Japanese(日本語).

- Preface -

　Shiotsu-gata, a lagoon, played a role as a salt road. My dream is to revive the road in the Agakita area. Salt is indispensable for human life. Nevertheless, nobody knows about the salt road, which is historically important. The reason Shiotsu-gata has been called “Shiunji-gata” as a popular name since 1730.

　Shiotsu-gata was the place where people shipped salt. Salt was produced in Shiodama in Shiozawa, in Kurokawa and was sent from “Shiotsu”. That’s why the lagoon was called Shiotsu-gata. But it was forgotten or ignored by the year 1994 because the popular name of “Shiunji-gata” was in use by then.

　I found the mystery when I was in the 5th grade of elementary school. One day I came to Shibata by train all by myself for the first time. It was quite an adventure for a country boy. It happened to be Culture Day and I visited the Shibata Public Library. I found a big map on the wall there and name “Shiotsu-gata” jumped out at me. I got to know the name for the first time and I remember clearly having been surprised by the encounter. But why not “Shiunji-gata”? It was destiny, which has involved me in this mystery since then. After that, I asked many people about what “Shiotsu-gata” is but no one gave me an answer. The reason for the change from “Shiotsu-gata” to “Shiunji-gata” was not unveiled.

　The 3rd Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu commissioned the Murakami Clan, the Shibata Clan, the Muramatsu Clan, and the Takada Clan to make the map called “Shoho Ni-nen Echigo Ezu”. In the map, you can see “Shiotsu-gata” clearly. It also can be read on the map, which was commissioned by the 5th Shogun’s request, called “Genroku Jusan-nen Echigo no Kuni Kanbara-gun Iwafune-gun Ezu”. But a privately owned “Shiotsu-gata Ezu” has the name “Shiunji-gata”. I wonder why? It is very curious.

　The quest and journey of a small boy has thus begun.

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ほしきは人の勇気なりけり (P.61)
What we really need is courage
In the society where people compete to show off their knowledge or effort, what we really need is courage.

This is a saying by Mr. Kihachiro Ookura who is from Shibata City. Without this saying, I would not have had enough determination to revitalize the name “Shiotsu-gata” for the lagoon. Without the sense of season, I would not have dwelled on “Shiotsu-gata” for such a long time.

When I was twenty-seven years old, I went to Europe via the Arctic in winter. I also traveled around the world via the Equator in summer when I was thirty years old. The courage that I earned through these trips has supported me in my endeavors up until today. Courage is what has kept me going to work on my lifetime project.

塩津潟が蘇る！(P.71)
Shiotsu-gata is revived!
The name for the lagoon, Shiotsu-gata was amazingly revived when the era changed to Heisei. If the earthquake created the lagoon in 863 AD, it has about 1140 years of history. Taking the archive document, Takaidoentokishige, printed in 1277 is proof that the lagoon had existed for 726 years.

Around the year of 1730, the name of the lagoon was changed to “Shiunji-gata” and the lagoon kept the name for 273 years. It was a period that the name of Shiotsu-gata became rarely used.

It was in the Heisei Era when the name of Shiotsu-gata was revived thanks to a review of Niigata history. It was a welcome change for the residents of Kurokawa village, Nakajo town, Kajikawa Village, and Shibata City who had close ties with Shiotsu-gata.

I am one of those who wish to revive “Shio no michi” (salt road) in the Agakita area along with Itoigawa-Matsumoto line in Niigata prefecture.

岩塩の標本 (p.77)
Rock salt sample
Roughly speaking, salt is divided between sea salt and mountain salt depending on where it is produced. Samples of “rock salt” found within the mountains, interested me most. Many samples of rock salt are displayed at the Shiogama Shrine in Sendai city. The Tobacco and Salt Museum in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo also exhibits rock salt. The museum has a very good display. Mr. Masayuki Handa at the museum gave me a lot of support and advice. I had a chance to see various kinds of colors and crystals of rock salt such as white salt crystals from the US and Canada or brown crystals from Germany.
In Japan, salt is extracted from mountain hot springs or hot water that contains some salt, as well.
Crystals of salt can be seen on the rim of the pipes of the hot springs in Oshika Village of Nagano prefecture and Atsushiokano Village of Fukushima prefecture. The same thing can be observed at “Shio no yu” (Hot Water Salt) of Nakajo Town in Kitakanbara-gun.

塩津潟が電波にのった (p.104)
Stories about Shiotsu-gata were broadcasted.
FM Shibata broadcasted stories about Shiotsu-gata and “Tsukisaranoki”. They introduced the stories in the program titled “Shibata Sannpo” (A Shibata Stroll). The theme of the program was “Learn the correct history of our hometown.” The show was broadcasted four times as a series and each program segment was fifteen minutes. The show was one hour total in length. Those who listened to the program must have been surprised to hear the unfamiliar name of Shiotsu-gata. After the program, people in Shibata City started to know more about Shiotsu-gata. Students in fourth grade of Togawa elementary school in Shibata City had already studied about the lagoon in Hesei six (1994).

