To Tenjin-jima Marine Biological Garden 天神島臨海自然教育園, we took bus sneaking through the edge of hills going down to Sagami Bay. Miura Peninsula is basically like this. Hills or petit mountains bear down on the seashore which is mainly rocky. The geography actually starts from Yokohama. Beyond the south border for Yokohama are 4 cities, Fujisawa, Kamakura, Zushi, and Yokosuka. Among them, Kamakura, Zushi, and Yokosuka are geologically a part of the Miura Peninsula, so is the communities in the south Yokohama. They do not have much flat land. Behind the touristic coast are hills where now mainly residential area covers the steep slopes and not so wide ridges. Sometimes, the original forests remain like Mt. Ogusu (; my posts for April 2024) and Hiromachi Ryokuchi (; my posts for March 2025). Before when Japanese economy was mainly of agriculture especially rice cultivation, such given condition of small space for rice paddies was not so enjoyable. Inevitably, old communities in Miura Peninsula traditionally have engaged in fishery and procured agricultural products with cash (Oral Record for Kanagawa’s Table 聞き書き神奈川の食事, in “Collected Works for Japanese Traditional Diet, vol. 14 日本の食生活全集 14,” Toda City, Nobunkyo 農文協, 1992, ISBN 978-4540920028).
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| Near
Marine Biological Garden. People establish themselves in a narrow street run between the steep slope and seashore. |
So there are the Sajima Fishing Port and the ethnographical exhibitions in the museum of Tenjin-jima Marine Biological Garden. This is true even for Yokohama. The City of Yokohama, of 3.8 urban people with a large container terminal for international trade, has a fisheries cooperative, proudly call themselves City of Yokohama Fisheries Cooperative. Guess where their office locates. Yep. At the beginning of geological Miura Peninsula. They are in Shiba Town 柴 of Kanazawa Ward 金沢区. Shiba Town is next to Kanazawa Town where Shomyoji Citizen Forest 称名寺市民の森 (; my post for December 4, 2015) and the remnants of the oldest libraries in Japan, Kanazawa Bunko 金沢文庫. Shiba Town is an old community. In the place we’re going to visit this week they have a Koshin-zuka 庚申塚 built during the 18th century. Koshin-zuka was constructed based on the belief for Taoism imported from China around the 15th century. Taoists said once in 60 days, there comes a day of Koshin when 3 bad worms in human body tattle the bad behavior of their landlord on a mighty god in heaven. To prevent the consequence of such snitch, on the day of Koshin people had a mini festival without sleep. When people had held such worship for 3 years of 60 Koshin days, the community built a monument called Koshin-zuka as a protective diety for the village, warding off the bad spirits to enter. Such folk religion was very common during the 17th and the 18th century, and lots of Koshin-zuka was constructed all over Japan. Now many are removed for development. But if a community is old and old families established themselves there centuries ago, we can find Koshin-zukas (yeah, plural) somewhere. Shiba Town is surely such place with Koshin Zuka.
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| The yesteryear’s way of life for Sajima Fishing Port |
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| Koshin-zuka for Shiba Community |
From the hill for Shomyoji Temple Citizen Forest, the slope rapidly goes down to Tokyo Bay where we can find a popular amusement park called Hakkeijima Sea Paradise 八景島シーパラダイス. In front of the Sea Paradise, there is Shiba Fishing Port with Fisheries Cooperative. People in Shiba has been fishermen for centuries. They also harvested veggies from small field on the ridge, in the forest continuing from Shomyoji Citizen Forest. The fishermen had difficulties to find a place for rice paddies, the most important ag product in Japan and once treated as money for centuries. Villagers of fishing community made do with vegetables for home consumption from the small veggie patches. Their farmland was only in the forest covering the ridge. Water was/is scarce. Industrial revolution gave the fishermen chances to earn cash nearby from office or factory jobs, but they still cannot cultivate rice. Life there was hard. Then, in the second half of the 20th century, the community had influx of new members from housing development. They were/are city rats. The new and old members of Shiba community did not have a contact. Meanwhile, the number of people who engaged in traditional fishery-farming was dwindling. This was Yokohama. If you like, there were/are lots of office and factory jobs. By the way, over there in front of the fishing port is the leading factory of Nissan. Why bother the old thing? The farmlands on the ridge inthe f orest were neglected, then abandoned.
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| Shiba Fishing Port |
I don’t know what made them change their mind. But the historical fact is like this. The old community of Shiba thought such situation was not good. In 1988, they asked the Prefectural Office help for change. In 1990, the Prefecture designated the ridge area of abandoned farmland and the forest Land Improvement District for agriculture. The Office let the Shiba people form a committee to plan the land improvement project. Next year, actual implementation of the project started, and completed 15 years later in 2006. The work included the idea of minimum disturbance over the ecosystem of water-scarce area. The soil of the area was not moved. The precautionary design was applied for preventing landslides from steep slopes. The area has become a model case for the Prefecture and the City of Yokohama for agricultural development involving the old and new communities of the area. New community? You may think. That’s the point of this place, called Shiba Megumino-sato 柴恵みの里, or Shiba Village of Blessings. Let’s go there next week😉
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| Shiba Town is pasted on a very steep hill. |
If you have any questions about Yokohama’s Green Tax and Green Up Plan, please make a contact with
Strategic Planning Division, Green Environment Bureau, City of Yokohama
横浜市みどり環境局戦略企画課
Phone: 045-671-2712
FAX: 045-550-4093
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