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A Grid-Style City Plan

   In the last day of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Jujiro Nitobe drew a plan for the city he anticipated would grow around the water available from the Inaoigawa Canal.   His plan is based on Uesugi style war tactics and imitates the street plan of Kyoto.  Streets are oriented with the cardinal points and laid out in a grid centering on a main street, Oshukaido (now Route 4 in Towada City).   The plan allows for a 16-meter wide main street and side and back streets of approximately 12 meters wide.  A waste water system, which could serve both sanitary and fire fighting functions, is included.  As Jujiro also provided for land use zoning, the plan is cited today as an frontier example of modern age city planning.

  When water flowed through the Inaoigawa Canal, construction of the town commenced in 1860 (Manen 1) and continued until approximately half of the town was built and construction funds were exhausted.  The water provided by the canal, however, continued to stimulate agriculture near the town.  The town was expanded during the restoration period following World War II, generally following the plan created by Jujiro.

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1F - Sanbongi Plateau Reclamation Corner

  An aerial photograph of Towada City.