inscription on the Yojuin Temple’s bronze bell
made in 1260. The location written on the bell was the“Kawagoe-no-sho,” the name of the Kawagoe clan’s home.
The Uesugi clan becomes powerful and Ota Dokan builds
Kawagoe Castle

Hikawa Shrine

Ancient canoe
Kawagoe City Museum collection

A place in Kawagoe appears in The Tales of Ise, a Heian period poem collection. “They lived in Miyoshino Village in
Iruma District.
ike the geese in the fields of Miyoshino
illage who fly at the sound of the clapper, so my daughter
flies to you. Miyoshino illage in Iruma District is believed to have been on the Irumagawa River in Kawagoe
City.

The Tales of Ise were based on the life of Ariwara no Narihira
The Thirty-six Immortal Poets (Ariwara no Narihira), Nikko
Toshogu collection

In 1331, Emperor Go-Daigo started the Genko War in Kyoto
to defeat the Kamakura shogunate government. Kawagoe
Sadashige served the shogunate and helped the government
in the war. However, when the Rokuhara Tandai, an important part of the government, was defeated, Sadashige killed
himself. When Sadashige’s son, Takashige learned of this,he joined with Emperor Go-Daigo instead. The Kamakura
shogunate government then lost in 1333. Emperor Go-Daigo
ruled Japan for three years but was then defeated and the
Ashikaga shogunate government was established.
In 1368, Kawagoe Tadashige and other samurai rebelledagainst the Ashikaga shogunate. However, they were defeated by Uesugi Noriaki. After this, many members of the
Kawagoe clan ran away to Ise. Miyoshino Shrine still has a

75

k a w a g o ebeautiful folding fan which a member of the rebellion donated to pray for victory. After the rebellion, the Kawagoe clan
lost power. The Uesugi clan, who defeated the rebellion, began to rule the area.
The Uesugi clan was tied to the Ashikaga clan through marriage. Eventually, the Uesugi clan was put in charge of the
Kanto region, and ruled the provinces of Kozuke, Echigo,Musashi, and Sagami. The Uesugi clan had four branches,
and the Yamanouchi and Ogigayatsu branches became especially powerful.
In 1457, Ogigayatsu Uesugi Mochitomo, of the Ogigayatsu
branch, ordered Ota Doshin and his son Dokan to build Edo
Castle in Toshima District and Kawagoe Castle in Iruma
District in Musashi Province. The Onin War in 1467 made itdifficult for nobles to live in the capital. Many moved to thecountryside, bringing the culture of the capital to rural areas.
Ota Doshin loved culture, and he held a poetry party at
Kawagoe Castle in 1470. The result was the Kawagoe senku
poetry collection. Ota Dokan was good at military strategy
and supported the Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan. However, because of trouble with other followers of the clan, in 1486, he

A memorial to Kawagoe Shigeyori at the Yojuin Temple

Kawagoe-yakata Ruins Historical Park76

was killed by his lord, Ogigayatsu Uesugi Sadamasa.
The Nighttime Attack on Kawagoe and Hojo clan rulership
After the death of Dokan, the Ogigayatsu Uesugi clan became weaker and weaker. Hojo Ujitsuna of Odawara saw achance to take control of Musashi Province. In 1524, he captured Edo Castle. The next year, he took Iwatsuki Castle.
Finally, in 1537, he captured Kawagoe Castle. Later,
Ogigayatsu Uesugi Tomosada wanted to take back Kawagoe
Castle. He worked with the Yamanouchi Uesugi clan, Ashikaga Haruuji, and Imagawa Yoshimoto. In 1545, when Hojo
Ujiyasu was away, they surrounded Kawagoe Castle with alarge army. Ujiyasu worked hard to fix the situation, making
peace with Imagawa Yoshimoto and beginning negotiations.
After the Ota clan, a very important clan to the Uesugi clan,switched sides to the Hojo clan, Ujiyasu decided to attack.
Ujiyasu’s army was small, but they made a surprise attack on
May 19, 1546. The attack worked well, and Uesugi Tomosada was killed. This caused the end of the Ogigayatsu Uesugi
clan. When Yamanouchi Uesugi Norimasa ran away to Hirai
Castle in Kozuke, the Hojo clan fully ruled Musashi Province.
Thereafter, Kawagoe Castle was used as a support castle by
the Hojo clan. The Daidoji clan, an important follower clanof the Hojo clan, was put in charge of Kawagoe Castle. In
1589, the powerful samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi began trying to take control of Odawara. Daidoji Masashige was incharge of Kawagoe Castle and Matsuida Castle. When Hideyoshi’s large army attacked Matsuida Castle, Masashige
surrendered. Later, when Hideyoshi won, he ordered Masashige to kill himself on the sixth day of the seventh monthof 1590.

