Why is Kawagoe called “Little Edo”?
When you hear the word “Little Edo,” what kind of scenery comes to mind? Black plaster storehouses, cobblestone streets, and a townscape that feels somehow nostalgic. Then there are the tourists in yukata robes passing by, and the long-established businesses that are rooted in the community. Kawagoe City in Saitama Prefecture is a town that retains a strong Edo atmosphere, truly worthy of the name “Little Edo.”
Kawagoe is not known as “Little Edo” simply because there are many old buildings remaining. The reason is that during the Edo period, it prospered as the castle town of the Kawagoe Domain and built close ties with Edo in both economic and cultural terms. In particular, under the lord of Kawagoe, Matsudaira Nobutsuna, large-scale development of the castle and town was carried out, strengthening the ties with Edo. Furthermore, the existence of the Shingashi River, which served as a base for shipping to Edo, led to the flow of goods and culture concentrating in this town.
Even through the Meiji and Taisho eras, Kawagoe has maintained its street layout and traditional architecture, and thanks to having escaped the fires of war during the Showa era, its historical scenery has miraculously remained to this day. Even today, memories of spaces that have continued since the Edo period live on in every corner of the town, such as storehouse-style merchant houses, the Toki no Kane Bell, and Kashiya Yokocho.
This site will explore the appeal of Kawagoe not just as a tourist spot, but also from the perspective of the city’s origins and spatial structure. By deciphering simple questions such as “Why has this streetscape remained?” and “Why do people gather in this place?” from a geographical and historical perspective, let’s go on a journey to discover the depth of the city of Kawagoe.
You will surely discover another side of Kawagoe that you never knew existed.
Overview of Kawagoe City (geography, climate)
Kawagoe City is located almost in the center of Saitama Prefecture and is a core city with a population of about 350,000. It is now known as one of the prefecture’s leading tourist destinations, attracting more than 7 million tourists a year.
The city is dotted with shrines, temples, historical buildings and historic sites, and just walking around the town will make you feel like you’ve traveled back in time.
Geographically, the city is located at the northeastern edge of the Musashino Plateau, and the land is covered in volcanic ash called the Tachikawa Loam Layer and the Musashino Loam Layer. Large rivers such as the Irumagawa River and the Arakawa River flow through the city from north to east, and it is an area where nature and human life have been closely intertwined since ancient times.
Kawagoe enjoys a relatively mild climate throughout the year. The average annual temperature is about 15.7°C, the average rainfall is about 1,350mm, and the humidity is about 70%, making it a comfortable place to live (Source: 2016 edition of “Kawagoe Statistics”).
However, due to the heat island effect in central Tokyo, the summer heat has become quite severe recently. In midsummer, there are days when the temperature rises to nearly 38°C, which is truly scorching hot. If you are planning to visit Kawagoe in the summer, don’t forget to drink plenty of water and take breaks in the shade!
In winter, there are many years when it doesn’t snow at all, and even if it does, it only lasts for 2-3 days. However, once every few years, there are times when more than 10cm of snow accumulates, so if you’re planning on visiting in winter, it’s a good idea to check the weather forecast.
History of Kawagoe City
Looking back into history, during the Kamakura period, the Kawagoe clan, who served Minamoto no Yoritomo, ruled this area and played a central role in Musashi Province (present-day Tokyo and Saitama).
Later, during the Muromachi period, the Sengoku period warlord Ota Dokan and his father Michizane built Kawagoe Castle, and the current center of the city of Kawagoe was formed.
In the Edo period, the “Kawagoe Domain” was born with Tokugawa Ieyasu’s control of the Kanto region. As a key point to protect the north of Edo, the castle was ruled by senior councilors Sakai Tadakatsu and Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu. Matsudaira Nobutsuna was particularly famous, and during his time (1644-1647) Kawagoe Castle was expanded on a large scale. From then on, Kawagoe was a base for the fudai daimyo and was a politically important place until the Meiji Restoration.
After the Meiji Restoration, the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established, resulting in the creation of Kawagoe Prefecture in 1871. Later, in 1889, the city and town system was implemented and Kawagoe Town was created. At the time, there were 2,813 houses and a population of approximately 16,150 people.
However, Kawagoe at that time did not necessarily develop smoothly as a commercial city. One reason for this is that the construction of railways was put off due to the development of shipping by boat. However, Kawagoe’s commercial area was very wide, including not only neighboring areas such as Ogose, Hanno, and Ome, but also distant areas such as Shinshu and Koshu. Products from these areas were first gathered in Kawagoe, and then transported by boat to Edo.
The Kawagoe Railway (currently the Seibu Shinjuku Line), which connects Kawagoe and Kokubunji, opened in 1895. It is said that it took about three hours to travel from Kawagoe-Shindenmachi (currently Hon-Kawagoe Station) to Iidabashi, passing through Irumagawa and Tokorozawa, and then transferring to the Chuo Line at Kokubunji.
The transportation infrastructure continued to improve gradually after that. In 1902, the Kawagoe Horse-drawn Railway opened, and in 1906, the Kawagoe Electric Railway began operating between Kawagoe and Omiya. This connected to the Tohoku Line and Takasaki Line, making it possible to travel to Ueno in about two hours. Furthermore, in 1912, the Tojo Railway was founded, and in 1920, the current Tobu Tojo Line opened. In 1930, the Japanese National Railways Kawagoe Line opened its entire length between Omiya, Kawagoe, and Koma-gawa, and Kawagoe’s railway transportation network developed significantly.
Kawagoe City, which was incorporated as a city in 1922, aimed to develop as a modern city, but at the time the city area was small and population growth was limited, which presented challenges. To overcome this situation, the city incorporated the village of Tamonzawa in 1939, and further merged with nine surrounding villages in 1955. This marked a new start as “Okawagoe City,” and as the city expanded in size, it rapidly developed into a modern city.
