title: Hokuriku Tales vol.3

Summary

A book of five stories about Fukui, Ishikawa and Toyama with useful data vol.3

FukuiSituated at the mouth of the KuzuryuRiver, the town of Mikuni prospered as aport of call for Kitamaebune. Why not slipback in time by taking a walk throughthe well-preserved rows of old houses Shianbashi at the entrance of the formerDemura red-light district (literally, thewith latticed windows. The Mikuni bridge of go in or go back)Minato-za, the former head office of theMorita Bank, the former red-light districtof Demura and other places of interest will form a nostalgic tour.Mikuni Museum, also known as Ryushokan, stands on a hill overlooking theport of Mikuni and has a large collection of items related to Kitamaebune. Themuseum building is a reconstruction of the primary school building that wasdesigned by a Dutch civil engineer G.A. Escher in 1879 (the 12 th year of Meiji) inthe heyday of the port town. The school building architecture as well as the socalledEscher Dyke, the first Western-style rubble mound breakwater in Japan(an Important Cultural Property of Japan), that was built and is still in service atthe mouth of the Kuzuryu River attest to the prosperity of Mikuni at the time.Matsudaira Shungaku, a daimyo of the Echizen Domain, started themanufacture of Western-style cannons in Mikuni. He was known as one of theFour Wise Men of the last days of the Tokugawa Shogunate and a supporter ofSakamoto Ryoma. He assumed many key positions in the new government afterthe Meiji Restoration. He was a regular at the restaurant-hotel Boyoro in Mikuni,which has kept a number of his memorabilia.Sakamanju (sake-flavored sweet bean paste buns) are a time-honored specialtyof Mikuni, having been introduced by Kitamaebune crew members.The Escher Dyke wasdesigned by G.A. Escherand construction workwas supervised J. deRijke, who also playedan important role inthe improvement of theJoganji River in Toyama.The breakwater wascompleted in 1882 (the15 th year of Meiji). VisitMikuni Sunset Beach towatch the breakwater insemi-silhouette againstthe setting sun.MikuniSakamanju is a Mikuni specialty.Kitamaebune crew members aresaid to have taught the locals howto prepare the sweet snack. Themethod has been passed downundisrupted to this date. The brandlogo pressed into the finishedsnacks differs from one bakery toanother.In the wake of the Meiji Restorationa local shipping magnate by thename of Morita Saburouemonswitched to the banking businessand created the Morita Bank(subsequently merged with theFukui Bank). The former head officebuilding in this photo was builtduring the Taisho Era.Chapter I History of Hokuriku Kitamaebune --- the coasters that moved Nippon forwardCome to Hokuriku with all of its historical heritage, and write a new page of your own in the history ofKitamaebune which is filled with the aspirations, hard work and romance of the people of Hokuriku.Hokuriku Tales vol.3 11