h i s t o r y

Saiwaicho) by Sakai Tadakatsu, the lord of Kawagoe, between 1627 and 1634. Tadakatsu was famous for always being on time and being strict. In 17 , a fire watchtower wasadded to the Time ell Tower. The current Toki-no-kane
Time ell Tower was built the year after the Great Fire of
Kawagoe of 1893.

no City), Owada-juku (Owada, Niiza City), Hizaori-juku(Hizaoricho, Asaka City), Shirako-juku (Shirako, Wako
City), and Itabashi-juku (Itabashi City, Tokyo). Cities developed around each of the post stations on the highway.

The Kawagoe Highway

The priest Ennin established Muryojuji Temple (now the Kitain, Nakain and Minamiin Temples) in 830. In 1599, Tenkai
became the head priest of Muryojuji Temple. Tokugawa
Ieyasu liked Tenkai very much. In 1612, the temple’s namewas changed to “Kitain” and the next year, in 1613, it wasmade the head temple of Tendai uddhism in the Kanto region.
The year after Ieyasu died, in 1617, his body was broughtfrom Kunozan to Nikko. Along the way, it was brought toKitain Temple, and Tenkai held a memorial service. After
this, Tenkai had Senba Toshogu Shrine built on the temple’s
grounds. However, the shrine was destroyed in the Great
Fire of Kawagoe of 1638. Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third
Tokugawa shogun, later ordered Hotta Masamori to rebuild
the shrine (the shrine’s stone torii gate was a gift from Masamori). The stone lanterns around the shrine were gifts
from different lords of Kawagoe Domain. In the front shrine,
there remains the Thirty-six Immortals of Poetry painted by
Iwasa Matabei. The shrine also has 12 pictures of hawks
painted by Kano Tan’yu which were a gift of Abe Shigetsugu, lord of Iwatsuki Domain.

To support the Tokugawa shogunate government’s control of
the Kanto region, Kawagoe Domain was used to control thenorth Musashi area. Kawagoe Domain was very closely connected to Edo. This can be seen in the fact that all of the lordsof Kawagoe were from clans which strongly supported the
Tokugawa clan. In 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu built up the highway system. He built post stations, expanded road widths,
and added distance markers. His son, Hidetada, created theFive Highways of the Tokai, Nikko, Oshu, Nakasendo, andKoshu.
The Kawagoe Highway connected Edo and Kawagoe. There
were five post stations on the route Oi-juku now Oi, Fujimi-

Kitain Temple and Senba Toshogu Shrine

Ieyasu moves to Edo and Kawagoe Domain is established
Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered many lords to move to newplaces. In the eighth month of 1590, Tokugawa Ieyasu wasordered to move to Edo (now Tokyo). Ieyasu thought that
Kawagoe was an important place. He put Sakai Shigetada,an important follower, in charge of the area and established
Kawagoe Domain. After the Tokugawa shogunate was established, the domain was ruled by 21 lords from eight clans,
including Shigetada. All of them were from clans whichstrongly supported the Tokugawa clan, and many held important government positions.
The Toki-no-kane Time ell Tower was originally built on
the grounds of the Jorenji Temple in Tagamachi (nowFolding screen with images of the Edo area (Kawagoe Castle
pictured)National Museum of Japanese History collection

Toki-no-kane Time ell Tower March 196077k a w a g o e

Tokugawa Iemitsu first visited Kawagoe in 1618 and visitedoften thereafter. He liked to go hunting in the area.
Renkeiji Temple becomes a center for Buddhist learning
The Tokugawa clan strongly supported Pure and uddhism. After the start of the Tokugawa shogunate government, the clan established 18 temples to serve as centers of
uddhist learning. These temples were like universities forpriests. At that time, there were nine temples in Musashi
Province, and one of them, Renkeiji Temple, was made oneof the 18 centers for uddhist learning. The temple is dedicated to Lord Donryu, who helped the poor.

