Kanazawa

Kanazawa is a city in Japan. It is located within the Ishikawa Prefecture. The city is surrounded by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and the Noto Peninsula National Park. There are two main rivers that run through the city and they are the Sai and the Asano. The Sai is said to be a lively masculine river and the Asano to be a sweet, feminine river. The population of the city is 450,000 with a land mass of 467 square kilometers.

There are several different types of crops grown in this area. This is due to the fact there is a very temperate climate with much rain. During the winter there tends to be heavy snow so seasonal crops like rice, sake, and sweets are very popular. The ancient Kaga Clan invited many artist and craftsmen to the area and helped spread it throughout the city, traditional items such as Kutani pottery, Kanazawa Gold leaf, Kaga-yuzen silk and Kanazawa Buddhist Altars.

History

Kanazawa was founded as a city on April 1, 1889. There is much history to this city. The name is derived from a story of a peasant boy. The boys name was Imohori Togoro and he made a living by digging potatoes. He washed gold dust from the potatoes into the well, now called Kinjo Reitaku. The area was renamed Kanazawa which means marsh of gold.

This area is known as a castle town. Kanazawa castle was built in the 1500's and was the center of the city. It was developed from a Kanazawa Gobo temple. The Ikko Ikki a Buddhist sect ruled in this area for a long while. The Togashi clans setup a Peasants Kingdom. This was a type of republic.

This republic ended around 1580 when Oda Nobunaga attacked the peasants and took control. The developed naturally throughout history. There have been no records of any type of disaster natural or man made. The city was spared during the bombings of World War II.

Points of Interest

• Kenrokuen Garden is very famous throughout this area. It was built as the outer gardens of the Kanazawa castle. These gardens are considered to be in the top three most beautiful gardens. There are several different types of trees and limited wildlife in the area. There are ponds, waterfalls and beautiful flowers that stretch over 25 acres. There are said to be six different themes in this garden including extensiveness, quite seclusion, artificial construction, antique elegance, abundant water and wide prospect.
• Honda Museum is located south of the Kenrokuen Gardens and is adjacent to the Noh Theater. This museum exhibits military arms, arts, crafts and archaic writings by the Honda Clan which was the greatest of the Maeda family minister advisers. There are over 1000 pieces in all. This place is well worth seeing.

External Links

• Kanazawa Official Website (English)
• Kanazawa Official Website (Japanese)