Yokohama Nishi Ward

Description

Near Hiranuma-bashi Station on the Sagami Railway Line, beside the JR Tokaido Line railroad, there is "Suitengu Hiranuma Shrine" which is well known for prayer for safe childbirth.
According to the book "Yokohama's Changing Seashore" edited and published by the Yokohama History Museum, the area around the shrine was called "Hiranuma Shiota (salt field)" until 1877. I was surprised to know that there was a salt field in Nishi-ku.
In the late Edo period, 5th generation of Kyubei Hiranuma developed the Hiranuma Shinden (newly developed rice field) at the mouth of the Katabira River, and in the early Meiji period, 7th generation of Kyubei Hiranuma completed the Shinden (newly developed rice field), and salt manufacturing was carried out in part of it.
The area from present-day road bridge Hiranuma Ichinobashi Bridge to Hiranuma Ninobashi Bridge was a vast salt fields in which brine is brought through tidal action along the coast of the Inland Sea. Seawater was drawn in and mixed with sand to make it thicker. The water was evaporated to make a thicker brine, which was collected in cauldrons and heated to make salt. It would have been delicious salt.
At that time, the Suitengu Shrine was not located where it is now, but on the side of the former Hiranumabashi Bridge.

Title, picture and writing by Taro Suzuki (Nishi ward Cultural Association)
※This is a sketch and writing published in Yokohama Public Relation Nishi ward edition since June 2013. Please be noted that there’s a possibility that information in the article may be changed.

(Published August in 2021)