In 1639, Matsudaira Nobutsuna made major improvements
to the castle and made it bigger. He added extra defenses aswell as three turrets, including the Fujimi Yagura. The Fujimi Yagura was 15 meters tall. The tallest structure in the
castle, it was used instead of a main castle tower.
The current Honmaru Goten is much newer. It was built in

The Great Fire of Kawagoe, the reorganization of thetown, and the development of industry and trade
The town around Kawagoe Castle was destroyed in the Great
Fire of Kawagoe of 1638. The next year, Matsudaira Nobutsuna, the lord of Kawagoe Domain, reorganized the town tohelp it recover.
He established five neighborhoods for merchants, five forcraftsmen, a neighborhood for temples, and combined thesurrounding villages into a single town. One unique featureof the new castle town was that there were many T-junctions
but very few four-way crossroads.
This organization system was the foundation for central
Kawagoe today. The merchants and craftsmen of Kawagoe
created ten trade guilds. At first, most of the work done by
the merchants and craftsmen was also directly for Kawagoe
Domain. Eventually, more work began being done for thesurrounding farming villages, and fabrics and rice became
major industries in Kawagoe.
After Akimoto Takatomo brought silk production to Kawagoe Domain from Yamura Domain, Kawagoe Domain began
making “Kawagoe Hira” silk. Silk was very expensive then.
Kawagoe’s merchants sold silk in Edo and farming villages
throughout the countryside, and many kimono fabric shops
were established.
In the merchant neighborhoods, markets were held on dates
with two, six, or nine in them. Later, markets were also heldon dates with four in them, and markets were held in many
locations. As the merchant neighborhoods developed, themarket stalls eventually became permanent shops.

Senba Toshogu Shrine

78

1848 by Matsudaira Naritsune, the 18th lord of Kawagoe Domain.
Matsudaira Nobutsune and Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu makenew rice fields
In the Edo period, rice was the center of the Japanese economy. Good farming was very important.
Fifty years into the Edo period, the population of Edo (Tokyo) had grown very large and there was not enough waterfor everyone. To fix this problem, Matsudaira Nobutsuna,
who was also a member of the shogun’s council, started
building the Tamagawa Aqueduct in 1653 to bring waterfrom the Tamagawa iver. The work was difficult, but the
aqueduct was finished in 165 . As a reward for his hard
work, Nobutsuna was allowed to use some of the water fromthe aqueduct at Nobidome (now Niiza City) in Kawagoe Domain. Nobutsuna made new rice fields at Nobidome andmoved 55 farming families to the area. The Nobidome Canal
was finished in 1655, and many new rice fields were made.
The farmers were very happy, and, based on Nobutsuna’s
official title, called the canal ord I u’s Moat.
The Nobidome Canal was 24 kilometers long, going from theTamagawa Aqueduct through the Nobidome Plateau to the
Shingashigawa River area. Seventy percent of the waterfrom the Tamagawa River was used for the Tamagawa Aqueduct and thirty percent for the Nobidome Canal. The waterfrom the Nobidome Canal was used for farming, drinking
water, and other daily needs.
Nobutsuna also made new rice fields in nine other villages in
the area of what is now Kawagoe City to Sayama City.
Nobutsuna’s goal was to help small farmers become independent. This would increase tax collection and makeKawagoe Domain richer.
Later, Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu became the lord of Kawagoe
Domain. In 1694, he ordered Sone Gondayu to turn the Jizo
Forest south of Kawagoe Castle into farms. This area wasthen called the Santome area. (Santome Village started being
created in 1696, and harvests were ordered starting in 1700.)

