Tsuwano’s Tangible Cultural Property: Tonomachi Street

Tonomachi-doori (or samurai district street) is the part of Tsuwano town where the Sakazaki clan created their daimyo (domain lord) residence. The clan was appointed as the domain lord of Tsuwano domain as a appreciation of their distinguished service in the Sekigahara battle of 1600. The district was later inherited by the next domain lord clan, the Kamei clan.

According to maps of the town from the Genroku period (1688-1704) the space between the Yasaka Shrine and the Soumon gate was called Tonomachi-doori, with the residence of chief retainers, the Tago clan (rank of 1000 koku wealth) Makitosho clan (rank of 900 koku) and the Fusesaburoemon clan (rank of 700 koku) lining the road.

At the north end of the tonomachi-street a big gate was erected with a guard’s house on the side, for surveillance of the road, and anyone who wanted to enter the samurai district.

The waterways with koi fish swimming in them, were designed in the time of Meiji period’s (1868-1912) national road building project, to revive the Edo period feeling.

In the Edo period, the water from Taikodani and also from the Tsuwano River was directed to the base of the mountain on the west side. The flow split into two near Yamane-chou (currently the Chikufuuken confectionary shop), and through the Oomizo water channel (which was on the east side of Tonomachi-doori) back to Tsuwano river.

The walls and gates are mainly from the reconstruction of Edo period townscape done in the 1970s, with exception of the Tago gate and wall, the foundation stones of the Hankou domain school which is from the Edo period(1600-1868), and the stone walls of the waterways, which are from Meiji period (1868-1912). The same way the stone foundation at the Catholic Church are the remaining of the Meiji period’s Hori residence. 

Back to 

登録有形文化財　津和野地図

殿町通り

関ヶ原の戦功で坂崎氏が津和野に入り、この地に藩邸を構え、そのまま亀井氏が引き継いで利用していたことから、殿町という名が残ったと言われる。元禄の絵図によると、弥栄神社付近から殿町惣門までの間を殿町通りといい、多胡源兵衛（1000石）や牧図書（900石）、布施三郎右衛門（700石）など藩の家老屋敷が並んでいた。殿町通りからの北詰には惣門があり、殿町側に番所があって、本町通りからの通行人の監視を行っていたという。

通りの東側にある鯉が泳ぐ水路は、明治の国道整備の際に整備されたものである。江戸時代は太鼓谷と津和野川からの水を西の山麓を流し、山根町（現在の竹風軒綾店）付近で分水し「大溝」という水路（現在の東殿町通りに沿った水路）を通じて津和野川へ流していた。

土塀や門については多胡家表門およびそれに付属する土塀以外は昭和５０年代に環境整備事業により、江戸時代の雰囲気を取り戻すために設置されたものであるが、養老館の礎石は江戸時代から、またカトリック教会や幼花園の水路の石垣は庄屋堀氏の屋敷跡のもので、明治時代の雰囲気を今も残している。

津和野町伝統文化活性化協議会、平成２４年３月発行