Kurashikigawahan Traditional Buildings Preservation District (Kurashikigawahan dentoteki kenzobutsugun hozonchiku; hereafter referred to as “Kurashikigawahan”) is an area in central Kurashiki City.
Many historic buildings stand along the Kurashiki River and in the surrounding area.
In Kurashikigawahan, Kurashiki City designated a “Traditional Scenic Beauty Preservation District” (Denbi District), and efforts to preserve the townscape began early on.
Of the approximately 20.7 hectares in the Traditional Scenic Beauty Preservation District, about 15 hectares have been designated by the national government as a Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings under the name “Kurashikigawahan Traditional Buildings Preservation District.”
“Bikan Historical Area” is the collective name for the Traditional Scenic Beauty Preservation District and the Important Preservation District for Groups of Traditional Buildings.
We take a closer look at the history of Kurashikigawahan’s townscape, the history of preservation efforts, and the area’s appeal, exploring the townscape that draws many visitors from Japan and abroad.
The information presented was current when this article was published in July 2025. Please note that it may differ from current information.
Origins and history of Kurashikigawahan
Kurashikigawahan is an area centered on the upper reaches of the Kurashiki River and extending into the surrounding area. Many historic buildings remain, and efforts are being made to preserve the townscape.
Let’s take a look at how the townscape of Kurashikigawahan came to be and its history.
The area around Kurashikigawahan was once under the sea
The area where the townscape of Kurashikigawahan now stands was once under the sea. It lay offshore from the mouth of the Takahashi River, and present-day Kurashikigawahan was part of an island. It is said that a settlement arose around present-day Mt. Tsurugata during the Muromachi period.
At some point, the present-day townscape of Kurashikigawahan and its surroundings came to be known as Kurashiki.
Over many years, sediment carried by the Takahashi River accumulated around Kurashiki, creating a shallow sea known as the “Achi Lagoon.” During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, land reclamation carried out by Ukita Hideie, then lord of Okayama Castle, connected Kurashiki to the mainland.
One theory holds that the place name Kurashiki derives from the fact that it was a “kurashikichi” in medieval times. A kurashikichi was a place where collected tax rice was temporarily stored before being transported elsewhere.
Kurashikichi existed in many places, not just in present-day Kurashiki City.
Became territory under the direct control of the shogunate during the Edo period
In the early Edo period, Kurashiki became territory under the direct control of the Edo shogunate.
It was governed by Bitchu Province magistrates such as Kobori Masatsugu and Kobori Masakazu (also known as Kobori Enshu), who were based at Bitchu Matsuyama Castle.
In 1642, Yonekura Heidayu was appointed Kurashiki magistrate and took up his post in Kurashiki.
After that, control of Kurashiki shifted from the Bitchu Matsuyama Domain to the shogunate, then to the Niwase Domain, the Kameyama Domain in Tanba (present-day Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture), back to the shogunate, and then to the Tanaka Domain in Suruga (present-day Fujieda City, Shizuoka Prefecture). In 1721, in the middle of the Edo period, it came under the shogunate’s direct control and remained so until the end of the Edo period.
In 1746, the Kurashiki Magistrate’s Office was established on the site of what is now Kurashiki Ivy Square.
Trade using the Kurashiki River’s water transport flourished, and the town of Kurashikigawahan emerged
Because Kurashiki was near the mouth of the Takahashi River, it prospered as a distribution hub for goods.
From the early Edo period, the sea around Kurashiki was gradually reclaimed and turned into land.
Because the new fields created by reclamation around Kurashiki contained salt from seawater, cotton, which is salt-tolerant, was widely cultivated.
As the reclaimed land expanded, Kurashiki became an inland area. To address this, a canal was built to connect Kurashiki to the sea. This was the Kurashiki River.
Many merchants gathered, and trade flourished in a variety of goods, including cotton harvested on reclaimed land and rice and igusa harvested in nearby villages.
The Kurashiki River became a place for loading and unloading goods, and storehouses lined its banks. Merchants made active use of the river’s water transport for their businesses.
Many wealthy merchants made their fortunes through trade in Kurashiki, and the town thrived. It is said that the town reached its peak around the Genroku era (1688–1704), when the basic layout of the town of Kurashikigawahan took shape.
Honmachi Street, running east to west south of present-day Mt. Tsurugata, was Kurashiki’s main street at the time, lined with many machiya.
The area around the south approach to Achi Shrine on Honmachi Street was also a neighborhood of artisans.
The banks of the Kurashiki River, now a defining feature of Kurashiki, were lined with storehouses and used for cargo handling. In modern terms, it was a warehouse district—in a sense, a back street.
Later, in the mid-Meiji period, the railway opened and Kurashiki Station began operating. The movement of people and goods shifted from water transport on the Kurashiki River to overland transport by rail.
Boat services on the Kurashiki River declined after the Meiji period. However, passenger services are said to have continued on a small scale until around the early Showa period.
The history of townscape preservation in Kurashikigawahan
Kurashikigawahan was a town that flourished during the Edo period.
Much of its townscape from that time remains today, and the area is a popular tourist destination. How has the townscape of Kurashikigawahan been preserved?
We spoke with Shibuya Toshihiko, chair of the Kurashiki City Council for the Preservation of Groups of Traditional Buildings and Other Properties, about the history of townscape preservation efforts.
What would you like to know about Kurashiki?
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