were ordered to take charge of these forts.
In 1866, Matsudaira Yasuhide became the lord of Tanagura
Domain. In the tenth month of 1867, Tokugawa Yoshinobu,
the 15th Tokugawa shogun, returned power to the emperor.
The next year, in the first month of 1868, the old do government army lost to the new Meiji government’s army in theattle of Toba-Fushimi. Matsudaira asuhide decided tojoin with the new Meiji government. Yasuhide quit his position under Tokugawa Yoshinobu and went to Kyoto. In Kyoto, Yasuhide was made to stay in his house for a time, but his
choice saved Kawagoe Domain from war with the new Meiji
government. In the fifth month of that same year, Kawagoe
Domain was attacked by forces who supported the old government. The forces supporting the old government lost in
the Hanno War.
In 1869, Yasuhide retired and made his son-in-law Yasutoshi
the leader of the Matsudaira clan. Shortly after, Yasutoshi
returned control of Kawagoe Domain to the emperor andwas made the governor of Kawagoe Domain. In 1871, theKawagoe Domain at the end of the Edo period: The defense of Odaiba and the end of Kawagoe Domain

Major improvements to Kawagoe Castle
When Ota Doshin and his son Dokan built Kawagoe Castle,
they made the Honmaru, Ninomaru, Sannomaru, and moat.

h i s t o r yRenkeiji Temple

In 1853, United States Navy ships, led by Matthew C. Perry,came to Uraga. They wanted Japan to open up to international trade.
After Perry left, the Japanese government built defenses off
the coast of Shinagawa to protect do ay from foreign
ships. Kawagoe Domain, Aizu Domain, and Oshi Domain

A map of Kawagoe in 1694
Kawagoe City Central Library collection79k a w a g o e
Protecting history and culture also helps a city to grow
Meiji government ended the domain system and establishedthe prefecture system. Kawagoe Domain became Kawagoe
Prefecture. The history of Kawagoe Domain started when
Sakai Shigetada was made lord of the new domain in 1590
and lasted 281 years. Now, Kawagoe Domain was no more.
Kawagoe Prefecture was ended just four months later andthe area was reorganized several times, becoming Iruma
Prefecture in 1871, Kumagaya Prefecture in 1873, and thenSaitama Prefecture in 1876.
he great

From the Edo to the Meiji periods, Kawagoe developed because of fabric exports. This was a good match for the new
Meiji government, which wanted to make Japan stronger.

Shino Ayako became a historical novel writer because she
studied and was interested in classical literature in university. Her 2005 book Yoshitsune to Satohime was about the
tragic life of Shigeyori Kawagoe’s daughter Satohime. Shinoei i fires and Kawagoe

Today, Kawagoe is famous for its Kurazukuri townscape of
traditional old storehouses. In fact, most of the Kurazukuri
storehouses are not from the Edo period. (The oldest, theOsawa House, was built in 1792. Three huge fires occurredin Kawagoe during the Meiji period. The one that broke out
on March 17, 1893, destroyed more than one fourth of central
Kawagoe. The merchants of Kawagoe saw that storehouses
survived the fire. They decided to build new storehouse-stylehomes that fires wouldn’t destroy. Several years late, Kawagoe’s Kurazukuri townscape had been created.
Today, the Kurazukuri storehouse homes that were in Edo(Tokyo) are gone, but they still exist in Kawagoe. Throughthem, we can see what life was like in the past.

The Kawagoe astle Honmaru Goten chief retainer’s office

At the Kawagoe Castle Honmaru Goten

says it eventually led to her writing Seizan ni ari as well.
“I visited Kawagoe to research about Satohime, and I founda book about Ogawara Samiya, Kawagoe Domain’s chief retainer. He lived during the end of the Edo period. His life anddeath were very interesting, and I thought he could be themain character of a novel. In the end, I made the main character the son of Samiya, who didn’t actually exist in real life.
efore this, I always wrote about the Heian and Kamakura
periods, but Kawagoe Domain was so interesting, it mademe want to write about the end of the Edo period.”
Seizan ni ari won an award from the Japan Historical Writers’ Association. After writing Yoshitsune to Satohime, Shino was invited to hold lectures, and she became even moreconnected to Kawagoe. Kawagoe’s Kurazukuri townscapeand the site of Kawagoe Castle show the history of the area.
Shino says she feels the weight of history in Kawagoe’s castle town scenery.
“Kawagoe’s castle town scenery is beautiful, and now it is
becoming famous as a tourism destination. I believe that
Kawagoe will continue to grow and be the center of Saitama
Prefecture. I hope Kawagoe will continue to protect its
amazing history and culture to share with future generations
and people from the area and beyond.”