You can see the content of the program under “Origin of Shiotsu-gata” on my homepage.

三扶誠五郎氏の先見性 (p.112)
Mr. Seigoro Mibu, a man of foresight
Mr. Seigoro Mibu was a president of Mibu printing company. He started to work on the “Shoho Ni-nen Echigo Ezu” to create a reduced version in around Showa 10 (1935) and he did a great job. The topographical map was created in 1645 and later it was designated a cultural asset by Niigata Prefecture. It was designated a cultural asset by Shibata City, as well. Three hundred copies of the map were made at that time. This is first class material to learn how Niigata City looked during the Edo period. You can see how well foresighted Mr. Mibu was. Mr. Mibu copied the map by hand at Togawa elementary school. It was painstaking work. I have heard that Sanpurikku Inc. would publish the reproduction of the map soon. I am hoping it will be designated a national treasure since it is rare to find topographical maps produced during the Iemitsu Tokugawa era like the “Shoho Ni-nen Echigo Ezu”.

大水とも松ヶ崎掘割 (p.145)
Flooding and Matsugasaki canal
The God blessed Matsugasaki canal was constructed by the Shibata Clan in spring 1731. The construction of the canal began in August 1730 and was finished in October in the same year. The canal was about 700 meters in length and 54 meters in width but the flooding caused by melted snow destroyed both sides of the canal and widened it to 270 meters. That was five times as wide as the original. Because of this, the Agano River that had met the Shinao River started to flow to the sea directly. That led to a dramatic increase of displacement. Heavy rain and flooding helped the development of Shiotsu-gata, Shimamimae-gata and Fukushima-gata. This was nothing but the grace of God.

タウンミーティングin新潟 (p.160)
Town meeting in Niigata
The Koizumi cabinet organized “Town Meetings” in cities all over Japan. It was November 4, Heisei 13 (2001) when the meeting was organized in Niigata Prefecture. It was called “Town Meeting in Niigata” and it was held in Nagaoka City. During the meeting, I asked how the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology could support the project of the “Salt Road” in Niigata. Ms. Atsuko Tooyama, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology recommended the “Salt Road” as one of the examples of subjects that students learn during their “Period of integrated study”

Another event, “To discuss with the governor about rejuvenating villages and creating attractive towns” was held in Shibata city in September, Heisei 13 (2001). At the event, I talked about the “Salt Road in Niigata Prefecture” with Governor Hirayama. He later sent me a letter. This is how the “Salt Road” had become better known.

明治大学の博物館 (p.163)
Meiji University Museum
There is a large collection of old pictures at the Meiji University Museum. Many of them are displayed for public. They are also accurate. Among the collection, I could find two pictures that showed the name “Shiotsu-gata” clearly. I still remember clearly how exited I was to see the name. Besides, “Shoho Ni-nen Echigo Ezu” and “Genroku Jyusan-nen Echigo-koku Kitakanbara-gun Iwafune-gun Ezu”, the Meiji University Museum holds the old picture that indicates the name of “Shiotsu-gata”. Mr. Hideaki Inou from Meiji University has been a big help for me.

塩津小学校. 塩津中学校 (p.208)
Shiotsu Elementary School, Shiotsu Middle School
There are some elementary and middle schools that are named after “Shiotsu” in Japan. The origin of the name came from the area that produced salt or had a port for shipping salt. I can tell the strong affection the past generations had for their homeland. I found that there are two “Shiotsu Elementary Schools”. Shiotsu Town, Hirata City, Shimane Prefecture has one. The other one is run by Gamagori city, Aichi Prefecture. As for middle schools, the one in Gamagori City, Aichi Prefecture is still teaching students. When it comes to place names (besides the one in Nakajo Town) there is one in the area near Biwa lake also named “Shiotsu” that is on the “Shiotus Kaido” (Salt road).

弘法大師の伝説 (p.211)
Legend of Kobo Daishi
You hear several legends of Kobo Daishi even in Niigata Prefecture. Legend has it when he taps his stick on the ground; salty water springs forth from there. “Shionoiri” in Yoita Town and “Iwanoiri” in Nagaoka City are the places where the legend exists. Both wells produce water with a high concentration of salt. In the Agakita area, wells producing salty water exist in Shiozawa and Shioya in Kurokawa Village and Soma in Kajikawa Village. There may be a well like this in Tochio City and Shiozawa Town. According to the locals, they used the salty water from the well for cooking during the war when salt was scarce. In Iwanoiri, Nagaoka City, a festival is still held to express their gratitude for the well and continues from generation to generation.

塩津潟の干拓と大雨 (p.266)
Reclamation and heavy rain of Shiotsu-gata
Shiotsu-gata has a long history of being damaged frequently by flooding or the breaking of the banks by the small or middle size rivers such as the Tainai River or the Kaji River. The local farmers around Shiotsu-gata were susceptible to major damage due to flash floods or long spells of rain. Even minor amounts of rain could cause damage. There was a major disaster in 1731. Muddy water filled in Shiotsu-gata and then gushed into the Japan Sea through the Ochibori River eroding both banks and the riverbed. That created the tideland in Shiotsu-gata. All those years, people around Shiotsu-gata fell prey to the damage of flooding but the heavy rains in that year brought some benefits to them.

