The are a series of earth mounds constructed in the early
Edo period to mark the border between the
feudal domains of
Morioka Domain (
i.e. “Nanbu territory”) and
Sendai Domain (i.e.
i.e. “Date territory”) in
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture.
Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...
of northern Japan. Such boundary markers were common under the
Tokugawa shogunate which ruled from 1602 to 1865; however, the number of markers and their excellent state of preservation led the grouping in the modern municipalities of
Kitakami and
Kanegasaki in
Iwate Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectur ...
to be designated a
National Historic Site.
on January 31, 2000.
Background
In the year 1642, the Tokugawa shogunate re-confirmed the Nanbu clan and the Date clan in their holdings, and drew a boundary between the two feudal domains from Mount Komagatake in the
Ōu Mountains in the west to the
Pacific Ocean in the east. The boundary was defined physically by having a series of large earth mounds erected as boundary markers. In 1688, an additional series of smaller mounds was built to further delineate the boundary. In the 11 kilometer stretch currently designated as a National Historic Site, 17 large mounds and 198 small mounds are preserved.
The protected area is currently maintained as part of the “Michinoku Folk Village” open-air museum and is a two minute walk from
JR East
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
Kitakami Station.
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Iwate)
References
External links
Iwate prefectural site Kitakami tourist information site{{in lang, ja
Glossary of Iwate's Cultural information
Kitakami, Iwate
Kanegasaki, Iwate
Edo period
History of Iwate Prefecture
Historic Sites of Japan
Mutsu Province