Former Negishi Racecourse, Yokohama, Japan in 2022 B

Negishi Racecourse was a

horse-racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

facility located on the outskirts of

Yamate is the name of a historic neighbourhood in Naka-ku, Yokohama often referred to in English as ''The Bluff.'' The neighbourhood is famous as having been a foreigners' residential area in the Bakumatsu, Meiji and Taishō periods. While still domi ...

in the treaty port of

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, recognized as the first purpose built European style racecourse in Japan. The course was operational between 1866 and 1942.

History

The completion of the Negishi Racecourse in 1866 provided the first permanent site for horse racing in Yokohama, replacing a temporary Swamp Ground site at the rear of the Kannai foreign settlement where the first races had been run in 1862. Initially intended as an entertainment venue for the foreign community, the racecourse rapidly became popular with Japanese society; the

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

visiting on 14 separate occasions. After the

Great Kantō earthquake Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

, the main grandstand of the course was rebuilt in 1929 to a design by American architect JH Morgan. Horse racing at the Negishi Racecourse continued until 1942. During wartime, portions of the original site were requisitioned by the military and only later turned into a public park, the U.S. Navy's Negishi Heights housing facility and the location of an equestrian sports museum.

References

{{coord, 35.4244, N, 139.6362, E, source:wikidata, display=title Horse racing venues in Japan Sports venues in Yokohama Defunct sports venues in Japan Sports venues completed in 1866 1866 establishments in Japan 1942 disestablishments in Japan Naka-ku, Yokohama

History

See also

References