Shino Ayako
Novelist

Industry and trade become modern: The 85th National
Bank and the Kawagoe Chamber of Commerce

Shino Ayako writes historical novels.
Her 2018 novel Seizan ni ari takes place in Kawagoe. Shino chose
Kawagoe because she was very interested in the history of Kawagoe
Domain at the end of the Edo period.

In the Edo period, Kawagoe’s castle town was the economic
center of the nearby area. When Kawagoe Domain was ended in 1871, it was difficult for Kawagoe’s merchants and they
had to change. Even in the Meiji period, fabrics and grainsfrom local farms were still the center of Kawagoe’s industry.

ew
Intervi

Seizan ni ari is a novel
about a short but
beautiful friendship.

p ro file

Kajimachi Street in the late 1870s/early 1880s

A map showing the destruction in Kawagoe caused by the Great Fire of
Kawagoe of 1893
Kawagoe City Museum collection80

orn in Kasukabe ity, Saitama
Prefecture in 1971, she graduatedfrom Tokyo Gakugei University.
She is a historical novel writer.
Her first book, Haru no yo no
yume no gotoku: Shin Heike kindachi zoshi won the Kenyukan
Literary Prize. She has publishedmany other works. Seizan ni ari
won an award from the Japan
Historical Writers’ Associationin 2019.

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k a w a g o e

The government gave bonds to former samurai, but thisdidn’t work well. Japan needed money to flow, and banks to
do this. Thanks to the work of the rich merchant Ayabe Riuemon, the 85th National ank, the first national bank in theprefecture, was opened in Kawagoe in 1878. Also, in 1896,
the bank’s management opened the Kawagoe Savings ank.
The original bank building was destroyed in the Great Fireof Kawagoe of 1893. The current building was built in 1918.
In 1880, seven Kawagoe merchants started the Kawagoe
ank and, in 191 , the Kawagoe Watanabe ank was established.
In April 1889, Japan established the municipal system.
Around this time, trade and industry in Kawagoe was doing
well, and Kawagoe Town was strongly connected to the farm
villages in the area. Farming families and former samurai inthe area began making fabrics, and Kawagoe Town started to
become a center of trade and industry.
The need for materials because of the First Sino-JapaneseWar, which started in 1894, also helped trade and industry in
Kawagoe to grow. In 1900, Saitama’s first chamber of commerce was established in Kawagoe. The Kawagoe Chamberof Commerce greatly helped the growth of industry andtrade in Kawagoe. Some of the things the chamber helpedwith include the building of an electric railway between
Kawagoe and Omiya in 1906, the opening of the Kawagoe
Dyeing and Weaving School (later Kawagoe Technical HighSchool) in 1908, the establishment of an emergency telephone, and the establishment of the Kawagoe Textile Market
Corporation in 1910. Kawagoe’s trade and industry became
weak in the Taisho period. It became stronger with the needfor materials in World War I (1914–1918), then became weakagain. In 1928, the Kawagoe Chamber of Commerce changed
its name to the Kawagoe Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The chamber had to close during World War II, but was
re-established after and still exists today.

bukuro in 1914.
Goods were moved by train, but they also continued to be
moved by boat on the Shingashigawa River. However, theTojo Railway grew, and then Saitama Prefecture orderedboats to stop being used in 1931. After this, only trains wereused.
In 1940, the Japan National Railways Kawagoe Line (nowthe JR Kawagoe Line) opened. With this, Kawagoe’s railway
network was completed. It is still used today.
Nakajima Kyuhei and Kawagoe Tozan
Starting in the Edo period, Kawagoe was famous for fabrics.
Fabrics such as Kawagoe Hira and Kawagoe Nanako weremade by women and children in the homes of Kawagoe andthe nearby farm villages. In the Meiji period, fabrics werealso important to Kawagoe as an export industry. In Japan,“Tozan” cotton fabric was once imported in small amounts
from other countries. It was much more expensive than silk.
In the Meiji period, it became possible to buy very nice but
cheap cotton thread from Western countries. This made it
possible to make Tozan in Japan.
Nakajima Kyuhei was a businessman from Kawagoe. He
saw the danger of cheap cotton fabric from Western countries. He bought cheap imported cotton thread in Yokohama
and brought it to a fabric maker in Kawagoe to try to makeTozan. They were able to make Tozan that was as good asimported fabric, and it was cheaper. Kyuhei began having
many fabric makers in Kawagoe make lots of Tozan. Thish i s t o r y

