The first signs of spring are gradually appearing, and it’s becoming a lovely time of year to be outdoors.
Over two days, Saturday, March 1 and Sunday, March 2, the historical walking event “Kurashiki Aruku” was held.
The event was planned by KURASiX, a group of architects based in Kurashiki.
For this event, participants explored the mystery of how Kurashiki Village came to be, as revealed by the flow of water, through a lecture and a walking tour from the perspective of architects. I joined the group on the first day, Saturday, March 1, and report on the event here.
The information presented was current when this article was published in April 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
What is Kurashiki Aruku?
This walking tour, themed “How Kurashiki Village Came to Be, as Revealed by Its Relationship with Water,” covered different areas on each of the two days.
The first day, which I attended, was themed “Kurashiki Village Seen from the Outside.” The approximately 3-kilometer route began at MITSUI OUTLET PARK Kurashiki and explored the area around Hamamura (present-day Hamamachi), northeast of JR Kurashiki Station.
On why the group of architects KURASiX planned this historical walking tour, one of its members, Kurashiki Kenchiku Kobo Yamaguchi Shinsaku Design Office’s Yamaguchi Shinsaku, said:
The venue on the first day was Kurashiki Circle, located in a corner of the cafeteria area at MITSUI OUTLET PARK Kurashiki.
About Kurashiki Circle
A space in a corner of the cafeteria area at MITSUI OUTLET PARK Kurashiki, created to support local community activities and foster connections within the community.
As registration opened at 10 a.m., participants began arriving at the venue one after another.
The original capacity was 20 people, but due to popular demand, it was increased to 40.
The seats filled up, and the lecture was about to begin.
Lecture
First, participants learned some background information in a morning lecture before setting out on the walking tour.
After an overview by KURASiX member Yamaguchi, introduced at the beginning, a lecture of about an hour began, given by Hata Kazuyoshi of the Kurashiki City Historical Records Office.
The Historical Records Office, part of the General Affairs Department, was established after the City History Compilation Section was renamed in fiscal 2006. It was newly established as an organizational unit on April 1, 2020. The office works to create a system that enables residents to make active use of historical official documents and old manuscripts, which are shared intellectual resources, and to select and preserve modern official documents and other records that are valuable enough to pass on to future generations.
Source: Kurashiki City Historical Records Office: Overview of Activities
The lecture deepened our understanding of the theme, “Kurashiki Village Seen from the Outside,” by comparing historical documents and other materials with the area as it is today.
Finally, KURASiX member Nishina Masahiro of Nishina Architectural Design Office summarized the lecture, after which we took a lunch break.
Walking Tour
In the afternoon, we split into two groups and took part in the main event: an approximately 3-kilometer walking tour.
Based on the keywords “the history of the Ukita Embankment and Hamamura,” the route focused on the history of the waterway flowing north of JR Kurashiki Station and the historical sites around Hamamura.
Kasuga Shrine (Kawairi)
A few minutes’ walk north from the starting point, MITSUI OUTLET PARK Kurashiki, brought us to Kasuga Shrine (Kawairi), located in a residential neighborhood.
In fact, this shrine was washed away in a flood in the past.
As a replacement, a shrine of the same name was built in Hiyose-cho, about one kilometer southwest of here. It still stands today.
Later, thanks to the efforts of local residents, the shrine was also preserved here and rebuilt on this site, which is slightly higher than the surrounding residential area.
Waterway Crossing (Fusakoshi)
Kurashiki City and other parts of Okayama Prefecture have many old waterways.
At first glance, this waterway near Kurabo Driving School appears to end here. In fact, it passes underneath and crosses at a different level, much like an underground passage.
This type of waterway structure is called a fusakoshi. It offered a glimpse of the wisdom of those who came before us, who devised a way for the east-west and north-south waterways to flow to different areas without their waters mixing.
