[Toyama Castle Town (① Protecting the city and healing the industry)] (Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, former province name: Etchu)

Ecchu (present-day Toyama Prefecture) is surrounded by the steep Tateyama mountain range and Toyama Bay, a deep "inlet" in the Sea of ​​Japan. Rivers flowing down from the mountain range opened up vast forests and fields on their way to Toyama Bay, revealing a rich land. In particular, the eastern foot of the Kureha Hills was cut by the Jinzu River, and the two formed a long, undulating border that runs through the plain. This topography was seen as an ideal place for defense, and during the Sengoku period, when there were successive invasions from neighboring countries, the country's capital was established on the east bank of the Jinzu River. This is the current Toyama Castle, and the castle town was established on the alluvial plain between the Jinzu River and the Jōganji River. It is said that the first to build Toyama Castle were the Jinbo clan, who had served as the deputy governor of Etchu Province since the Muromachi period. The Jinbo clan was based in Hojozu (present-day Imizu City) in the west of the country under the supervision of the Hatakeyama clan, and in the late 15th century, their head Naganobu (?-1501) had a hidden influence on the political life of the country, such as protecting the shogun of the Muromachi shogunate who was driven out of Kyoto. After Naganobu's death, the Jinbo clan, who strengthened their movement for independence from the Hatakeyama clan, aimed to effectively control Etchu Province and gradually advanced eastward. Toyama Castle was built as a foothold to oppress the powerful Shiina clan in the eastern part of the country, but at the same time it provoked Uesugi Kenshin of Echigo Province (present-day Niigata Prefecture), who attacked them and drove them out of Toyama. However, after Kenshin's death, the Uesugi clan was also attacked by the Oda clan. Leading the Oda forces against the Uesugi was Sassa Narimasa (1536-1588), known as a fierce general and one of Nobunaga's favorites. After seizing Toyama Castle, he overhauled it with the help of former retainers of the Jinbo clan. At the same time, he developed the castle town, solidifying the prototype of present-day Toyama City. For this reason, Narimasa is known as a local hero, but he also came into sharp conflict with Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his ally Maeda Toshiie (1537?-1599), who rose to power after Nobunaga's death, and this led to a large-scale war. One by one, Tokugawa Ieyasu and other allies surrendered to Hideyoshi, leaving Narimasa isolated, and when Hideyoshi besieged Toyama with an army said to be numbering 100,000, Narimasa finally surrendered and left Toyama. The Toyama City Museum of Local History (photos 1-5) at the site of Toyama Castle provides detailed information about the state of Toyama in the Middle Ages, and you can visit the remains, which create a beautiful contrast with the cherry blossoms and fresh greenery. The Maeda clan took over control of Toyama from Narimasa, and Toshiie, who based his base in Kanazawa, Kaga Province (present-day southern Ishikawa Prefecture), placed his son Toshinaga (1562-1614) in Toyama to manage the domain. In the Edo period, Toshinaga's successor, Toshitsugu (1594-1658), gave 100,000 koku of land in Toyama to his second son, Toshitsugu (1617-1674), and the Toyama Domain was established as a branch of the Kaga Domain. From then until the Meiji Restoration, Toshitsugu's descendants served as domain lords, and the most famous of them was the second domain lord, Masatoshi (1649-1706). Although the Toyama Domain had a large territory of 100,000 koku, it was sandwiched between the Kaga Domain and the main domain, which also had to intervene in political affairs, and was by no means wealthy. In response to this, Masafusa aimed to develop an industry unique to the Toyama Domain, inviting medicinal craftsmen from the west to encourage the pharmaceutical business. One theory is that when a feudal lord who was next to Masafusa in Edo Castle had a seizure, Masafusa gave him "Hangontan" (a medicine made in the Toyama Domain), which subsided the seizure, and it is said that the reputation of Toyama medicine increased through word of mouth, so to speak, among the feudal lords who witnessed the effectiveness of this medicine. In fact, many pharmaceutical wholesalers were active within the domain, and the excellent business methods symbolized by the design and "first use later profit" that they developed in the midst of competition are known nationwide. You can learn about the history of the pharmaceutical industry at "Ikeda-ya Yasubei Shoten" (photos 6-10). Although the store was founded in the early Showa period, it faithfully reproduced the Hangontan from the Edo period and continued to manufacture and sell it diligently even in modern society where demand for Japanese and Chinese medicines was declining. Today, the elegant white-walled store is located in a prime location along the highway, and the "Ecchu Hangontan" signboard stands tall. Inside the store, while the store serves many customers as an active pharmacy, it also displays tools used by Toyama drug merchants since ancient times, and staff members will explain how to use each tool. In particular, the "cutting machine"-like machine that has a strong presence in the center of the store is used to cut off medicinal ingredients and process them into pills, and visitors can experience operating it. However, this operation is not something that tourists can master overnight, and the weight of the tools will make you think about the high skill of the drug craftsmen. The development of Toyama's castle town and industry is backed by historical inevitability. The culture and people's spirit cultivated there became the foundation for the city to emerge as one of Japan's leading "design kingdoms" in modern times. Recommended for solo travelers: ★★★★ (There are people, but not many. You can enjoy sightseeing in peace!) Visit date: Around 11:00 on a weekday in the first week of September Access: About 2 minutes on foot from the Kokusaikaigijo-mae tram stop #ToyamaCastle #ToyamaCity #TravelwithMe