Pyrus pyrifolia var.culta
In 2014, the Funabashi pear was registered as a “regional collective trademark” by the Patent Office of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Ichikawa City Agricultural Cooperative applied for the first registration in 2007.) Funabashi City’s regional brand is the third pear registered in Chiba Prefecture. The name of the unofficial mascot local character “Funassy” is derived from “Pear of Funabashi”?). A closely related member of the Rosaceae Pyroideae, which consists of more than 1,000 species of plants in 30 genera. According to Funabashi City, the oldest period in which people lived in the city is the Late Paleolithic period, and stone tools from about 30,000 years ago have been found in part of the Innaidai ruins in Nishifuna and Innai. It seems to have been excavated. Remains from the Jomon period, about 12,000 to 2,300 years ago, are apparently found here and there on the plateau in the city. Ruins from the Yayoi period, when metal tools and rice paddy farming spread throughout the country, are rare in the city, and seem to have been found on the Natsumi plateau and the Kanasugi plateau. There are almost no burial mounds with tall mounds from the Kofun period from the 4th to 6th centuries in the city, but it seems that settlement sites from that time have been found all over the city. Village sites from the Nara period to the Heian period have also been discovered on the Natsumi plateau, the Innai plateau, and the Higashinakayama plateau. In a history book compiled by the Imperial Court in the middle of the Heian period, the name of Ohohinokami is mentioned for the first time in an article about Funabashi City. It seems to be the predecessor of the current Funabashi Daijingu. In addition, it seems that “Kurihara”, which is presumed to be the western part of Funabashi City, is written as the name of the Township in a certain document. At the end of the Heian period, the area around Natsumi was designated as a manor of the Ise Jingu Shrine, and is said to have been called Natsumi Mikuriya (a kitchen) or Funabashi Mikuriya. In the Kamakura period, the history book “Azumakagami” (Japanese history book compiled in the Kamakura period) was compiled by the Shogunate. This is a chronological account of the achievements of the shogunate from the 4th year of Jisho to the 3rd year of Bunei. It seems that the name “Funabashi” is mentioned for the first time in an article in 1186. During the Kamakura period, the Funabashi region was under the influence of the Chiba clan, a powerful vassal of the shogunate. The stone pagoda that is presumed to have been built at that time is Miyamoto’s Saifuku-ji Temple (the Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism (the mountain name is Funabashiyama; the temple name is Shojoshin-in Temple). In 1890, Saiko-in, Manpuku-ji, Hoko-in, Kazo-in, Zenpo-ji, and Tofuku-in were merged. The five-ring pagoda and Hokyointo pagoda are presumed to have been made in the late Kamakura period. Both are designated as prefectural cultural properties.). From the Northern and Southern Courts to the Muromachi period, the number of materials related to the city area increased slightly. The names of the villages in the city are recorded in documents such as “Katori documents”, and it seems that the itahi (board monument) is still left in Takinoi, Hasama, Takane, and Yagigaya. In the latter half of the Muromachi period (the Sengoku period), small-scale forts were built in this area as well, and it is said that there are remains of such structures in Natsumi and Onoda. Also, it seems that a market was held near Funabashi Daijingu Shrine. After Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s conquest of Go-Hojo in 1590, much of the Kanto region became Ieyasu Tokugawa’s territory, while the Funabashi region became the territory of the local governor (Edo period) and the direct retainer of a shogun. Among the direct retainers of a shogun is Masanari Naruse, who later became the lord of Owari Inuyama Castle. Part of the Naruse family grave is part of Nishifuna’s Soto-Zen sect Moshunzan Hojo-ji Temple At that time, in Kurihara Township, Katsushika District, Shimosa Province, Kurihara eight villages (Hongo, Terauchi, Kosaku, Innai, Ogurihara, Futago, Yamano) , Saikaijin Village) became a territory, and Hojo-ji Temple, which was located within the territory, was designated as a family place, and the character of the castle was changed to the character of Naruse, and the character of the law was changed to Hojo-ji Temple.) It is designated as a cultural property of the city. Ieyasu made efforts to establish and maintain new roads, one of which was the Onari Highway from Funabashi to Togane. Funabashi was also a place where the Sakura (Narita) Highway, Kazusa Highway, and Gyotoku Highway were concentrated, so it developed greatly as an inn, and the number of inns reached 30 in the late Edo period. In the Edo period, Boso had a vast free-range horse ranch under the direct control of the shogunate, and the plateau in the center of Funabashi City was one of them, apparently called Shimonomaki. The ranch was surrounded by earthworks and moats, and it seems that wickets were set up at the entrances and exits of the roads that crossed the ranch. In the latter half of the 17th century, part of the ranch and the surrounding wilderness was cleared, and a rural farming village was established. Maehara, Takidai, Gyoda, Kamiyama, Fujiwara, Maruyama, and