Two-Tomb System (Honenji Temple)
Honenji Temple, an old temple of the Jodo sect, is located in the center of Hamamura. It is usually closed to the public, but we were given special permission to enter the grounds for this event.
The temple was the family temple of the Asonuma clan, influential figures in Hamamura during the Edo period, and its cemetery contains impressive gravestones belonging to successive generations of the family.
What particularly impressed me among these was the remains of the two-tomb system found in the cemetery.
Dual Cemetery System
A burial custom in which one site is made for interring the deceased and another for erecting a gravestone. It is called the dual cemetery system because two graves are made for each deceased person.
This custom can still be seen in the Shiwaku Islands (Kagawa Prefecture). The first time the writer learned about the dual cemetery system was during a previous visit to the area.
The Shiwaku Islands have produced the “Shiwaku carpenters,” a group of carpenters who built many wooden structures around Kurashiki during the Edo period, including Achi Shrine and Bichu Kokubun-ji Temple. Perhaps this has some connection to the dual cemetery system here.
Donated Tamagaki (Kasuga Shrine)
The tamagaki fence in the grounds of Kasuga Shrine, next to Kurashiki Municipal Manju Elementary School, bears an inscription recording donations from the Kusudo and Namba families, prominent members of Hamamura.
The Kusudo family still runs a kimono shop (Hashimaya) in Higashimachi, Kurashiki City. Since Hamamura’s territory at the time extended to around present-day Higashimachi, Kurashiki City, the family made a substantial donation to this shrine.
The Namba family also ran a kimono shop (Jurokuya). Both families donated more than the Manju Factory of KURABO INDUSTRIES LTD. (now Kurabo), giving us a glimpse of their prosperity at the time.
After the municipal mergers in the early Showa period, both the Kusudo and Namba families became parishioners of Achi Shrine. Both family homes are now open to the public.
The Hamamichi Road Leading to Kurashiki Village
Finally, we headed home along the Hamamichi Road, which connects Hamamura and Kurashiki Village.
The Hamamichi Road runs straight toward the area near JR Kurashiki Station, passing through the present-day shopping district on its way to Kurashiki Village.
Shops still stand here and there along the road, but one participant who lived nearby said that in the Showa era it had felt like a small shopping district.
Shops are still scattered around, and even after the surrounding area was redeveloped, this neighborhood has retained much of its old downtown atmosphere.
From the Writer
Focusing on the flow of water and changes in elevation, and comparing old maps with modern ones as we walked around town, I felt as though I were reliving the world of “Bura Tamori” (NHK General TV).
Even roads and irrigation canals that we usually pass by without a second thought have a reason for being where they are. As we walked around town, I felt I was beginning to see, in broad strokes, how those who came before us went about shaping the town.
This leaflet, which we used for this walk, is still being distributed at places such as the Kurashikikan Tourist Information Office. If you are interested, why not pick one up and explore the town?
We also heard that they are considering another project inspired by this walk, so we look forward to hearing more about that.
Thank you to everyone at KURASiX, who planned this event, and to everyone involved, including the Kurashiki City History and Materials Preparation Office.
Kurashiki Aruku: The Story of Kurashiki Village Through Its Relationship with Water — Event Information
| Name | Kurashiki Aruku: The Story of Kurashiki Village Through Its Relationship with Water |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, March 1, and Sunday, March 2, 2025 Registration: from 10:00 a.m. Classroom session: 10:20–11:50 a.m. Town walk: 1:00–2:30 p.m. Dismissal at 3:00 p.m., after a review and wrap-up (The schedule is the same on both days.) |
| Location | Central Kurashiki City (Bikan Historical Area, Hamamachi, MITSUI OUTLET PARK Kurashiki) |
| Participation fee (tax included) | 500 yen (free for students) |
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
Enter a search term to find articles on this site
When designing a building, we first thoroughly research the history of the site before beginning the design process.
We planned this event in the same way, discussing with our colleagues the history of this land from the perspective of architects.