Hitomaru

After the Formation of County, Ward, Town and Village Law was enforced in Hyogo Prefecture in 1879, Akashi County started as the administration block contained territory of the old Akashi domain at that point in 1889, one Town of Akashi and 11 Villages of Hayashisaki, Okubo, Uozumi, Ikawadani, Tmatsu, Hazetani, Oshibedani, Hirano, Kande, Iwaoka also Tarumi.  After government offices of Akashi County such as the police station, the telegraph station, the Public Order Violation Court, the County Office and the Public Hall were moved or built at Aioi-cho, the first class government office area of the County appeared there.  We estimate that it was easy to bring and reconstruct or construct buildings because Aioi-cho was located at the halfway point between the advanced area of the castle town and Okuradani Village also houses were not so close together.  County system had the head of County, the County committee and the County council, so it functioned as the municipality but coordination with administration of town and prefecture was difficult.  After frequent annexations, each of villages integrated with Akashi City, Kobe City and son on.  The county system was abolished in 1923.  Miwa Shinichiro who was the last head of Akashi County and the first Mayor of Akashi City said that the ideal of Akashi City was the establishment of the garden city.

Remains of Akashi Castle became Akashi County Park in 1889, but the park was discontinued after being incorporated into auxiliary land of the Imperial Household in 1898. Akashi Town persuaded Hyogo Prefecture to open Akashi Amusement Park at Nakasaki for sight seers and local people to enjoy in 1903. Once Nakasaki beach was famous for scenic spot with white sand and green pine groves, where people enjoyed viewing Awaji Island. The lord built an elaborate tea ceremony cottage there and many people enjoyed seeing the room in fall also swimming in the sea in summer. Akashi Town installed a gazebo, benches and a teahouse there, and then some high-class Japanese-style hotels stood in a row. When Hyogo Electric Track, or Sanyo Electric Railway opened to traffic in 1917, they made the station of “Yuenchi-mae-eki” in front of the amusement park and tried to attract sightseers. The modern Kinko Hotel opened in about 1930. This building became a topic of conversation because it was replaced Banyo Kindergarten after being remodeled in 1948. The kindergarten made the Japanese garden with a pond and a stream in the yard of the former hotel the kindergarten garden. At Nakasaki, Hyogo Prefectural Fishery Experiment Station was rebuilt and the Fishery Exposition was held 1948, and then many people enjoyed greatly the events such as the fireworks display, comic dialogue by a few comedians year by year.