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Knowledge Spots｜Chibanosuke Guide 18 Myōken Appears at the Someya River with Taira no Yoshibumi and Taira no Masakado Chibanosuke Guide Aren’t Yoshibumi-sama and Masakado-sama going to drown, wading into the river like that? This scene shows the time when the two of them fought against Lord Yoshibumi’s older brother, Kunika. The river is the Someya River, which now flows through Takasaki City in Gunma Prefecture. But worry not—our guardian deity, Myōken-sama, caused the waters to recede and kept them safe.

Knowledge Spots｜Chibanosuke Guide 20What Is a Myōken Riding? Chibanosuke Guide Why is Myōken-sama riding a turtle? Ah, but it’s no ordinary turtle. You see the snake, too? That’s Genbu—a sacred creature said to guard the north. Since Myōken-sama is the deity of the North Star and the Big Dipper, it makes perfect sense that he ride upon a Genbu.

Knowledge Spots｜Chibanosuke Guide 21Where Was He Going to by Boat? Chibanosuke Guide Who’s that on the little boat? And where’s he going? That’s Lord Yoritomo. After losing to the Heike forces at the Battle of Ishibashiyama—what’s now Odawara City —he fled across the sea to the southern part of the Bōsō Peninsula, to Awa. But thanks to the support of Lord Tsunetane and the warriors of Bōsō, he would go on to become the Lord of Kamakura.

Knowledge Spots｜Chibanosuke Guide 23Why Was He Bound? Chibanosuke Guide Whoa—what did this man do to get tied up like that? That’s Kokubu Saburō, a member of our clan. He kidnapped our young lord, Kamewakamaru-sama. But then—an arrow flew from Myōken-sama’s shrine, revealing that they located in Shinagawa. And that’s how the culprit was caught.

? Chibanosuke Guide I wonder who built this fine hall? The Myōken Hall was lost in a fire. But during the Warring States period, our Lord Chikatane gathered the strength of his clan and retainers to rebuild it in the 19th year of Tenbun (1550). It was then that additional explanation text was added, completing this picture scroll.

Knowledge Spots｜Chibanosuke Guide 25How Much Is One Koku? Chibanosuke Guide 1.8-Liter Sake Bottle (Isshōbin) What’s a “koku,” anyway? 'Tis a unit for measuring rice. Wait, they even used rice to describe the size of domains and villages? That’s kind of wild. Indeed. For people back then, measuring things in rice was familiar and easy to grasp. D’you know those 1.8-liter sake bottles? One koku equals 180 liters—that’s 100 of those sake bottles!

27Visible Differences in Social Class: Samurai and Peasants Chibanosuke Guide Permit for Surname and Sword-carrying issued by the lord(Full view) Permit for Surname and Sword-Carrying （Close-up of the lord's officials and Shichinosuke） What does this document say? It says that the village head, Shichinosuke, was granted permission by a domain official to take on a family name and carry a sword. So... does that mean he became a samurai? Nay, nay. He remained a peasant in daily life. The family name and sword were only allowed when serving the lord in official duties. My head'

Knowledge Spots｜Chibanosuke Guide 28The Pastures of Shimousa Chibanosuke Guide Wow, that pasture stretches all the way from Chiba to Noda! That be the Kogane Pasture. In Shimousa Province, there was also the Sakura Pasture, and in Awa Province, the Mineoka Pasture. So Chiba had lots of pastures! Were there government pastures like this all over Japan? Nay—other than those, only the Ashitaka Pasture in today’s Shizuoka Prefecture existed. The shogunate’s pastures were mostly concentrated in what is now Chiba Prefecture.

Knowledge Spots｜Chibanosuke Guide 29Where Does “O-dachin” Come From? Chibanosuke Guide Packhorse (Image courtesy of the International Research Center for Japanese Studies) Back in the day, people used horses to carry loads over land. That makes sense for heavy stuff— much easier! Indeed. Carrying goods by horse was called “da,” and the fee for that service was called “dachin.” The word “o-dachin,” meaning a small reward or tip, comes from that term. Then if I carry something, I should get o-dachin too!

City Emblem Mean!? Chibanosuke Guide Moon and Star Crest Chiba City Emblem Look! You can see the Chiba City emblem at the top of the arch. I didn’t know it had over a hundred years of history! I wonder why it’s shaped like that? 'Tis based on one of our family crestes ─ the tuskihoshi-mon (moon and star crest) ─ combined with the letter for "chi"(千), the first letter of “Chiba”(千葉). The sweeping strokes of the “chi” (千) also form the star, and the curved lines on either side represent a crescent moon.