Jinbo Shinden villages were all established during the Enpo era (1670s). Also, Shohaku Shinden seems to have become a field farming village after the shogunate’s medicinal herb garden established in 1722 was soon abolished. Agriculture was the center of the industry in the Edo period, and the emphasis was placed on paddy field agriculture, but it seems that vegetable and fruit cultivation also flourished in the vicinity of post towns and fishing towns. The fishing town of Funabashi is one of the leading fishing areas in the inner bay, with net fishing from spring to autumn and shellfish fishing in winter. The area around the current Funabashi Station seems to have prospered as the Funabashi Inn during the Edo period. Also, the plateau on the north side of Funabashi was a part of “Koganemaki”, and it seems that the shogunate used to have a pasture for raising war horses. In the early Meiji period, the site was reclaimed, and it became an exercise ground for the army, named ‘Narashinohara(In 1873, Emperor Meiji, accompanied by Imperial Guards, was apparently supervising a large-scale exercise here. It seems that Takamori SAIGO, the head of the imperial guard, who had a strong reputation with the emperor, was also with him. It seems that the place where the emperor was encamped at that time was around present-day Narashinodai 4-chome, Funabashi City. At this time, the emperor decided that this land would be very effective as a training ground, and henceforth named this land and ordered it to be used as a training ground for the army.)’ , and it seems that military facilities began to be located there. In the coastal area, salt fields were developed in the early Meiji era, and from the middle of the Meiji era to the Taisho era, when the railway network was developed, the area developed as a commercial city and as a seaside resort. After the war, Yatsu playground (for children) and Funabashi Health Center became a popular tourist destination in the outskirts of Tokyo. It also developed as an industrial, residential, and academic city centered on the vast former military facilities and reclaimed land along the bay. There is the area around Funabashi Station and Tsudanuma Station has developed as a commercial area, and in recent years, large-scale commercial facilities have also been located on the coast and in the suburbs. During the Boshin War during the Meiji Restoration, the Funabashi and Ichikawa regions also became the battlefields of local warfare. At that time, deserters from the shogunate side took Funabashi Daijingu as a base, and most of the Daijingu, post towns, and fishing towns were destroyed by fire. After the Meiji Restoration, the government planned a reclamation project for the former shogunate maki, relocated the unemployed and those who wanted to live in Tokyo, and created a field farming village. It seems that the western part of Shimonomaki within the city limits was also cleared in the fall of 1869 and became Futawa and Misaki. In addition, the eastern part will soon become a military area. Under the local government system of the Meiji era, the jurisdiction of Funabashi City changed from Katsushika Prefecture in 1869 to Inba Prefecture in 1872, and when Chiba Prefecture was established in 1874, it came under the jurisdiction of Chiba Prefecture. When the municipal system was implemented in 1889, the 44 villages in the city area in the early Meiji period were consolidated into 1 town and 6 villages (Higashi Katsushika County, Funabashi Town, Katsushika Village, Yaei Village, Tsukada Village, Chiba County Ninomiya Village, Toyotomi Village). Eventually, in 1894, the private Sobu Railway opened between Ichikawa and Sakura, and was soon extended to Honjo (Kinshicho). The railway was nationalized in 1907 and double-tracked to Chiba in 1908. Keisei Electric Tramway, the predecessor of Keisei Electric Railway, began construction in 1911 and was extended to Funabashi in 1916. Furthermore, the Hokuso Railway, the predecessor of the Tobu Railway Noda Line, opened between Funabashi and Kashiwa in 1923. The development of these railroad networks seems to have changed the function of Funabashi from a local city to a satellite city of Tokyo. Around the time when the population of Funabashi-cho was increasing rapidly, the adjacent Katsushika-cho (established as a municipality in 1931) also showed a tendency to increase, and it seems that there was a growing demand for the creation of Funabashi-shi in the neighborhood. In small towns and villages, roads and public facilities seem to have been inadequately maintained. As a result of discussions with neighboring towns and villages, two towns and three villages (Funabashi Town, Katsushika Town, Yaei Village, Houten Village, and Tsukada Village) merged, and on April 1, 1937, Funabashi City was born as the fourth city in the prefecture. At that time, the area was about 40 square kilometers and the population was about 43,000. Shortly after the birth of Funabashi City, the Sino-Japanese War broke out, and the color of war gradually deepened, and on December 8, 1941, the Pacific War finally broke out. Around that time, munitions factories were established in Funabashi City, and the population increased rapidly along with the number of evacuees from Tokyo. Since 1944, Tokyo and surrounding cities have been hit by large-scale air raids, but the damage to Funabashi seems to have been minor. Soon after the end of the war, reclamation of