about
A history forged over generations coexisting
with today’s new culture makes Hokkoku Toorimachi an area that offers encounters with both the old and the new.
A history forged over generations coexisting
with today’s new culture makes Hokkoku Toorimachi an area that offers encounters with both the old and the new.
history
Komatsu takes its name from the time when the Emperor Kazan visited on Imperial tour during the Heian period. He planted a pine (matsu) tree on the banks of the Kakehashi River and the area came to be known as Sono no Komatsubara.
During the Edo period, Maeda Toshitsune, third-generation lord of the Kaga clan, decided on Komatsu Castle as a place for retirement. Toshitsune helped build numerous temples and shrines (including the rebuilding of Natadera Temple) and promoted industries such as traditional crafts.
Also nearby Komatsu Castle was the Hokkoku Kaido highway, which connected the old Hokuriku and Nakasendo roads of the Edo period. The area was once full of many silk and rush mat wholesalers.
The former highway, which runs through Ryusuke-cho and Nishi-cho, has two sharp dogleg turns.
The logo for Hokkoku Toorimachi uses these turns as a motif. The former highway still exists as a residential road, unchanged since the olden days.
It is said that the reason for the sharp doglegs in the road was for the prevention of surprise attacks on Komatsu Castle by enemy armies.
“From the past to the present. From the present to the future.” This sentiment is imbued in the Hokkoku Toorimachi logo in the sense of adopting new ways of thinking and things that are new while carefully preserving traditional culture and the old buildings that remain from the past, while also taking these to the next, younger generation.
Komatsu takes its name from the time when the Emperor Kazan visited on Imperial tour during the Heian period. He planted a pine (matsu) tree on the banks of the Kakehashi River and the area came to be known as Sono no Komatsubara. During the Edo period, Maeda Toshitsune, third-generation lord of the Kaga clan, decided on Komatsu Castle as a place for retirement. Toshitsune helped build numerous temples and shrines (including the rebuilding of Natadera Temple) and promoted industries such as traditional crafts. Also nearby Komatsu Castle was the Hokkoku Kaido highway, which connected the old Hokuriku and Nakasendo roads of the Edo period. The area was once full of many silk and rush mat wholesalers. The former highway, which runs through Ryusuke-cho and Nishi-cho, has two sharp dogleg turns. The logo for Hokkoku Toorimachi uses these turns as a motif. The former highway still exists as a residential road, unchanged since the olden days. It is said that the reason for the sharp doglegs in the road was for the prevention of surprise attacks on Komatsu Castle by enemy armies. “From the past to the present. From the present to the future.” This sentiment is imbued in the Hokkoku Toorimachi logo in the sense of adopting new ways of thinking and things that are new while carefully preserving traditional culture and the old buildings that remain from the past, while also taking these to the next, younger generation.
What kind of place is Hokkoku Toorimachi?
Hokkoku Toorimachi was a commercial area with a long history. It used to have many silk goods and rush mat wholesalers. It lay along the Hokkoku Kaido highway, which connected the old Hokuriku and Nakasendo roads of the Edo period. In 1785, the area had 155 houses. It was a prosperous place, just as it is now. Here, one can enjoy encounters with all sorts of people while also feeling the history and traditional culture of this relaxed streetscape.
Data information of Komatsu city
| Population | 106,889 |
|---|---|
| Area | 371.05㎠ |
| Percentage of over 75 | 12.9% |
| City Tree | Matsu |
| City Flower | Ume |
| Population density | 288poeple/km2 |
| Product shipment amount | ¥679.8 billion（1st in the prefecture） |
The Otabi Festival, delighting 250,000 visitors each year
The Otabi Festival is well known for its children’s kabuki and is held in mid-May each year. Just like Kyoto’s Gion Festival, glitteringly beautiful festival floats (hikiyama) travel around the streets. These floats are equipped with small kabuki stages, where the local children perform realistic kabuki that would put adults to shame. We recommend the hikizoroe, which brings together all the town’s eight festival floats, producing a powerful, beautiful spectacle.
Feel the chic of the carpenters who built Komatsu’s townhouses
Hokkoku Toorimachi still has many Komatsu machiya, townhouses that convey the history of the old merchant culture to the people of today. These townhouses are characteristic for their latticework, which is known as mushikago, the Komatsu tiles on their roofs, and their sagari awnings, which offer protection from the wind and rain. The side walls are known as sodekabe and serve to prevent the spread of fire. The copper decorations gracing the dyed beams in the lower sections of these walls are particularly stylish and give a sense of the discernment that the carpenters who built Komatsu’s townhouse used to possess. Looking at places such as these while walking around town will allow for an even greater feeling for the machiya townhouses.