Hitomaru

Japan standard time meridian was provided in 1886.  In 1910, teachers of elementary schools of old Akashi County donated money and erected the first meridian sign in Japan.  (photo 1)  The Dragonfly Signpost (photo 2) was erected on Mt.Hitomaru in 1930.  The meridian signpost (photo 3 ) was built by Route 2 in 1933.  These sign posts were moved whenever the meridian was actually remeasured.  These became Akashi City Designated Cultural Property like the meridian circle owned by the Akashi Municipal Planetarium.  The Akashi Municipal Planetarium built in 1960 is located on the meridian 135°east longitude, and was designated as National Registered Tangible Cultural Property.

Matsudaira Nobuyuki, the 6th feudal lord of the Akashi domain, erected this stone monument in 1664.  The sentence of the monument is Kakinomoto Hitomaro’s biography that consists of 1712 letters.  It has been said that when all the sentences are read the stone tortoise of the pedestal will walk.  The pedestal is called kifu according to the style of ancient China.  They called the tortoise Hiiki,  which was a dragon’s child that failed to be a dragon.

This gate was once Kitte-mon gate or the main gate, of Iyashiki-kuruwa or lord’s house in Akashi Castle.  This was brought and reconstructed to Gessho-ji temple as its main temple gate in 1868.  This was originally Yakui-mon gate of Fushimi Castle but given to Akashi when they built Akashi Castle.  We associate the culture in the Momoyama period with this grand with four assistant columns.

This is a pair of stone guardian dogs in front of the outer shrine of Kakinomoto Shrine.  The right one opens its mouth and says “a” and the left one shuts its mouth and says “woom”.  “A-woom” means harmony or true.  Their mane curls.  Their bodies are made of sandstone and the pedestals are made of granite.  Since the pedestals are written “Horeki 4”, the year of 1754, they are recognized as the existing oldest stone guardian dogs in Harima area

After the old torii was fallen down by Hanshin Awaji Great Earthquake, the upper part of this torii such as coping was replaced with stainless steel one.  The fallen stones are placed by the stone steps of the shrine as the fence.  They are used as the heritage that shows the earthquake.

When they built the west approach of Kakinomoto Shrine in 1621, they installed water supply on the washbasin and called it “Kame-no-mizu or water of a tortoise” according to one report.  “Kame-no-mizu” is known as the water for long life.  They carved the following sentence on the washbasin “In Kyoho 4, the year of 1719, the donation from Iizuka Nobumasa in Hitachi, present Ibaraki Prefecture”.

The name of Choju in temple came from the posthumous name of grandmother of Matsudaira Naoakira, the 8th feudal lord of the Akashi domain.  When he was posted from Fukui to Akashi, this temple was moved here too, then they worshiped the graves of 8 lords’ for generations.  The mausoleum of Matsudaira Narikoto, the 15th feudal lord of the Akashi domain and a son of Tycoon, was made of Japanese cypress only and had half-hipped roof, also decorated with many Tokugawa family emblems as well as carvings.

There is a fault cliff from Akashi Castle to Mt.Hitomaru.  Uenomaru Plateau is on the north of it and Numano-cho was on the south of it.  Ymashita-mon gate was located at the east end of Yagenbori moat and Sengokubori moat that area on the northeast of the castle,  also the samurai residential area was on the south of it, the Uenomaru samurai officer residential area and asigaru, samurai of the lowest rank, residential area were on the north of it, also Terano-cho was on the east of it in the Edo period.

The water works of Akashi City were damaged much by World War Ⅱ and people underwent time water supply.  Yamashita Water Purification Plant was built on the north of Kobe University Affiliated Akashi Elementary School and was in operation from 1949 to 1966.  The red color left in the water ways on the north, west and south of the school may be the trace of water contained iron.

Kobe University Affiliated Akashi Elementary School in 1904. The school building constructed in 1937 is a high likelihood that it is the oldest existing school building in Akashi City.  We can see 1930s’ design such as round columns, arched windows and decorated porch there.

There are two signatures of Keiji Tancho belonged to Osaka Chusho, casting studio, and the 7th Sekiroku belonged to Akashi Sekisho, stonemason, on the pedestal.  The first statue of Ninomiya Kinjiro was made by them in about 1928, but it disappeared because of delivery of metal products during World War Ⅱ.  The sentence “presented by Takao Hirobumi as commemoration of the child in excellent health, Showa 29, the year of 1954” was carved at its feet.

The residences around here were built in 1902s.  According to aspect of a house, if a warehouse is on the northwest of the house the residents can keep authority and honor, residents win confidence.  In Akashi City,  people usually build their warehouse on the northwest of their house.