英語版のサイトに "Historical Town, Makabe" のページをアップロードしました：
http://handejapan19.html.xdomain.jp/index.html
真壁は、茨城県中西部の街です。
1172年(承安2年)に真壁長幹が真壁城を築き、以降関ヶ原の戦い迄、真壁氏がこの地を治めました。
真壁には、江戸時代からの町割りが残り、古い建物も残っています。
2010年(平成22年)に、真壁の古い町並みは重要伝統的建造物群保存地区に指定されました。
"Historical Town, Makabe" のページへどうぞ：
http://handejapan19.html.xdomain.jp/TravelDestinations/Kanto/Makabe_E.html
日本語版の東福寺の散策記は下記です：
http://shanehsmt.html.xdomain.jp/Travel/Japan/Kanto/Makabe.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My English site:
http://handejapan19.html.xdomain.jp/index.html
Makabe is a town where located in the middle-west area of Ibaragi Prefecture.
The history of Makebe started when MAKABE Nagamoto (? - ?) built Makabe Castle in 1172.
MAKABE Clan governed Makabe during the middle age until the end of the sixteenth century.
At the beginning of the Edo Age (1603-1868) , MAKABE Clan moved to Akita, following their lord, SATAKE Clan.
After MAKABE Clan moved to Akita, ASANO Nagamasa (1547-1611) became the feudal lord of Makabe.
In 1622, ASANO Nagashige (1588-1632), the second feudal lord of Makabe Domain, obtained his new territory in Kasama and moved the capital of feudal domain to Kasama.
He placed a local government office of the feudal domain, "Makabe Jinya" in Makabe.
To the south east of Makabe Downtown, you will see INOSE residence. The gate of the residence is very gorgeous. It was built at the end of the nineteenth century.
To the west of INOSE residence, "Murai Sake" Brewery is located. "Murai Sake" Brewery started their business at the end of seventeenth century. There are a couple of historical brewery buildings at "Murai Sake" Brewery.
If you further walk to the west, SHIOTA residence is located.
SHIOTA Residence is a fireproof building made of thick mud walls.
In most cases, such architecture is used for a warehouse, but in the case of SHIOTA Residence, it is for a shop and a residence. The architecture is called "Misegura-Zukuri".
SHIOTA Residence was built in 1910. SHIOTA family run a draper.
If you walk to the north from SHIOTA Residence, you will walk on the "Go Jinya Mae" street. "Go" means a honorific prefix. "Jinya" means a government office of feudal domain in the Edo Age. Kasama Domain located Makabe local government office in this location.
At the site of "Makabe Jinya", Makabe Local government office of Kasama Domain, "Makabe Denshokan" is located. "Makabe Denshokan" is a historical museum and was opened in 2011.
In the Edo Age, Makabe was a distribution center of cotton products.
They purchased cotton products in Osaka, Nara or Okazaki, and sold them to the north-east part of Japan.
The Makabe downtown area was damaged by a fire in 1837.
Many of buildings were rebuilt after the fire.
Currently approximately hundreds of building remain in Makabe.
Makabe is designated as an important preservation district of historical buildings.
There are also historical houses even side of the preservation district to the north.
The below picture shows ADACHI Residence. The Residence was built in the Edo Age.
Makabe is not well known, even for Japanese. Makabe is very calm and beautiful town.
It will be one day trip from Tokyo.
Please visit the homepage article for more detail.
"Historical Town, Makabe":
http://handejapan19.html.xdomain.jp/TravelDestinations/Kanto/Makabe_E.html
"Your Destinations in Japan":
http://handejapan19.html.xdomain.jp/TravelDestinations/TravelDestinations.html
http://shanehsmt.html.xdomain.jp/index.html
"Explore Historical and Exotic Japan"
http://handejapan19.html.xdomain.jp/index.html