Narashinohara, which had been used for military purposes, began. However, in April 1946, part of the settlement was requisitioned by the Occupation Army, and it seems to have been a difficult step. On the other hand, the city escaped damage from the war and became a mecca for shopping as a gathering place for agricultural and marine products. The Constitution of Japan, which was promulgated on November 3, 1916, guaranteed local autonomy for the first time by stating that the heads and representatives of local governments were directly elected by residents. Based on this, the first mayoral election was held in April 1947, and the Local Autonomy Law was promulgated in the same month. In 1947, the School Education Law was promulgated, compulsory education was extended from 1951 to 1954, and a new junior high school was established. Furthermore, in 1947, agrarian reform began, and the movement for rural democratization spread. In 1953, Chiba District Ninomiya-cho merged with Chiba District Toyotomi Village in 1954 into Funabashi City. Due to this merger, the area of Funabashi City doubled from 38.6 square kilometers to 79.9 square kilometers, and the population increased from about 86,000 to over 111,000. At the end of the 1945s, the development of the Keiyo industrial zone began, and in response, plans were made to develop land for factories by landfill. Also, from the late 1955s, industrial parks were created in Minami Narashino and Fujiwara. Chiba Prefecture ranks number one in Japan in terms of pear yield, “cultivated area” and output value. Funabashi ranks fourth in terms of pear shipments within the prefecture, in that order, after Shiroi City, Ichikawa City, Kamagaya City, and Funabashi City. It can be said that Funabashi City is one of the leading pear production areas in Japan. Chiba Prefecture has a warm climate, and the Tokatsu area has advanced production technology. In addition, it is close to the consuming area, so it is possible to deliver fresh and delicious pears to consumers. Apparently. The soil in the city is rich in volcanic ash soil called the Kanto loam layer, and the soil is well-drained, making it suitable for growing pears. Fields at high altitudes are particularly suitable for growing pears. It is hot in summer and cold in winter, so the pear trees can rest well, which seems to be the reason why the fruit grows deliciously. As of September 2022, 108 pear farmers are working hard to grow pears in the city. In particular, young producers hold study groups on the latest pear cultivation techniques several times a month, raise awareness among each other through horizontal connections, and seem to utilize them in their respective production techniques. The most difficult part of growing pears is to bring out the richness of the pears. It seems that this richness is the decisive factor in increasing the number of consumers. “Funabashi no Nashi” can be purchased at supermarkets and fruit and vegetable stores, but there are about 80 direct sales shops where you can taste extremely fresh pears. It is said that pears are best eaten immediately after they are harvested, so be sure to stop by as they are lined with fresh pears!
Toro Ruins of the Yayoi Period (Toro, Suruga Ward, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture: It was discovered in 1943 during the construction of a munitions factory during World War II. It was the first time in Japan that the remains of a rice paddy field were confirmed.In addition to a large amount of excavated artifacts such as earthenware and wooden products, residential areas such as the remains of dwellings and warehouses and paddy fields were confirmed as one. It should be commemorated as the starting point of post-war Japanese archeology, such as the establishment of the Japanese Archaeological Association as a result of the excavation of the Toro ruins, as well as the fact that the Yayoi period is synonymous with paddy rice cultivation. It is an excellent fruit that has been eaten since ancient times, as the seeds were discovered from the ruins). About 1,300 years ago, the cultivation of Japanese pears was recorded in the “Nihonshoki” (Chronicles of Japan) and other sources. At present, pears are classified into red pears, which have developed cork on the skin and become rusty brown, and green pears, which have not yet developed cork. In addition, it has been exported to China, South Korea, Taiwan since the beginning of the Showa era, and is now exported to the United States and Europe.
In 2021, one of the physiological disorders that appear in fruits such as apples and pears, “dense disease” the pulp becomes water-soaked and softened, resulting in a loss of the texture that makes it crunchy, so the taste is greatly reduced. Mild It is possible to eat it if it is there, but not only does the quality and shelf life deteriorate, but it is also difficult to judge by the appearance, so it is a symptom that greatly hinders commercialization. Hosui pears, which were said to have suffered a lot of damage due to the fertilization of the fermented trees, were doing somewhat well in the city this year.
A taste of autumn that can only be eaten in this season. Pears are a well-known specialty of Funabashi. It has a long history, and pear cultivation spread in Funabashi City about 55 years ago. Due to its high quality, workers and consumers from other production areas have overwhelming confidence.
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