The History of Minamisoma: An Overview

   Within the Abukuma Highlands which tower on the west side of Minamisoma is an area engulfing Kashima and Haramachi Wards in which fossils from the Paleozoic era 370,000,000 years ago have been unearthed, as well as from every age following. Among the fossils that have been discovered are extremely valuable finds, such as the fossilized footprints of a small bipedal theropod (a suborder of dinosaurs) from the Mesozoic era. The Haramachi Ward has also produced an abundance of fossilized vegetation from the Mesozoic era.

   We see the first footprints of humankind in the area starting around 20,000 years ago, in the Paleolithic era. Archeological artifacts from the following Jomon period (14,000 – 1000 BCE) and Yayoi period (300 BCE - 300 CE) have been confirmed in Azumacho, Haramachi Ward. The Odaka Ward in particular contains many mounds of shells from the Jomon period including the Urajiri Shell Mound, indicating a proactive use of the area’s abundant natural resources. Sites such as Tenjinzawa in Kashima Ward were also widely known in the Yayoi period for crafting stone tools such as harvesting tools using the clay rock deposited in the Mano River basin.

   With the dawn of the Kofun period (250-538 CE), powerful clans rose to rule the area, creating the Sakurai Kofun (a large square burial mound) in the Haramachi Ward. Before long, many groups of burial mounds were constructed for the burial of the powerful families that controlled the river basins. The Mano Kofun and Yokote Kofun groups in Kashima are particularly well-known among those in Fukushima Prefecture.

   When the Japanese nation was formed under the ritsuryo codes during the Nara period (710-794 CE), this area was organized into the Namekata District in the Mutsu Region, and it is thought that the district office was located at the Izumi government office site in Haramachi Ward. As seen at the Yokodaido iron manufacture site, iron production boomed in every part of the city during this time period, making use of iron sand from the seaside and lumber from the hills. It is thought that iron production occurred under a national policy measure, and through places like the Yokodaido iron manufacture site, this area is estimated to have been the greatest producer of iron in East Japan. It was in this social background that the group of the oldest and largest stone buddhas in the Tohoku Region, known collectively as the Daihisan Stone Buddhas, was created in Odaka Ward. Buddhist culture bloomed in the area, as seen in the Uematsu Temple ruins in Haramachi Ward and the cedar statue of a seated statue of Amitabha Buddha.

   The age of samurai arrived, and a samurai named Soma Morotsune served Minamoto no Yoritomo as he destroyed the Fujiwara Clan of Hiraizumi. As a reward, Soma received the land that now encompasses Minamisoma City. Later, during the closing years of the Kamakura period (1185-1333), Morotsune’s descendant Soma Shigetane moved with his entire family and retainers from the area now known as Chiba Prefecture to Namekata District, becoming the founder of the Oshu Soma clan.

   The Soma clan later built Odaka Castle (now Soma Odaka Shrine), and participated in the conflict between the Northern and Southern dynasties of Japan (1336-1392) on the side of the north. While the clan continued to expand its influence during the Warring States period (1467-1568) through actions such as overthrowing the Shineha clan, it also overcame many dangers and even survived the punishment inflicted on Oshu by Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

   The Soma Clan refrained from participating in the Battle of Sekigahara (1600) in which the powerful shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu emerged victorious, which put the territory in danger of being confiscated. However, thanks to the efforts of Soma Toshitane and others, the clan was allowed to maintain its control. The Soma clan continued to govern the area stretching from current-day Soma city to the northern portion of Futaba District until the Meiji Period without being forced to relocate to a different domain. Their area of control was renamed the Nakamura Domain. It was extremely rare for a clan to maintain control of the same area from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) to the Meiji period (1868-1912), and the Soma clan became well known as a warrior family with a long lineage.

   The Soma clan created a festival known as Nomaoi, which continues to be celebrated today. The shape of Nomaoi as a religious event at a Shinto shrine changed in the Meiji period. However, through events like Noma Kake in which a horse is dedicated to the shrine as an offering, the traditional Soma warrior culture has continued to be passed down into the modern era.

   Check out the museum page on Soma Nomaoi for more information about this spectacular festival.

   The Tenmei Famine began in the latter half of the Edo period (1603-1868), which greatly reduced the population in the Nakamura Domain. In order to survive, the Nakamura Domain worked hard to take up the practice of frugality, and encouraged farmers to move in to the area from places like the Hokuriku region to the west. Many believers of Pure Land Buddhism answered the call and moved to the Nakamura Domain, creating a new wave of land cultivation and population recovery.

   The area also adopted the Hotoku method based on the teachings of Ninomiya Sontoku, through which many aqueducts and reservoirs were built, such as the 7000-Stone Aqueduct in Kashima Ward. These offered a tremendous amount of support to the agricultural communities in their recovery efforts, and the area continues to reap their benefits today.

Check out the page on Ninomiya Sontoku for more information about his life, achievements, and philosophy.

   The Soma area developed many religious festivals and folk arts around the prayer for good harvests due to the people’s experience of large-scale disasters in the area like the Tenmei Famine. Many are still performed today. The Shishi Kagura (Lion Dance) and the Taue Odori (Rice-Planting Dance) in particular are actively practiced in each ward and are well-known by many of the residents. The Hama Ori (Descent to the Seashore) has also been passed down to modern times primarily in Kashima Ward at shrines like Hiyoshi Shrine. Several folk arts are presented during the Hama Ori event. These events and dances is said to be a primary factor into the preservation of the area’s diverse folk arts.

   With the start of the Meiji period (1868-1912), the government pressed forward toward modernization. National policy focused on creating a rich and powerful company, and the Soma area took the opportunity presented by the opening of the railroads in 1898 to develop its own industry in areas such as silk and finance. Haramachi became a relay base on the Joban Line, developing the area into an industrial and cultural center. Odaka’s silk industry was extremely prosperous during this time. An enormous radio tower was built in Haramachi in 1921, with the largest transmission range in all of East Asia. It played an active role in at the time of the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923, transmitting information overseas regarding the situation and the damage incurred.

   Soon after, Japan entered its warring period through the Manchurian Incident (1931), and the Haramachi branch of the Kumagaya Military Aviation School opened its doors in 1940. Trainees gathered from all over the country, including some who would later become members of special attack units (also known as kamikaze units). Haranomachi Station was later damaged in an air-raid in 1945.

Check the link below for more information on Haramachi’s connection to World War II.

   The nation pushed for democratization policy measures after World War II, and many reforms were put into place, including agrarian reform. In 1954, Odaka Town, Kashima Town, and Haramachi City were born as part of the great Showa mergers. The Japanese post-war economic growth enveloped the area, while the previously booming textile and silk farm industries began to wane. In the midst of planning for the area’s industrial restructuring, the Tohoku Electric’s Haramachi Thermal Power Station was constructed in 1997.

   Haniya Yutaka and Shimao Toshio are two celebrated writers with ties to Minamisoma City, who even now have a large following. This area has produced a great many other cultural figures, including Ara Masato, the leading researcher on Natsume Soseki’s life and works, as well as the constitutional lawyer Suzuki Yasuzo.

Check the Haniya and Shimao Commemorative Literature Museum for more information on some of Minamisoma’s most famous cultural figures.