「はだかの王様」と類似 (p.288)
The Irony of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” and “Shiotsu-gata”
An honest child said, “The king is naked!” when he saw the king walking along the street naked, but adults pretended that they saw the king in beautiful clothes. The name of Shiotsu-gata is very similar to this story. “Shiotsu-gata” was written clearly on the map, “Genroku Jyusan-nen Echigo-koku Kitakanbara-gun Iwafune-gun Ezu”, which was commissioned by Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the 5th shogun of the Edo shogunate. It means that up until 1700, it was definitely identified as “Shiotsu-gata”. Even so, the name of “Shiunji-gata” can be seen on some official documents even before 1700. This is very odd. A publication issued by Kajikawa Village (former Kanazuka Village) stated “Shiotsu-gata”. The lagoon should be called and named nothing but “Shiotsu-gata”.

堀切川と校歌 (p.297)
The Horikiri River and the school song
The school song of Takeshima elementary school run by Nakajo Town mentions “The Horikiri River”. The lyrics of the first verse go like this:
.
The freshness of the pine trees on a seaside hill,
Spring has energy to help buds come out.
The Horikiri River runs gently,
Its clear water flows into the sea.

Everyone in the Takeshima elementary school district sang this song until Heisei 13 (2001). “The Horikiri River” is called “The Ochibori River” now. “Horikiri village” existed during reclamation of “Shiotsu-gata”. It is a legacy of the Horikiri River. . Takeshima elementary school was consolidated into Tsuiji elementary school run by Kitakanbara-gun Nakajo Town in Heisei 14 (2002). Tsuiji is the former Tsuiji village whose song goes “Tsukisara, famous in history”.

東京大学の図書館 (p.334)
The Tokyo University Library
I visited the Tokyo University Library to look into Tsukisaranoki (都岐沙羅柵) = Tsukisara (月さら) but the library staff did not let me in right away. They said to me, “ Please submit a request form for library use first and then come back when you obtain permission”. After explaining the purpose of my visit with a letter from Ms. Masako Haga, the daughter of Dr. Yaichi Haga, I was finally allowed in. Without the letter, I might not be able to do that. I was grateful for the letter.

Dr. Haga was a professor of the Tokyo University. That was why I visited the library of the university. He later became the president of Kokugakuin University.

After my visit of the Tokyo University, I went to Kokugakuin University to see Professor Saito. I went there to ask his help to find information on “Tsukisara”. There is a bust of Professor Haga on campus. I remember it well.

文京区での笹団子 (341)
Sasadango in Bunkyo Ward
House of Professor Haga was located in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. I visited his house a few times when I went to Tokyo for the conference of the “Japan Fundamental Moral Education Association”.

Ms. Haga, the daughter of Professor Haga, served me “sasadango” (dumpling wrapped with bamboo leaves). She said, “Please eat sasadango from Niigata”. It was an interesting experience for me to have sasadango in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.

Because of his father’s job, Professor Haga went to Oohata Elementary School in Niigata city and graduated from there. Since Oohata Elementary School was consolidated into Niigata Elementary School run by Niigata city, his record of graduation certificate is stored at Niigata Elementary School permanently.

政子様からの贈り物 (p.354)
A Gift from Ms. Masako Haga
It was Ito city, Shizuoka prefecture where I met Ms. Masako Haga during my quest for “Tsukisaranoki”. Her father, Professor Haga, was the person who wrote lyrics for a village song for the former Tsuiji village, Kitakanbara-gun.

The 2nd verse of the song goes, “ Tsukisara, famous in history”. The “Tsukisara (月さら) means “Tsukisaranoki (都岐沙羅柵).

I visited Ms. Haga to see if she had some information regarding the song that her father wrote. Later, she sent me a box full of materials. Among them was a copy of what I saw at the research office of Japanese literature at Tokyo University.

After consulting with Mr. Teikichi Sato, chairman of the Nakajo Town assembly at that time, those materials were sent to the Nakajo Town board of education. They are well kept and made available for use.

恩師に感謝 (p.360)
Thanks to my former teachers
Advice from my former teachers kept me going to pursue my lifework, “Salt Road”. These teachers are Mr. Itoh and Mr. Niino from my elementary school days, Mr. Sugai and Mr. Kobayashi from my junior high school days, Mr. Inoue and Mr. Koshiba from my senior high school days, Prof. Mizoe, Prof. Takeuchi from my college days. They have given me very important advice during the different stages of my life. Even after becoming a teacher, I received a lot of advice and support from them in various aspects. I am so grateful for my former teachers. The book was published in Heisei 15 (2003). It is the result of support from all those teachers. Thank you so much.