was the start of Kawagoe Tozan. Kawagoe Tozan was a hit.
People called it “Kawato.” It was sold all over Japan, andKawagoe became famous for making high quality Tozan.
Kawagoe’s beautiful Tozan was popular up until the late
1890s to the early 1900s.
The Kawagoe Textile Market
The Kawagoe Textile Market was opened in 1910. The
Kawagoe Textile Market Association and Kawagoe Textile
Market Corporation were also established. Three weeks after the Kawagoe Textile Market’s ridgepole-raising ceremony, a market opening ceremony was held. The fabric market
was held six times a month. Fabric makers expected the market to be a hit. However, they made their fabrics by hand, andpeople began wanting machine-made fabrics. After WorldWar I, there was also very little thread to make fabric. ecause of this, the market closed in 1919.

Minamimachi Street in 1912

Special large-scale army maneuvers at Kawagoe JuniorHigh School
Emperor Meiji died on July 30, 1912. At the order of the newEmperor Taisho, “special large-scale army maneuvers” were

The Kawagoe Electric Railway opened in 1906

Kawagoe’s railway history
Kawagoe’s merchants originally used the Shingashigawa
iver to move their goods. ecause of this, they were notinterested in a railway. However, in 1895, merchants from
Tokorozawa and Koma District opened the Kawagoe Railway (now the Seibu Railway) between Tokyo and Kawagoe.
They also opened Kawagoe Station (now Hon-Kawagoe Station). This was the start of the history of railways in Kawagoe. In 1906, electricity became available in Kawagoe Town.
Then, the Kawagoe Electric Railway was opened between
Kawagoe’s Kubomachi and Omiya. The Tojo Railway (nowthe Tobu Tojo Line) opened between Tanomozawa and Ike-

82

Townscape on the south side of Shigimachi Street. From right to left A
fertilizer shop, a medicine shop, a large fabric shop, and a Western goods
shop (1911)

The 85th National ank

The Kawagoe Watanabe ank 191

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k a w a g o e

h i s t o r yheld in Kawagoe and other places in November 1912. Imperial General Headquarters and quarters were set up at
Kawagoe Junior High School (now Prefectural Kawagoe
High School). The new emperor came to Kawagoe to watch
the maneuvers. A new Town Hall building was built just before the visit as well.

Honcho Street

The former Kawagoe City Hall

Kawagoe becomes aitama s first city

Kawagoe Tozan fabricIn 1918, Kawagoe Town set up a special committee to makeKawagoe a city. ecause Kawagoe’s population was notlarge enough to be a city under the law, the decision wasmade to merge with the nearby Senba Village. Kawagoe
Town was a center of trade and industry, especially grains.
Kawagoe’s population was also growing because of its railway network. Local people were very excited about themerger and becoming a city.
Senba Village agreed to the merger in April 1922. Finally, on
December 1, 1922, Kawagoe Town became Kawagoe City,
Saitama’s first city. After the merger with Senba illage, its
population was over 30,000 people. An election for city
council was held in February the next year, and three political groups were established the Doshikai, the Tesshinkai,and the Koyukai. The members of the Doshikai were merchants and other people who had traditionally held politicalpower in Kawagoe. The Tesshinkai’s members were pro-government or neutral, and many came from Senba Village. The
Koyukai’s members were graduates of Kawagoe Junior HighSchool or businessmen.
A festival was held for three days starting on December 17 tocelebrate the new city. Kawagoe Town Hall became Kawagoe City Hall, and the building was lit up at night. Red andwhite curtains, city flags, and lanterns were hung around thecity. Festival floats were also pulled around the city. It was a
big party.

The former Kawagoe City Hall
lit up at night
The Shigimachi festival float

The domachi festival float

1922

The Taka awamachi festival float

Kawagoe Celebrates
Becoming a City

The Kitamachi festival float

The Kawagoe Textile Market (1910)

Minamimachi Street
The Kamimatsuecho festival float

Shigimachi Street
attle training 1912

School (1912)

84

The Minamimachi festival float

The Imperial General Headquarters at Kawagoe Junior HighNear Renkeiji Temple

85